Developing a Networking Strategy: The Virtual
Design Database
Marcy L. Koontz, Ph.D.
The University of Alabama
Email: Marcy.Koontz@UA.Edu
Introduction
As the sluggish economy continues to exact a toll, many recent college graduates are finding it difficult to obtain their first professional jobs. And, the outlook does not seem to be offering much optimism for future graduates. Overall, employers expect to keep their levels of hiring new college graduates steady this year compared to last year. But considering that hiring of new graduates dropped 36.4 percent last year from the previous year, still implies a continued hiring slump for graduates, says NACE employment information manager Camille Luckenbaugh in a recent report by ABC News reporter Valenti (2003). Luckenbaugh also stated that, "It's a continuation of what we saw last year, which really ends up being very dismalƒ even the companies that are coming to campus aren't hiring, but going to colleges to maintain their visibility with students once the hiring market does turn around." Thus, it is becoming more important than ever for students to begin learning about and developing effective job searching strategies as early as possible in their academic careers.
More often than not, students have to learn these skills and strategies and, more importantly, have to be able to successfully implement them in a very short amount of time, as most do not begin this process until their final or senior year. Networking has been identified as one of the strategies students need to learn and, an effective tool for instructors to use in the classroom is informational interviewing. This paper documents the development and implementation of the virtual design database project„a student oriented career networking/informational interviewing project„within two sophomore level courses and, describes how this project will soon be expanded to become a dynamic academic/industry collaboration in career networking for current students, alumni and participating professionals.
The Networking Strategy
Valenti (2003) also stated that networking continues to be stressed as one of the most important strategies a person can use in both starting and maintaining one's career. Although there may not be very many companies actively seeking new workers, this does not necessarily mean there are not available positions within a particular company or organization. Being in the right place at the right time is especially important and essential during these difficult economic times - it can make a big difference between getting hired or not. Assessing the size of this "hidden job" market is difficult as unofficial estimates indicate that roughly 80 percent of the country's job openings are never advertised in the newspaper or through other public means. In the article, "Hidden Jobs Revealed," Schultz (1999) interviewed Lynn Berger, a New York City-based career coach, who stated, "People like to deal with others they knowƒ they like to ask people if they know someone and feel more comfortable that way." Networking could prove to be one of the best and most effective ways to enter in to this hidden job market
Networking has proven to be a necessary and positive strategy and through the skill of informational interviewing, students have the opportunity to learn more about their chosen profession and to learn valuable lessons from seasoned professionals. Also, it is a great way for students to learn the importance of effective communication - it is the process of discovering and utilizing connections between people.
The purposes of networking include:
- To gain information and advice about a career field, an industry, or an organization
- To learn about possible job opportunities (NOT asking for a job!)
- To connect with more people who are doing the things you want to do
- To tell people about yourself
Networking enables one to:
- Validate one's choice of career/job by investigating the day-to-day experiences of someone working in the field
- Obtain current information about a career field and get additional leads to jobs and/or informational interviews
- Develop a knowledge of the vocabulary in the field
- Gather information that will make a positive impression on employers in a cover letter or in a job interview
- Build confidence in one's ability to discuss career interests and goals
- Tap into the "hidden" job market - most jobs are not advertised!!
(University of Richmond, 2003)
Informational Interviewing
One out of every 200 resumes (some studies put the number as high as 1,500 resumes) results in a job offer. One out of every 12 informational interviews, however, results in a job offer. That's why informational interviewing is the ultimate networking technique, especially considering that the purpose of informational interviewing is not to obtain job offers. Job offers just happen to be a delightful side benefit to this valuable practice (Informational Interview Tutorial, 2003).
Richard Nelson Bolles (2003) coined the term "informational interviewing" in 1970 -- in a self-published copy of What Color Is Your Parachute? This book became a commercial success in 1972 and has, for the past thirty years, been regarded as the best-selling job-hunting book in the world. Informational interviewing is just what it sounds like -- interviewing designed to produce information -- information one needs to choose or refine a career/education path, learn how to break in and find out what it takes to succeed.
