Informational Interview

Informational Interviews, it has other names like – Informational meetings/coffee chat/networking. It is a conversation where a person seeks insight/ advice about a career from an Experienced person. Generally, is a casual /informal chat between 2 people. But if handled correctly, it can mature into a formal chat when both parties become job seekers and hiring managers. You might have a few assumptions about a job/role/company, but this process of an Informational Interview will test your assumptions. 

It is a win-win situation. 

• Knowledge seeker – gets more details about 1) Industry/company 2) Career path. 
• Knowledge provider – 1) lends a helping hand 2) expands his/her professional network 3) meets prospective employee/business partner. 

It is a forum where both get to know and learn about each other. Let us, deep dive, into this… find answers to  

1. How do I find SME /Experienced person to talk to 
2. Etiquette of Informational Interview 
3. What questions to ask them 
4. Benefits of Informational Interview 

How do I find SME /Experienced person to talk to 

Source to find an SME.  

1. friends, school/college alumni, and fellow members of a community / non-profit organization.  
2. former coworkers, partners, and clients. 
3. Others like recruiters, mentors, and coaches can help to connect with the right POCs. 
4. People you met in networking events/job Fairs can also help you. 
5. Another great source will be LinkedIn – which focuses on connecting people.  

You can cold contact them by calling/emailing them, if they are interested, they will provide a helping hand. Yes, it is a number game, not all will give a green signal for your request. If they decline or ignore you, just do not lose heart and move on with the next person on your list. We need to ameliorate.

 Etiquette of Informational Interview 

1. Consider it as a business appointment and conduct it professionally. 
2. Keep your introduction short. 
3. Dress for the occasion. Regular business attire is recommended - in person or virtual. 
4. Do some research on the person and the company. 
5. Learn the jargon/ lexicon used and try to incorporate them into your questions. 
6. Duration must be 20 to max 30 mins - in case of need, you can have another meeting. 
7. Come prepared with the questions, you will be driving it. Also, listen actively, and ask follow-up /counter questions, based on the details shared /discussed. 
8. Be prepared, the other person will ask questions too. 
9. The main point to focus on is, the interviewee is looking to know how curious you are. 
10. In the end, appreciate the time spent, and send a thank you note.  

Questions to ask: This is a vital part of the Informational Interview. To break the ice, talk about the lighter subject first and then you can fine grain and volley to the particulars. Avoid all the questions that google guru can answer. Do not feel afraid to ask questions. The other person will be flattered to accommodate this Informational Interview - everyone likes to feel important. Masquerade yourself like a reporter/journalist and start firing the questions.  

1. Roles and Responsibilities. Is there a Rhythm of business in a month / in a year? 
2. What are the skillsets /technology needed and what certification clearance is required? 
3. What makes the resume’ more impressive, when applying for this kind of position - What keywords /jargon must be in the resume? 
4. How is the career path /progression defined - Assume getting into a consultant role working on Data and AI. Then you would go to Sr Consultant, Associate architect, Architect, Sr Architect, and Principal Architect…. 
5. What are personal traits/characteristics needed for the role - Eg you want to be in IT Business Operation and then say do not like to do simple math to calculate the Utilization% or growth/profit margin. 
6. Who are the support team you need to interact with? 
7. How is your job measured? What are your KPIs?  

Some questions to drill down with the SME, as you get comfortable, after the warmup…  

1. What aspects of the job is soul satisfying /feel-good work? 
2. Is there any pressure /fire drill work regularly. 
3. Any toughest /challenging exercise in this role / what is more surprising in this role? 
4. Tell me about a new hire you enjoy working with and what key characteristic stands out. 
5. Who are your toughest competitors, and how is your company different? 
6. Is anyone else you recommend talking to, to get more insight into this role - help expand your network? 
7. What changes have you seen in the last 5 years in this area of work? 
8. How do you stay current in your knowledge base / what would you recommend? 
9. Also, what details you did not know about this industry, which you wish you knew / or someone guided you, at the time of starting this job? 
10. Anything that you missed asking them, which is important, and I need to be aware of 

  Benefits of Informational Interview 

1. You get to talk to an SME without pressure. 
2. You are the person in control. 
3. Improves your self-confidence and this experience gained with the tips and advice helps you to prep and handle a real job interview more efficiently. 
4. The SME knows you may refer to demands that are yet to be published too. 
5. Expand your network.  

