I am a huge advocate of meeting with people in your industry, talking about what you do and learning from each other, whether there’s an immediate job offer involved or not. This post, The Value of Informational Interviewing, explains the power of these meetings and the ultimate effect it had on one person’s career. I believe all students and recent graduates should be doing this, where else can you learn more about your industry than from the people who are working in it? But don’t think that if you’re more experienced the concept doesn’t apply to you. Again, where else can you learn more than by talking to your peers and industry connections?
We do this periodically, our goal is to have breakfast with someone every 1-2 months. Make a list of people you admire, thinking big, and start contacting them. The worst that will happen is that they won’t respond or won’t have time, the best is that they’ll say yes! You never know where that connection could lead. Once you get the interview scheduled be prepared, respect their time, and know what you want to ask but be open to the information they want to share that they feel will be helpful to you.
