Guide
Informational Interview Questions: What to Ask and How to Ask for One
Ask about the person's actual work, how their team is judged, and what they'd do in your position, not for a job. Send a short, specific request, keep the call to 20 minutes, come with five or six questions, and follow up within a day.
Key takeaways
- An informational interview is a short conversation to learn about someone's job, team or company, not to ask them for one.
- The most useful informational interview question is how the person's team is measured, because it shows what the job really is.
- Ask for 20 minutes, bring five or six questions in priority order, and keep to time.
- End every informational interview by asking who else you should talk to.
- Send a thank-you note the same day, then a second note weeks later once you've acted on their advice.
Download all 6 templates (Word) Opens in Google Docs too.
What is an informational interview?
An informational interview is a short conversation with someone in a job, team or company you’re curious about, where you ask questions to learn, not to get hired. It’s how you find out what a role is really like before you apply, and how a stranger becomes someone who knows your name when a role opens.
In marketing it’s especially useful because titles mean very different things from one company to the next. A “brand manager” at a consumer goods company and a “brand manager” at a software startup can have almost nothing in common. One conversation tells you which version you’re looking at.
The rule that makes it work: you never ask for a job in the conversation. If it goes well, the person will often offer help. If you ask, it turns into a job interview you didn’t prepare for.
| Informational interview | Job interview | |
|---|---|---|
| Who asks for it | You | The employer |
| Who asks the questions | Mostly you | Mostly them |
| Goal | Learn about a role, team or field | Decide whether to hire you |
| Length | About 20 minutes | 30 minutes to a full day |
| Whether there’s a job | Not needed | Always |
How do you ask someone for an informational interview?
Send a short message that says why them specifically, what you want to learn, and how little time you need. People say yes to small, specific requests from someone who clearly picked them for a reason. Reaching out to a stranger can feel awkward, but many people enjoy talking about their work, and the worst case is a polite silence.
Who to ask, roughly in order of how often they say yes:
- People you share something with: the same school, a former employer, a mutual connection, the same city.
- People one or two steps ahead of you, not the CMO. A marketing manager remembers being a coordinator; a CMO gets many requests and has less time.
- People who post or speak publicly about their work. They’ve shown they like talking about it, and their posts give you something specific to mention.
Where to send it: LinkedIn works, and a work email is worth trying if you can find the address, because it lands somewhere less crowded. A warm introduction from a mutual contact beats both. Keep LinkedIn connection notes short; our LinkedIn connection note checker counts yours against the 200-character limit.
Template: LinkedIn connection note
Treat these as starting points and rewrite them the way you’d naturally write. A note that sounds like a real person, curious about their work, gets far more replies than one that reads like a template.
Hi [Name], I'm [moving into / working in] [area of marketing] and your post on [topic] was useful. Would you be open to a few questions about your work at [Company]?
Template: email or LinkedIn message
Subject: Quick question about [team or role] at [Company] Hi [Name], I'm [one line on who you are: e.g. a content coordinator at [Company], or a teacher moving into marketing]. I'm trying to understand [specific thing: how lifecycle teams work at subscription companies / what brand managers at CPG companies actually own]. I came across your [post / talk / work on campaign] about [topic], and you seem like the right person to ask. Would you be open to a 20-minute call in the next couple of weeks? I'll come with specific questions and keep it to time. If a call is too much, I'd be grateful for a reply to just one question: [your single best question]. Thanks, [Your name] [LinkedIn URL]
Template: when someone introduced you
Hi [Name], [Mutual contact] suggested I get in touch. They mentioned you [lead / built / moved into] [thing] at [Company]. I'm [one line on you], and I'm deciding whether to [move into / focus on] [area]. Would you have 20 minutes in the next few weeks for a few questions? Happy to work around your schedule. Thank you, [Your name]
Template: one polite follow-up
If you hear nothing, follow up once, about a week later. Then let it go.
Hi [Name], following up on my note in case it got buried. Completely understand if now's not a good time. If you have a moment for one question, it's this: [question].
What questions should you ask in an informational interview?
Ask questions only this person can answer: about their day-to-day work, how their team is measured, and the path they took. Skip anything you could find on the company’s website or careers page.
Pick five or six from the lists below, depending on the person and what you need to learn. You won’t get to more than that in 20 minutes.
Questions about their role
- What does a normal week look like for you? Where does most of your time actually go?
- Which parts of your job didn’t you expect when you took it?
- What does your team own, and what do you depend on other teams for?
- What’s a project from the past year you’re proud of, and what made it hard?
- What separates someone who’s good at this job from someone who’s great?
Questions about how marketing works at their company
- How is your team’s work measured? What numbers come up in your reviews?
- Who does marketing report to, and how much say does it have in product or pricing decisions?
- How are budgets decided? Does your team ask for money by campaign or get a yearly amount?
- What does marketing do in-house and what goes to agencies or freelancers?
- What’s the team focused on this year?
The measurement question is the most useful one on the list. A social media manager judged on follower growth has a different job from one judged on sales from social, even with the same title.
Questions about getting into the field or moving up
- How did you get into this role? Would that path still work today?