Quick Recap: Informational interviews are good but at the same time they are a double edge sword. Just go through the dos and Don’ts.  

Don’ts	Dos
Go for the Informational Interview without practicing	Schedule the chat with the Interviewee with the topic, date/time, and duration
Ask for a job - but create a good impression, that you get referred	Do your homework – about the SME /company or industry
If the first experience of the Informational Interview is not fruitful, do not lose hope. Try a few more.	Practice your intro - keep it short, simple at the same time stunning
	Have your questions specific and not too generic. Ask open-end questions. Also, take notes throughout the conversation.
	Have a solid/robust ending thanking them and reiterating a couple of points, so you make an impeccable impression.

 Use these Informational interviews more proficiently. Do not ask for a job. Generally, the SME, if he/she likes you will refer you for any internal demands that are open – making you visible in the hidden job market. It puts you on the shortlist before the job is published/advertised. Take advantage of it.

                                                                Good luck! 

Change of Managers

Last July we had an Org change in my company. I was less than 7 months old in the company. I was surprised, more shocked at the number of changes that happened. I am used to Re-Org in my previous company, when the management changes, there will be some changes including my manager changing. I had been with a manager for 4 months to 8 yrs. Hence this shook me off!

My way of consoling /reassuring myself is to draw a bigger line / bigger problem next to it. In early 2000, when we landed in this country, I was relocated by my company, from state to state with my family on new assignments. Compared to that this is nothing.

I believe “Every change is for good". If things are not under our control, I accept them without any reasoning/logic. But this one. I believe this will happen every Fiscal year here, hence wanted to think out a little and be prepared. When your manager frequently changes at work it is not easy/challenging but we can handle it tactfully. I like to share some of my tips.

1.  Schedule an Intro/ Interview.

a. Block the calendar with the new manager. Consider this first conversation with your new manager as a job interview.

b. You need to share all the highlights of your current job – speak about your accomplishments. Share your rhythm of work, your strength, and your goals.

c. Either the earlier manager left the role voluntarily or involuntarily – we may not know, hence handle it with care.

d. The new manager is there to implement a change as per the leadership directions and support him/her in all the ways possible.

e. In case he/she is new to the Company /Dept - help with the orientation/onboarding formalities as needed.

2.  Discover the new priorities.

a. As mentioned earlier, the earlier manager left either voluntarily or involuntarily, to do a little detective work. Find out why the new boss was appointed.

b. It could be some failure with your previous manager or the company’s directions have changed - ‘shift in the mission’

c. Probe with your network at work - be informed of, educate, and engage yourself accordingly.

d. If needed, if you are comfortable - you can talk to your skip-level boss. Your new manager’s manager. 😊 Get the details top down the right way! I did not do it...

3.  Modify and Adjust / Do not dwell in the past.

a. Adjusting is always tough

b. Do NOT praise the previous regime. Just do not relive the past – it will cause a lack of commitment to the new manager.

c. Study your new manager - work style/mode of communication (IM/mail/text/call) / how detailed he/she is looking in any status updates.

d. We need to adapt and change as quickly as possible.

e. Invest and maintain the relationship – having a good relationship with your boss makes your workday more enjoyable.

f. After a month schedule a call with the new manager – ask for feedback - just 15 mins. 3 questions like the Traffic light

                i)What you should STOP doing 

                ii)What needs to be improvised 

                iii)What you should continue doing (Hearing this, motivates you to do better)

4.  Focus on Learning /Understanding the dynamics

a. Do not rely on your boss for all your development needs. Talk to your mentors /well-wishers, If you want to seek guidance.

b. Try to learn from your new manager – he/she could be a sales whiz, technically sound, or with creative hobbies and ideas.

c. It is a Novel experience, check this new perspective. See the work with a new pair of eyes - take advantage of it.

