Haveo · Networking when you need a job
Questions for an informational interview
Ask what the work is actually like, what they did not expect, and what would make someone like you credible. Avoid anything they cannot answer or that is on the website — and always end by asking who else you should be talking to.
About the work itself
- What does a normal week actually look like?
- What is the part of this job nobody warns you about?
- What did you believe about this work before you did it that turned out to be wrong?
- What is the hardest decision you make regularly?
- What would make you leave?
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About the path in
- How did you end up here — what was the actual route?
- What would make someone with my background credible for this?
- What is the gap you would expect me to have?
- Is there a title or a step I should be aiming at first?
- What do the people who get hired here tend to have in common?
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About the field
- What is changing in this work that people outside it have not noticed?
- What is overrated right now, and what is underrated?
- Where would you look if you were starting today?
- What should I be reading or following?
- Who is doing the most interesting work in this area?
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The three to avoid
- "Are you hiring?" It converts a generous conversation into an obligation, and it is why people stop agreeing to these.
- Anything on the website. What the company does, how many people work there, when it was founded. Asking signals you did not look.
- "What is your salary?" Ask about the range for the role in the market, not about their pay.
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Always end with this one
"Who else should I be talking to?" It is the most valuable question in the conversation, it is a natural ending, and it often produces an introduction you could not have asked for directly.
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Rehearse it before you walk in.
Haveo builds your intro, lets you practice out loud with an AI coach, and keeps your notes one tap away in the room. Free on iPhone and iPad.
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