An informational interview is not the same as a job interview by any means, but it is probably the most effective form of networking. The best way to learn about a particular career is to talk with the people in that career field. Because of the exploratory nature of informational interviews, they are particularly effective for college students. (Informational Interview Tutorial, 2003).
Informational Interviewing
An informational interview is a meeting that you have arranged between you and a person that is currently working in the profession or position you are considering. People currently working can give college students the best information for investigating a particular career field or position. The interviewee could be a good contact prior to and after graduation. The goal of the informational interview is to give an opportunity to gather data needed to make a career choice and also for job-hunting strategies for the future. Parents, friends, professors, or your career counselor could advise you on whom to interview. Informational interviews are different from a job interview. An informational interview is normally a 30-minute to an hour talk (never more than one hour). You should never go to an informational interview with the intention of talking about future employment for yourself. Remember this talk should be a low-stress event that is pleasant for both yourself and the person you are talking with.
Potential Results of Informational Interviews
Several things can be accomplished by conducting an informational interview:
- Obtain a great deal of information about a career field and the skills needed to do that job effectively.
- Gain a perspective of work that goes beyond the limitations of job titles, allowing one to see not only what skills are required for the job but also how you might fit into that work setting. Thus, there is a greater flexibility in planning options.
- Have the opportunity to make personal contacts among management-level personnel.
- Gain insight into the hidden job market (employment opportunities that are not advertised).
- Become aware of the needs of the employers and the realities of employment. First-hand and current information regarding what happens on the job beyond the understanding provided through course work or other outside research. This exposure not only provides personal understanding but it could also result in your becoming a more impressive job candidate.
- Because informational interviewing is comparatively low-stress, it is often easier to gain confidence in talking with people while learning valuable information.
Informational interviewing provides an opportunity to meet with potential employers before the more stressful (for both parties) job interview. Since you are only asking for information, you are in control of the interview; you decide which questions to ask. Later, evaluate the acquired information for personal use. This opportunity allows you to be exposed to a variety of jobs and personalities of companies making the search for your "niche" that much easier and to learn where you might fit into a particular organization. (University of Alabama, What is informational interviewing, 2003)
design database Project
An example of how informational interviews can be successfully incorporated
by instructors in to a course is the design database project, which has been
implemented as a web-based project, in to two sophomore level design courses.
The project website located at http://www.bama.ua.edu/~mkoontz/design_database/,
is the gateway for all things associated with this project and students
are first directed to it in order to obtain information on informational
interviews, how to prepare and conduct this type of interview as well
as information on how to conduct research on a particular company prior
to the interview. The first goal set for the students is to identify a
company or organization that has the type of position that is of interest
to them and then to conduct their research.
Figure 1: Screenshot of the main page of the design database website
available: http://www.bama.ua.edu/~mkoontz/design_database/
According to Luckenbaugh (2003) new college graduates can improve their chances of landing a job by "doing their homework," according to a job market report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Employers responding to NACE's Job Outlook 2003 survey advised new college graduates to research the company before interviewing for a job as a way to make a positive impression and gain a competitive edge in the job market. "Each year, employers cite researching the organization as the single-most important piece of advice they can offer job candidates," says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. "By conducting research, the candidate demonstrates genuine interest in the company. Research will also help candidates ask intelligent questions in the job interview, which will also cast the candidate in a positive light with the employer." (Luckenbaugh, 2003). This same theory should be applied to informational interviewing.