5.  Check your attitude and Deliver

a. You may or may not like your new boss – but do not dwell on negativity. 

b. This will be reflected in your work.

c. We cannot control this kind of situation. But go with the flow – be a helping contributor.

d. Maintain a healthy relationship in a good way - you may not know what other prospective doors it will open.

e. Never bad mouth both the current and your previous manager.

f. You are expected to deliver the task assigned. Put in whatever time /effort it takes – get it done!

Quick Recap - We all know ‘Changes are inevitable - without which we cannot grow or retain sustainability.

  

#	Don’ts	Do’s
1	Praise the previous regime.	Your first meeting – should be like a job interview
2	Live in the Past - lead to Negativity/annoyance only.	Investigate why the old manager left and why this new boss
3	Bad mouth your current /old manager	Assess, Adapt, and accomplish
4		Focus your energy on improvising the situation
5		See what you could learn from the new manager

With all these learnings, I am having a good and cordial relationship with my manager now and leaning in, learning, and leading, the work assigned to me and at the same time having fun!

                                                                    Good Luck!

Career Walking Deck

Happy Summer, yes stay cool. We spend some time with friends and family on our backyard deck and have fun. Do you know that it is something called ‘Career Walking Deck’? It is an untold expectation. A year back, even this was new to me. I just want to familiarize you and especially friends who are on the job hunt.

What is Career Walking Deck?

It is a visual representation of your answer to the well-known question ‘Tell me about yourself' in job interviews. It is an elevated, brief pitch about you. In this short speech, you present about

• Professional experiences / Projects
• Career progression / Goals & aspiration
• Roles you performed
• Personal Life/Values
• How do you fit in your current new job (being interviewed)
• What is your plan for the first 30-60-90 days?

Why is it important?

It helps to ‘Break the Ice’: Career walking deck is good for Intro meetings. Just share a screen and introduce yourself. It is a great way to start a meeting.

Prepped Well: Going to an interview with the Walking deck, shows how well you have prepared after thinking through the JD and how well you fit in and know well where you want to go.

Stand Out: Walking Deck will help you to stand out in the interview. The visual representation of it makes a good impression with the evaluators.

What is the purpose of a walking deck?

The Walking Deck is a brief presentation used to provide an overview of you.

It outlines a conversation or mini speech designed to

• persuade and gain attention and support from others
• elicit feedback
• get helpful constructive criticism.

The below slide was prepared for my Job Interview at Microsoft, a year back. 

The narration is below:

I am Sucharithaa Gunachandran, known as Suchi

One of the very few in Cognizant on their silver jubilee year.

Successful Global Business Operation Executive with over 24+ years of IT experience and in Operations for the past 15+ yrs Leading the Cognizant Digital Business - Artificial Intelligence and Analytics practice by process improvements and resourcing for the past 8+ yrs

Aligning business objectives with Employees and Management - Driving growth

As a part of the high-performance team, we all share a Common Goal - To maximize Revenue and Profitability for the company.

Handling high-stress, dynamic environment. Our team, including me, is Very Open, transparent, Future-focused, and Able to deliver Success

I am a ‘Go to Person’ for any Resource escalation or 1 stop shop. As I am a problem solver, exhaust all the options available to solve problems - which has created a ‘brand’ for me in Cognizant.

Being in a consulting company, Associates are Revenue to us, hence we call them ‘Resources’ Working with the HM and the Associate, who is waiting for an assignment, I become the bridge bonding these 2.

Also, I am the gatekeeper to let people leave the practice /company. If there is potential, I am keen on tapping and getting the Dollar in - I mean revenue recognized. At the same time in the case, it is a wrong hire or a person with a bad attitude, we need to churn them out.

