Informational interviews are one of the most valuable and underrated ways to explore college majors and careers. They’re not job interviews. They’re casual conversations where you ask someone questions about what they studied or what they do for work. The goal is to learn from their experience, so you can make better decisions about your own future.
1. What Is an Informational Interview?
It’s a short conversation, usually 15-30 minutes, with someone who has experience in a field you’re curious about. You’re not asking them for a job. You’re asking about their journey, what they studied, what their work is like, and what they wish they’d known earlier.
How Informational Interviews Fit Into the Big Picture
2. Why They’re So Useful for Students
Informational interviews help you go beyond course descriptions and career charts. You get to hear how people actually got where they are. That includes what surprised them, what’s hard about the job, and what they love most.
If you’re not sure how to get started, that’s exactly why we built MajorMentor. You can watch short, honest interviews with recent grads talking about their majors, their jobs, and what they wish they’d known earlier. It’s a great way to explore real career paths without feeling overwhelmed.
How to Use MajorMentor’s Interview Library to Explore Majors and Careers
3. What You’ll Learn That You Can’t Google
Anyone can read a job description, but an Informational interview gives you insight you won’t find online, like how people found their first job, what skills turned out to be most useful, and what their day-to-day looks like now. Instead of just reading that a job ‘requires communication skills,’ you might learn that writing client emails clearly is more important than giving presentations.
“After talking to a psychology major, I realized I was way more interested in research than therapy. That totally changed my plan.”
4. The Challenges (and Why Most Students Don’t Do Them)
A lot of students skip Informational interviews because they don’t know who to ask or what to say, and honestly, it can feel awkward.
But here’s the thing: the people you talk to were once in your shoes. Most of them are glad to help, especially if you’re curious and respectful about their time. If you still don’t want to do them, explore the recorded interviews on MajorMentor. Or read How to Use MajorMentor’s Interview Library to Explore Majors and Careers
5. How to Do One Yourself
- Find someone studying or working in a field you’re interested in
- Ask to set up a short conversation (email or social works great)
- Prepare a few thoughtful questions ahead of time
- Ask things like: “What classes helped you most?” or “What does a typical day look like?”
- Be curious. Say, thank you, and reflect afterward on what you learned.
How to Reach Out and Ask for an Informational interview
What Questions Should You Ask in an Informational interview?
Final Thought
You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Informational interviews give you real answers from real people, and that makes your next step a lot clearer.
If you’re not sure where to start, platforms like MajorMentor let you explore tons of interviews, so you can learn from people who’ve already been where you’re thinking of going.