Your invitation for an informational meeting has been accepted! Now it is time to prepare for your meeting. 

It’s important to remember that you are the one asking for the meeting and therefore, you set the agenda. It’s up to you to develop questions to acquire the information you need to help with your career. 

If you do this right, your initial informational meeting could be the beginning of a long-term professional relationship with the person you are meeting. You want to make a good impression by sounding interested, enthusiastic and smart.

Before you invite someone to meet with you, learn everything you can about the person. Start with a Google search. Has the person or their organization been in the news? Have they recently been quoted in a professional journal or online newsletter? Most people are flattered when new colleagues mention a quote or comment of theirs that received positive press. Additionally, doing so also makes it clear you are on top of industry news.

Search the internet for the person’s name, also, review their LinkedIn profile, and social media pages. Focus first on professional information: Learn where the person attended school, where they worked, what associations they belong to and any other volunteer organizations they may be affiliated with. 

If the person you are meeting with is an alum, see if their LinkedIn profile mentions anything about courses they took or clubs they belonged to. (Don’t forget to make sure you have a complete LinkedIn profile and a professional online presence in case anyone is researching you!) 

Look for some common personal touch points. Are there any common connections? Have you lived in the same city? Do they belong to professional associations, clubs, or have similar hobbies? Make a note of any potential talking points.

If you’re uncomfortable meeting new people, advance research and planning will help you feel more prepared and confident. 

Use something from your research to start the conversation or you could choose something lighter such as the weather, local events, or the venue where you are meeting. The purpose of this small talk is to start building rapport with the individual you are meeting with. This helps set the tone for the meeting and helps the person begin to understand your personality. 

Maybe the person enjoys playing tennis and you do, too. Work the topic into the conversation. It's not necessary to say, "In researching your background, I noticed you enjoy tennis; so do I." Even in an age when it's easy to find out anything about other people, this might seem a bit aggressive. Instead, once niceties have been exchanged, feel free to comment, "Wow…This weather is great for tennis. I hope it lasts until the weekend." The new contact will likely pick up the topic and a natural conversation ensues.

Before you reached out to request the meeting, you defined what you wanted to accomplish in meeting with this person. Go back and review what you asked for. What knowledge or information does the person you are meeting with possess? How will their information help you? The questions you ask during the meeting will be determined by who you are meeting with. 

For example, if you are meeting with an alumni who works in a role you aspire to be in, learn about the role and how the person landed it. If you are meeting with someone who works in a company you are interested in, you could ask about the company culture, the systems and processes the company uses and the hiring process. You will find a list of questions you can modify to suit your situation.

You probably asked for a 20-30 minute meeting. The time will go quickly so you’ll want to set an agenda to keep you on track. Here’s a general outline for you to follow:

When you introduce yourself, keep it short and focused on skills or experiences you know would be relevant or interesting to the person you are meeting with. It’s only the beginning of the conversation, so keep it high-level and under 2 minutes. 

Often people use the Past, Present, Future model to formulate their introduction. It starts with your role or what your aspiring role is, then you include the 2-3 most relevant skills that qualify you for that role, then discuss one current thing you are working on now that prepares you for the next step, and you conclude with why you are interested in making a change. 

The most important part of this process is your follow-up after the meeting. 

Sending a thank you message/note after the conversation should be done within 24-48 hours while the meeting is fresh in both of your minds. Your message should include your gratitude plus one take-away from the meeting. It could be something you learned about the company, appreciation for a recommendation they offered, or gratitude for the name or introduction they provided. 

After you have taken action on something the person recommended or had a conversation with a referral they offered, circle back and let your new networking contact know how it went. 

But don’t stop there. 

Stay in touch monthly or quarterly with an update, let them know about events you’ve heard about they may be interested in, share an interesting or relevant article, offer to introduce them to someone they would benefit from meeting, or just say hello. 

Your follow-up shows your commitment to networking and building mutually beneficial relationships. 

For some people, it’s natural to do a lot of talking. If you’re one of these people, or you know you get nervous and talk incessantly, be sure you plan to ask plenty of questions. Most people like talking about themselves. Be the person who wants to know more about new contacts. Nod, smile, and do everything possible to leave a favorable impression. A good conversation where the other person feels valued and heard is likely to lead to another meeting. A great way to do this is to use the phrase, “Tell me more about…” which keeps them talking and shows you are listening and interested.

Don’t forget, while it may seem counter-intuitive, you should avoid asking for a job when meeting people for the first time. Make a point to have an engaging conversation about the person’s work experience and learn from them. This is the purpose of a first conversation.

If talking with strangers is uncomfortable, spend some time role-playing with friends or in front of a mirror. Make a list of things to say. It helps to prepare to discuss topics that are trending. See the latest movies, read some in-demand books, and watch or read the news before the event. Avoid talking about politics, religion or highly controversial topics. You may not like where the conversation ends up. 

Here’s a form to help you prepare for upcoming informational meetings!

How to Build Your Target Company List (in under an hour) - Jessica Hernandez

Stop struggling to create a list of companies to target. Use the 3 tips/tools to do the discovery.

Read how to use these tools and easily identify companies you may like to work for!

The “Proof Of Life” Job Search Is Here - Mark A. Dyson

This is about protecting yourself from scams targeting job seekers! Mark spells out what is happening and most importantly he shares a 3 channel verification checklist:

Your Network Wants to Help. They Just Don't Know What to Say About You. - Gina Riley

If you’ve had more coffee chats than you care to admit, and nothing ever happens, then read this article. It explains what so many job seekers are NOT doing. Clearly spelling out what they want to do next. (And it isn’t easy!)

What Interviewers Really Want To Know - Shelley Piedmont

Preparing your answers for interviews isn’t as easy as telling your story. Piedmont, a former HR leader explains:

So, begin interpreting what the underlying quality the interviewer is assessing and be sure to address that in your story.

Large Study Finds That Replacing Workers With AI Is Backfiring Badly - Futurism

This is a good read to understand what’s happening with AI in companies. In a recent study by Gartner, 350 executives from global firms with over $1 billion in annual revenue were questioned about the efficacy of AI-related job cuts. The findings revealed that 80% of these leaders have reduced their headcount to prioritize spending on autonomous systems and artificial intelligence. And not suprising, An MIT study last year found that AI is failing to generate meaningful revenue growth at the vast majority of companies that embrace it.

How to reset after a layoff - Sharon Markowitz, Your Career Wings

This is a low-cost webinar being offered Tuesday, June 9 at 12:00PM EDT | 30 mins.

She’ll walk through a practical reset plan that includes:

Share this with someone you know who could use a refresher!

Here are questions you can ask during an informational meeting!

Start with A Plan to Grow Your Network

Ditch Your Old Pitch and Use A Micro-Pitch

Using The Star Interview Method Effectively + Questions

📩 Please forward this to a job seeker you think would benefit.

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🚩 Look for my LinkedIn post about this issue to add your thoughts!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Everyone!