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| What is Informational Interviewing? An informational interview is a meeting that you have arranged between you and a person that is currently working in the profession or position that you are considering. People currently working can give college students the best information for investigating a particular career field or position. The person you are interviewing could be a good contact after graduation. The goal of the informational interview is to give you an opportunity to gather data needed to make a career choice and also for job-hunting strategies for the future. Parents, friends, professors, or your career counselor could advise you on whom to interview. Informational interviews are different from a job interview. An informational interview is normally a 30 minute to an hour (never more than one hour) talk. You should never go to an informational interview with the intention of talking about future employment for yourself. Remember this talk should be a low-stress event that is pleasant for both yourself and the person you are talking with. Why conduct an Informational Interview? You should confirm before you graduate what your career in life would be. You need to make sure the career field you are pursuing is a good match of your interest, skills and needs. Above all, you want to work in a career or job you will enjoy. Research and investigation is required for a good career match. How do I set up an Informational Interview? When calling a prospective interviewee, explain that you are considering entering their career field and you would like to set up an informational interview. It is best to speak directly with the person you wish to interview if possible. State you wish no more than 30 minutes to one hour of his/her valuable time. Explain that you are not looking for a job, only information. Call to confirm the appointment the day before the informational interview. You want to meet at the interviewee's office so you can view first-hand the workplace environment. However, this may not be possible due to the location of the company headquarters. The Day of Your Informational Interview Be punctual of the day of the informational interview. If you are to make an on-site visit, arrive five to ten minutes early. You should dress as if you were going to a job interview. Bring along a list of questions and a copy of your resume. The informational interview can be done over the telephone if a personal visit is not possible - make sure you call at the appointed time. Interview Follow-up Send a thank you letter no later than the day after the informational interview. Tell the person you appreciate his/her time and briefly what you learned during the interview. Stay in contact with the person you interviewed by giving him/her periodic updates of yourself. This person could be a good contact when searching for a job after graduation. Preparation for the Informational Interview You should have some knowledge of the career field and of the interviewee's organization. Try to keep the session as a conversation. The questions should be open-ended questions that encourage dialogue. The informational interview should be treated as a serious meeting even if the person is someone you know. Be prepared to answer questions from the interviewee. You may ask the interviewee for any names of other people that could serve as a resource for your career investigating. When you get these names, you will begin your networking process. When you conduct more than one informational interview you will be ensured of getting a good perspective of a particular career field. Finally Always keep a record of those you have met, when you met, how you got the person's name, and when you sent a thank you note. This process helps you organize your networking process. |
::::::::design database:::::informational
interviewingFigure 2: Introduction to Informational Interviewing
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| The more information you have about a particular company, the better prepared you will be during the interview. Knowledge of the organization's products, services, trends, and employment requirements is vital to your interview preparation. You can use the Internet to find the following types of information about a particular company: Company Information Age of organization Advertisements for design/design related positions Location of Advertisement |
Figure 3: Researching the Company
Actively researching a company, its direction, and the overall industry prior to an interview will provide you with the necessary information needed to prove that you are a curious, well-informed individual, and it will also help you better correlate your skills to a particular position within the company. The amount of time you spend getting to know the company will, most assuredly, translate into a perception of interest and enthusiasm by the interviewee. An interview is a two-way street„being well prepared allows you to not only answer questions but to ask specific and meaningful questions.
After conducting their company/organization research, students are required to select whom they would like to interview. They are required to make contact with the company/organization's human resource director to assist them in locating a potential professional with whom they can conduct their interview. And, their final goal is to actually conduct their informational interview and then submit the data through an on-line form. Below are the questions from the informational interview questionnaire.
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Job searching techniques
Occupational interests
Getting started in this occupation
Responsibilities of your work
Educational preparation
Required abilities and qualifications
Values and personal satisfaction
Personality characteristics
Working conditions
Advancement, salary, and the future
Advice from the interviewee
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Figure 4: Informational Interview Questionnaire
The submitted data is then uploaded by the instructor in to the on-line database and made available for access. This is a password-protected database and access is available only to current students and alumni of the program as well as the participating professionals/companies. Below is an example of one of the interviews in the database.
