Share with your Little what an informational interview entails. It is an informal conversation with someone working in a field they may like to work in one day or learn more about. Informational interviews can help your Little better understand the realities of pursuing a certain life, education, or career path. Describe also the benefits of informational interviews including that your Little can learn about future paths they may want to take and about skills or experiences that are valuable for reaching goals. 

Your Little may need help in identifying people for informational interviews. Start by making a list with them of all the individuals who they may be interested in learning more about. These individuals can include people they already know such as friends, family members, and teachers, as well as people they have not met yet in their community or contacts/individuals who you work with and know. 

Once you and your Little have identified who they will interview, use the email template to draft a message together for an informational interview request. This communication should include a brief introduction and why they’re interested in interviewing the person. Prepare your Little for rebuttals or non-responsiveness. Oftentimes, professionals may be busy and thus may not always respond to such requests right away or may be too busy to participate in an informational interview at the current moment. It can be hard to not take these types of objections personally. Help prepare your Little from the onset that this is one possible outcome. It may be helpful to share a time that you have experienced a similar situation yourself. Help your Little respond appropriately if they receive a rebuttal to their request.   

Do research together to learn more about who the Little will be talking to. What is the interviewee’s background? Spend time also preparing a brief introduction – who is the Little and why did they want to meet? Then, prepare questions. What questions does your Little have for the interviewee? To support drafting questions, help your Little think critically about what they want to learn and what information they cannot find online. Use the Conversation Starter Guide below to get started. You and your Little can then use the Conversation Starter Guide to practice for the informational interview. Depending on your Little’s level of comfort, you may role play the interviewee or the interviewer. 

Help your Little prepare by considering what they might wear to the interview and whether there are materials such as a notebook and pen that they should bring to take notes. Talk about other norms or expectations such as showing up to the interview on time and introducing themselves. 

Reflect together on how the interview went and be sure to craft a thank you note to the interviewee. A thank you note can be an excellent way to show appreciation for the interviewee taking time to connect with you. You can use these three prompts to guide your discussion and articulate learnings: 

1. 1. How did you feel the interview went? What went well? What would you like to change for next time?

   2. What did you learn about from the interview? Was anything surprising?

• Your Little may be skeptical that an adult or professional would be interested in talking to them. Yet, there are many reasons why adults are eager to help, including that most people remember what it was like to be in middle or high school. Remind your Little that most adults want to help and are flattered that someone wants to learn more about them. 

• Consider the age of your Little and who may be most appropriate to interview. For younger youth, this may be a teacher to learn more about why they became a teacher and how they got their job. For older youth, consider finding individuals who might have similar jobs or education paths that your Little is wanting to pursue and learn more about.

• Make sure you have parent/guardian permission to help your Little set up an information interview, especially if you are connecting your Little with someone in your own network. You might also plan to attend the interview to provide support to your Little, especially if the connection has been made by you.

• Informational interviews can also happen on virtual platforms such as Zoom. Some professionals may actually prefer to meet this way. Work with your Little to decide what format is most comfortable for them.