Information interviews are conducted to gain knowledge or understanding about a particular topic. When you decide that you need to conduct an information interview—whether as part of your job hunt, for a speech, or to even explore certain interests—you can’t just wing it. To prepare, start by conducting background research, identifying your purpose, and developing your interview protocol. Then you can actually set up the interview.

Conduct Background Research.Deciding whom you want to interview isn’t always as easy as it sounds. The key is to select someone who has the relevant experience and knowledge to provide the information you need. For example, suppose your university recently introduced new mechanisms to enhance campus security. This includes a new text-message and e-mail system for broadcasting all-campus alerts in the event of threats. You are preparing an informative speech to describe how the alert system works. At first, you consider interviewing a campus police officer, since the campus police normally enforce security protocols. However, the head of the university’s information technology (IT) department might be an even better source of information, since she selected the new system and will be in charge of implementing, operating, and maintaining it.

Identify Your Purpose.After conducting background research and selecting an individual to interview, it’s time to identify your purpose: Why do you want to interview this particular person? What information are you hoping to gain? Framing your purpose in a focused rather than vague way will help you ask more specific questions, which will be more likely to get you the information you need. Consider the differences between the following information interview purposes:

Imagine meeting with the head of the IT department and saying, “So, what can you tell me about the new campus-alert system?” She may respond with a lot of interesting information, and some of it may be just what you need. But some of it may not be what you need because you’ve asked a vague question. By having a focused purpose, you can ask specific questions, such as, “How is the new system better than the one we’ve been using?” which more likely gets you the information needed to fulfill your purpose.

Prepare Your Interview Protocol.As discussed earlier, an interview protocol is a written plan for the questions you will ask during the interview. Without a protocol, you could end up wasting your own and the interviewee’s time.

Develop a protocol by coming up with a set of primary questions to introduce major topics and related areas. Write open questions that will lead to insightful and quality information (“What are the costs and advantages of the new system?”). Make limited use of closed questions (“Do you think the new system is better?”).

Request the Interview.Contact the person to request a meeting. Usually, e-mail is the best way to do this, but you can also follow up with a phone call if necessary. Explain your purpose and how much time you will need to conduct the interview. Decide on a mutually agreeable date and time to meet, one that’s convenient for the interviewee. Don’t forget to confirm details, such as location (if meeting in person), telephone number (if phone based), or screen name and application (if Web based). Most important, on the day of the interview, arrive/log in 5–10 minutes early, have your interview protocol in hand, and stick to the agreed-upon time frame.