I do have a magic wand to clone associates – Not Kidding, yes work on multiple Alternate supply channels – Hire & Train / Train & hire / Campus hiring / Cross/Up Skilling yield 50 to 75 Jr level associates every quarter.

You must be thinking about why/how I moved to this field of ‘Business Program and Operations. Due to Personal reasons moved from Software Development to the Operation Role. I had my second baby and was forced to work from home and got an opportunity to switch. I am thankful, that I did.

I am an asset to the BU I am working with because I am consistent in achieving the target set. I am Say, Doer - say what I do and, I do what I say always.

If you need to get the thing done, on time, on budget - you are speaking to the right person.

What differentiates me from the others - I am a person of execution, dependable, and a high achiever. My motto is always to out beat the past records.

To add to it, working remotely for the past 15+ yrs and NOT just due to COVID. I have been promoted every 2 or 3 yrs and also my Salary was matched with the market couple of times - that shows my grit.

Finally, you will be glad and get to work not only with a joyful warrior but also with a dogged worker.

I am truly excited about this opportunity – cannot wait to learn, work and grow with you, your team, and the organization.

                                                                Thank You 

OKR – Objective

We saw that OKR Objective Key Results are a great way to set a company’s goals and track or monitor a company or team’s progress.  OKR - Specific, strategic systemized tool. It was pioneered by Andy Grove at Intel. Then it was taken by John Doerr to Google and then it spread across all the companies knowing its potential

 Using OKR helps us to

• Be creative and focused.
• Work together
• Enjoy process 

There are 3 layers in OKR – Mission / Objective / Key Results - which answer to Why / What / How.  We already covered an overview of OKR in my prior blog. Today I will focus on the Objective which is the smart layer. Objectives or goals are like the ‘North Star’ – you need to identify and stay focused on this.

 Before writing the OKR, you need a good understanding of what you want to accomplish. First focus on your objective.

 Ask these questions

• What are our current challenges ahead / how do we solve them?
• What is stopping us / how do we overcome it?
• What should we change to have the results that we want?
• What can we achieve in this month/quarter? 

It needs to

• Help achieve company goals.
• Inspiring
• Move the company forward
• It is time-bound. 

Objective – as said earlier it is your answer to your ‘What’, what deliverable/impact/outcomes we have for our business. It should be ambitious and give everyone in the company - the required direction.

It needs to be measurable, it should be ‘top focus’ too.

The words used in the Objective should be Specific /concrete - No fluffy/hazy bunch of words. Yes, it is either Black/white and not grey.  This helps to emphasize solidly what outcome we are delivering.  First, write down the objective as descriptive as possible. Once you are clear then break that down into short inspirational bullet points.

 

1. Objectives should be inspirational and easy to remember – if the objective is not known and not easy to remember, it will hardly be implemented.  When writing the bullet points start with the action word Verb – Increase /create / improve / maximize /build / grow /leverage. It is human psychology to aspire for growth, hence frame the objective in Positive language/tone

Ex. Enables all teammates to achieve their fullest potential

     Maximize our ability to grow by optimizing utilization.

 

2. Objectives should be qualitative - It should be of high quality and excellence. There should not be any numbers. If numbers appear, then it is no longer an objective, it becomes a key result.  Numbers can appear, provided it is inspirational

Ex. Become a #1 company in NJ.

The Customer Experience team operates at its best

 

3. Objectives are achievable in a timeframe.

As said it should have the action word and be time-bound.

Ex. Improve efficiency with a data-driven approach by Quarter 1

Grow by improving our win rate by the end of Q2

 

4. Objectives should provide business value

The objective should focus on

· problem resolution

· areas to improve

· take new opportunities.

It should bring positive business value.

Ex. Learning is our passion and priority

Be the architects of our future

 Objectives

• Should not be easy
• Should not be project/task / sub-task.
• They are not your business, as usual, BAU targets.

We just saw the importance of the Objective, for the OKR. 

The next blog will focus on Key Results.

 Hope this was useful. Thank you.