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design database: Nanette Lepore | home |
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| Date: |
15 April 2003 |
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| Interview with: |
Katrina Johnson, Designer |
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| Address: |
225 West 35th Street 5th Floor - view map |
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| New York, New York 10001 |
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| Telephone: |
(212) 594-0012 |
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| FAX: |
(212) 594-0038 |
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| Website: |
www.nanettelepore.com |
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| Additional Contact: |
Erin Culbertson - Internship Coordinator |
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| Student Interviewer: |
Mary Lambeth Lester |
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| UA Interns: |
Hunter Lingle - Summer 2002 [Design] |
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JOB SEARCHING TECHNIQUES
OCCUPATIONAL INTERESTS
GETTING STARTED IN THIS OCCUPATION
RESPONSIBILITIES OF YOUR WORK
EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION
REQUIRED ABILITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS
WORKING CONDITIONS
ADVANCEMENT, SALARY, AND THE FUTURE
ADVICE FROM THE INTERVIEWEE
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Figure 5: An informational interview from the
design database
Discussion
The benefits to having this type of project on the web have been numerous. Students have been able to refer potential, professional interviewees to the project website to obtain background information on the project as well as a copy of the interview questions prior to the interview which, for a few students, proved critical to their being able to secure interviews with particular professionals. The form, which the students are required to fill-out and submit on-line, has also proven to most beneficial especially in certain instances when the professional interviewee preferred to answer the questions his/her self due to time constraints and commitments. And, this type of virtual format has allowed those students who wanted to interview someone in another state, the opportunity to do so without having to pay the high costs associated with long distance telephone calls or on-site visits. All students are required to send thank you e-mails along with the username and password for access to the database of interviews to their interviewees. And, the interviewees were requested to check their interview in the database for errors, corrections and given the opportunity to add more detailed information by simply filling out the corresponding section of the on-line form and resubmitting. This allowed the students to network, once more with the industry professionals in a positive manner.
The response from the professional community has been extremely supportive, as they have mentioned the value and importance of this type of student project. All stated they enjoyed speaking with the students, would continue to participate and, most provided additional industry contact names for future student interviewers. Many also stated how they too could have benefited from such a valuable, learning opportunity as a student. Although this project has only been implemented into two, sophomore level courses, of the thirty-five students who have participated, one student was able to obtain a summer internship and another has been able to secure an additional in-person interview, which has lead to a job offer upon graduation. Many students, who will be graduating in the next year, have been successfully using the information in the design database to make contact with several of the participating industry professionals in order to obtain more detailed information regarding employment opportunities. Again, the industry response has been positive, timely and encouraging.
The design database is a dynamic, student-driven
project that will continue to grow and expand and it will be implemented
in to additional courses within the curriculum. Future expansion plans
include sections in which industry professionals can publish internship
opportunities and job openings and, it will also contain a database of
student resumes. In addition, this project will also be used as a student
recruiting and alumni outreach and resource tool by the departmental faculty.
References
Each of the web links below open in a new window.
- Bolles, R.N. (2003).
- What color is your parachute? Job Hunters Bible. Retrieved May 2, 2003, from http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/intro/wciyp.shtml.
- Informational Interview Tutorial.
- Quintessential Careers. Retrieved May 3, 2003, from http://www.quintcareers.com/information_background.html
- Koontz, M.L. (2003).
- What is Informational Interviewing? design database. Retrieved May 22, 2003, from http://www.bama.ua.edu/~mkoontz/ctd217/ctd217_database.htm
- Koontz, M.L. (2003).
- Informational Interview Questionnaire. design database. Retrieved May 22, 2003, from http://www.bama.ua.edu/~mkoontz/ctd217/ctd217_interview_questions.htm
- Luckenbaugh, C. (2003).
- Employers Advise College Grads to Research Company Before Interviewing to Gain Competitive Edge in Job Market. NACEWeb. Retrieved May 22, 2003, from http://www.naceweb.org/press/display.asp?year=2003&prid=174
- Networking Your Way to the Career You Want.
- Retrieved May 22, 2003, from University of Richmond, Career Development Web site: http://www.cdc.richmond.edu/career/netwwhatis.html
- Schultz, R.J. (1999).
- Hidden jobs revealed. CNNMoney. Retrieved March 3, 2003, from http://money.cnn.com/1999/03/03/life/q_hiddenjobs/
- Valenti, C. (2003).
- Hiring slump on campus: College and MBA graduates get ready to face dismal job market. ABCNews. Retrieved May 2, 2003, from http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/US/collegerecruiting_030502.html
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