- If you were in my position, with [your background], what would you do first?
- Which skills or tools should I learn now, and which can I pick up on the job?
- What would make a resume or portfolio stand out to you for a role like yours?
- Which companies or teams do this kind of marketing especially well?
Questions for specific marketing roles
Add one question that only someone in that role could answer.
| Their role | A question worth asking |
|---|---|
| Brand manager | “How much of the brand plan is yours, and how much is set by the category or global team?” |
| Social media manager | “Are you judged on reach, engagement or sales, and has that changed in the past year?” |
| SEO or content | “How has AI search changed what you publish and how you report on it?” |
| Growth or performance marketing | “How do you decide when a channel has stopped being worth the spend?” |
| Product marketing | “Who owns pricing and launch decisions, and where do you sit in them?” |
| Agency side | “What does a good client relationship look like here, and what makes one go wrong?” |
If you’re changing careers, also ask which of your current skills they’d value most, and what a hiring manager would doubt about your background. Both answers tell you what to lead with in applications.
Questions to end on
- Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?
- Is there anything I should have asked and didn’t?
- Can I keep you posted on how it goes?
“Who else should I talk to?” is the question that turns one conversation into five. Ask it every time.
What questions should you avoid?
Avoid anything that asks for a job, a referral or private information in the first conversation. Those make a generous person regret saying yes.
| Avoid | Why | Ask instead |
|---|---|---|
| “Are you hiring?” | Turns a favor into a screen | “What does your team look for when it hires?” |
| “Can you refer me?” | Too much to ask a stranger | Wait; if it goes well they often offer |
| “How much do you make?” | Personal, and awkward from a stranger | Look up ranges on our marketing salaries pages |
| “What does your company do?” | You should know this already | “Why did the company move into [new product or market]?” |
| “Tell me about yourself.” | Too open; wastes their time | “How did you go from [past role] to [current role]?” |
How do you prepare for an informational interview?
Spend 20 to 30 minutes on research so your questions are specific. Read their LinkedIn profile, anything they’ve posted or published, and the company’s recent marketing: its social accounts, ads and site.
- Have a one-line answer for “So, tell me about you." Who you are, what you’re exploring and why. Practice it out loud. Our guide to tell me about yourself works for this too; just cut it to about 30 seconds.
- Write your questions down in the order you’d ask them, with the most important first in case the call is cut short.
- Bring one observation about their marketing. “I noticed the team moved from [old approach] to [new approach]” shows you did the work and often gets the best answers.
- Confirm the time zone and the link the day before.
The same research habits apply later in real interviews; see how to research a company before an interview.
How do you run the conversation?
Thank them, give your short intro, and go straight to your first question. Let them do most of the talking.
- Keep to time. At the 18-minute mark, say “I want to respect your time” and move to your closing questions. If they want to keep going, they’ll say so.
- Take notes, either by hand or with permission. You’ll want their exact words later.
- Follow their energy. If they light up about one project, ask a follow-up about it and drop a question from your list.
- Don’t pitch yourself. If they ask about your experience, answer briefly and turn it back to a question. Be yourself, though: a relaxed, curious conversation is what makes them want to help later.
What should you send after an informational interview?
Send a thank-you note the same day that names one specific thing they said and what you’ll do with it. Then keep them posted when you act on their advice. That second note, weeks later, is what makes them remember you.
Subject: Thank you, [Name] Hi [Name], Thank you for the time today. Your point about [specific thing they said] changed how I'm thinking about [your search or next step]. I'm going to [action you'll take because of the conversation], and I'll reach out to [person they suggested] as you recommended. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again, [Your name]
Subject: Following up on your advice Hi [Name], A quick update since we spoke in [month]: I [did the thing they suggested], and [what happened: e.g. I've started building a small SEO project / I've applied for a role on the brand team at [Company]]. Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction. [Your name]
If a role opens at their company later, you can then write: “I saw the [role] opening on your team. Would you be comfortable telling me who’s hiring for it, or passing my name along?” By then it’s a reasonable request.
The thank-you email after an interview guide has more examples of notes that name something specific.
FAQ
Who asks the questions in an informational interview?
You do. You asked for the meeting, so you lead it: bring your questions, keep to time and close it. Expect a few questions back about your background, and keep those answers short.
How long should an informational interview be?
Ask for 20 minutes and keep to it. Some people will offer more time once you’re talking, which is fine, but the request should be small enough to say yes to easily.
Is it OK to ask for a job in an informational interview?
No. Asking for a job turns the conversation into a screening call and puts the person in an awkward spot. If they offer to pass your resume on or introduce you to a hiring manager, accept and thank them.
How many informational interviews should I do?
Enough to answer the question you started with, which is often a handful per area of marketing you’re considering. Stop when the answers start repeating.
What if the person doesn’t reply?
Send one follow-up about a week later, then move on. Silence usually means they’re busy, not that your request was wrong. Send the next request to someone else on your list the same day.
Can I do an informational interview over email?
Yes. Some people prefer to answer two or three written questions. Make them specific, number them, and thank them the same way you would after a call.