Informational Interview Questions That Lead to Referrals

You have a call booked with someone who works in the field, the team, or the company you are curious about, and now the pressure is on to not waste it. Twenty minutes disappears fast if you spend the first five explaining yourself and the last five scrambling for a real question.

An informational interview has one job: get you information you cannot get from a job posting, and leave the other person willing to introduce you to someone else. Both outcomes depend on which questions you ask and how you close.

The best informational interview questions depend on your goal. If you are exploring a field, ask about the work itself and what surprised them. If you are trying to break in, ask what actually got them hired. If you want a referral, close by asking who else you should talk to, and let them offer the introduction rather than asking for one directly.

Set your goal before you write a single question

Most informational interviews fail because the person treats it as one generic conversation instead of picking a lane. There are three common goals, and they call for different questions.

Exploring a field or role you know little about, to decide if it fits you
Breaking into a field or company where you lack the usual background
Getting referred into a specific company where you already know the work

You can blend these, but decide which one matters most for this call, because it should shape your first two or three questions. The rest of the conversation will follow naturally once you are into a real topic.

Twenty informational interview questions, sorted by goal

Questions to ask in an informational interview when you’re exploring a field

What does a typical week actually look like for you?
What part of the job surprised you most once you started?
What’s the difference between someone who’s average at this and someone who’s excellent?
What do people get wrong about this field from the outside?
What would make you leave this line of work?
If you were starting over, would you choose this again?

Questions for breaking into a field or role without the standard background

What did your actual path into this role look like?
Which skills on the job posting matter in practice, and which are just listed?
Is there a credential, certificate, or portfolio piece that would make a real difference for someone like me?
What’s one thing candidates from outside the field usually get wrong in interviews here?
Would a smaller company or a different starting role be a more realistic first step?
What would you want to see from someone with my background before you’d take a chance on them?

Questions to ask about a specific company

What’s different about how this team works compared to others you’ve been on?
What’s the hardest part of this job that the posting wouldn’t tell you?
How has the team or the priorities changed in the last year?
What kind of manager or team tends to do well here, and what kind struggles?
Is there anything about the culture you wish someone had told you before you joined?

Questions that lead somewhere useful

Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?
Would it be all right if I followed up with you if a role opens that fits?
Is there anything I should have asked that I didn’t?

That last one earns its place on the list. People often hold back information that only surfaces when you explicitly invite it.

The email that gets a yes

Most requests fail for one of two reasons: they are too vague, or they ask for too much. A good request names a real connection point, states your reason plainly, and asks for a small, specific amount of time.

Subject: Question about your path into [field/role]

Hi [Name],

[Mutual contact] suggested I reach out, or: I read your post about [specific thing] and it stuck with me. I’m exploring a move into [field/role] and would value fifteen minutes of your perspective on what the work is actually like day to day. I’m not looking for a job, just trying to learn from someone who’s done it.

Would Tuesday afternoon or Thursday morning work for a short call? Happy to work around your schedule.

[Your name]

Keep it under 120 words. The line “I’m not looking for a job” is doing real work: it removes the reason people hesitate to respond, which is the fear of being asked for something they cannot give.

How to structure the call

A twenty-minute informational interview breaks down cleanly:

First two minutes: thank them, restate why you reached out, confirm you’ll keep it to time.
Next twelve minutes: ask three or four of your prepared questions. Follow up on what’s interesting rather than rushing through your list.
Last four minutes: ask who else you should talk to, offer to send a two-line summary of what you’re looking for that they can forward, and thank them again.
After the call: send a short thank-you note within a day, and mention one specific thing you took from the conversation. It shows you were actually listening.

What to do with what you learn

An informational interview email that goes nowhere is more common than one that leads to a job, and that is fine, because information compounds. If someone gave you the name of a person to talk to, follow up within a week while the introduction is still fresh. If they told you a skill gap you have, start closing it now rather than after the next rejection. If a role opens at their company later, you now have a real person to mention when you apply, not a cold application.

The mistake people make is running five or six of these conversations, feeling encouraged, and then not doing anything different. Each call should change something concrete: a resume line, a question you now know to ask in a real interview, a name you now have permission to use.

If you are running a search and want help turning conversations like these into an actual plan instead of a pile of notes, a 1:1 career coaching session can help you sort what you’re hearing from people who work the field into what actually applies to you. And once you’re ready to move from exploring to applying, our guide on how to network when you hate networking covers the follow-through that most people skip.

Informational interviews work when you treat them as a habit, not a one-off favor. Book the next one before you’ve fully processed the last, and take the two-minute quiz to get matched with a coach who can help you turn a string of conversations into a real offer.

Frequently asked questions

What questions should I ask in an informational interview?

Ask about their path into the role, what a typical week looks like, what separates strong performers from average ones, and what they wish they had known earlier. If you want to break in, ask which skills or credentials actually matter versus which are just listed in postings. Close by asking who else you should talk to. Avoid asking for a job directly. The goal is understanding and a warm introduction, not a pitch.

How do I ask for one?

Send a short, specific email or LinkedIn message. Name a real connection point (mutual contact, shared school, a post they wrote), state that you are exploring the field or company, and ask for fifteen to twenty minutes on a video call. Suggest two time windows so they can pick one without a back-and-forth. Keep the whole message under 120 words and make clear you are not asking them for a job.

How long should it last?

Book fifteen to twenty minutes and end on time even if the conversation is going well. A short, well-run call respects their schedule and makes them more likely to say yes to a follow-up or an introduction. If they offer to keep talking past the mark, that is their choice to make, not yours to assume.

Can I ask for a job in an informational interview?

No. Asking for a job turns a low-pressure conversation into an awkward one and makes people less likely to help you again. Stay in learning mode for the whole call. If they bring up an opening themselves, it is fine to respond with interest. If they do not, let the relationship do the work: a good informational interview often leads to a referral weeks later, once a role actually opens.