Hi Interviewing Friends,

How are things going? What are you aspiring to? No seriously, I would really like to know. If you feel so inclined, e-mail me and let me know.

In the meantime, this week I’m sharing the relatable but false beliefs many people have about why they should not reach out to someone to set up an informational interview.

Stay Savvy,Emma

6 Common Objections to Informational Interviewing

Having taught a lot of people about informational interviewing over the years, I’ve noticed a handful of objections come up over and over again. I find these objections to be very funny and also very relatable. All of these objections are not real, in the sense that they shouldn’t actually stop you from doing anything. But they are real in the sense that they come up a lot and they do stop people from taking the next step. So I thought I’d address them here.

1. I don’t want to waste this important person’s time — I mean, stay on your side of the fence. It’s their time. Let them decide whether or not they want to waste it on you. Also, though, don’t think about yourself as a waste of time. Think about it this way: you are giving them an opportunity to be a part of your career, which will be fabulous, groundbreaking and just generally very important.

2. I should wait until my career is further along and I’m more worth this person’s attention — 1% of the time this is the right move. Like if you have a connect with someone really really fancy and they’re like, come back and talk to me once you’ve done XYZ, then by all means, go do XYZ and then reach out again. But generally speaking you should just reach out asap. Otherwise you’re going to waste a lot of time trying to become worthy when you could just focus on getting where you need to go.

3. I don’t know if I’m even interested in this job, industry, career. I should do more research before I reach out? — No! The whole point of informational interviewing is to help you figure out what you want to do. Googling (or Bing-ing) is not a very effective method for actually determining if you are interested in a job, industry or career. But informational interviewing is! So do the informational interview!

4. I’m uncomfortable — Good. You should be. That’s how you know you are taking big swings. Be uncomfortable. Do it anyway. The better you get at doing things that make you uncomfortable, the faster you are going to get where you want to go. Learn to tolerate your discomfort.

5. They’re not going to respond — Now that’s just negative. Also, who cares if they don’t respond. It’s never personal. Plus, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one informational interview. If you don’t get a response move on and find somebody else to talk to. That’s the beauty of the professional world, it’s full of lots and lots of people. There’s always someone new to talk to and learn from.

6. I’m going to look like a grabby, careerist, climber — This is a very pejorative way of assessing your own behavior. Also, unless you are a member of, like, the aristocracy, then I don’t think you really have a choice but to be kind of a careerist. I mean, that is if you have ambition and stuff you wanna get done. Just be respectful and human in your interactions with other people. You’ll be fine. Work is fun (or at least it can be). And talking to people about project, problems, solutions and getting things done can be very meaningful and enjoyable. You’re not a mercenary trying to exploit other people. You are a human being trying to find their way in the world.

Whew okay, I think that’s it. But also, did I miss anything? What trips you up when you are thinking about doing an informational interview.

I should also add, that if you find yourself getting bogged down by these objections, you should chat with a friend, mentor or therapist. A lot of these objections have to do with questions of worthiness, self-esteem and the ability to tolerate uncomfortable feelings. In case it’s not already clear, informational interviewing is a profoundly challenging, emotionally complex process. It’s only natural that you would need some support from trusted advisors.

What I’m reading….

Here are a few of things I read this week. Most of it has a business, career or economic angle. Why? Because as B.B. King said, “If you don’t do the business, the business will do you.”

• A New Federal Student Loan Program Will Move Millions Toward Forgiveness: The plan aims to fix “historical failures” and will provide debt cancellation to thousands of borrowers, according to the Education Department. - The New York Times

• Gen Z Couples Are Shacking Up at Record Rates: With the cost of housing and other things soaring, 3.2 million young Americans are living with unmarried partners. — Bloomberg

• The biggest lie the rich ever told? That money can’t buy you happiness: “New studies confirm that having more money can improve our wellbeing. So much for the story powerful people have always tried to push” — The Guardian

• Everything you think you know about homelessness is wrong: “if you follow the rent, you will come to realize that homelessness is primarily a housing problem.” — Noahpinion