After you’ve been fired, one of the first instincts is  to get online, update your résumé, and start applying for jobs.

It makes sense. You’ve lost something important, and you want to replace it as quickly as possible.

But what if, instead of immediately asking, “Who is hiring?” you started with a different question:

“What kind of work do I actually want to do next?”

This is where informational interviews can become one of the most valuable tools in your job search.

An informational interview is a purposeful conversation with someone doing work that fascinates you.

It is not a job interview or sales pitch.

You are there to learn from someone doing work that both interests you and establish a relationship

The person you conduct the informational interview with could be someone in a role you’ve always wondered about or with an organization you admire or could be someone who has successfully made the kind of career transition you’re considering.

Your goal is to understand their world, the work they do, the challenges they face, how they got there, what is changing in their industry, and whether what they do might align with your own skills, interests, values, and purpose.

Moving From Reactive to Proactive

The traditional job search is largely reactive.

A company decides it needs someone. It creates a job description and posts the position. You find it and apply along with perhaps hundreds of other people.

Maybe you hear back. Maybe you don’t.

If you get an interview, you are evaluated against the company’s requirements and the other candidates.

Having been an employer, I know how imperfect this process can be. Excellent candidates can get overlooked simply because their résumé didn’t contain the right keywords or because their experience didn’t look like an obvious match on paper.

An informational interview changes the dynamic.

Instead of waiting for an opportunity to appear, you are in the drivers see by   exploring what is possible.

You become proactive.

Find Out What You Really Want

There is an enormous difference between thinking you want a particular career and knowing what that career looks like.

We often create stories about jobs from outside.

Being a television news anchor might sound glamorous until you learn about the 3:00 A.M. starts to your mornings, working holidays, unpredictable schedules, and constant competitive pressure.

That doesn’t mean it’s the wrong career for you. For someone else, those things might not matter at all.

The important question is whether it is right for you.

I’ve watched people become fascinated with a career from a distance, finally talk with someone actually doing that work, and walk away realizing, I don’t want that at all.

That conversation during the course of the informational interview could prevent you from spending months or years pursuing something that wasn’t aligned with who you are.

Get the Information Google Can’t Give You

Every industry has things happening beneath the surface.

There are unwritten rules. Changing expectations. Emerging opportunities. Companies are quietly growing. Skills are becoming more valuable. Jobs are evolving or disappearing altogether.

You aren’t going to learn all of that from a company website.

Someone on the inside can tell you what is really happening.

Ask what they love about their work and what frustrates them. Ask what surprised them when they entered the field. Ask what skills they believe will become increasingly important. Ask what they wish they had known five years ago.

Then listen.

Learn to See Your Experience Differently

Informational interviews can be especially powerful if you are considering changing careers or launching a new business

You’re translating what you already know into a new world.

The people  you have informational interviews with may see possibilities in your experience that we cannot see ourselves. They can help us recognize transferable skills, understand the language of a new industry, and provide tips on telling our professional story in a completely different way.

One Conversation Leads to Another

There is another wonderful thing that happens when you approach informational interviews with genuine curiosity.

People want to help.

A good conversation frequently ends with:

“You know who you should talk to?”

And suddenly, one connection becomes another opportunity

If they don’t offer a name, ask:

“Is there anyone else you think I should speak with?”

This is how a meaningful professional network is built, by having real conversations with people who can provide valuable insights.

Some of the people I met through informational interviews more than twenty years ago became trusted mentors and even friends.

You never know where one conversation might lead.

Become Someone They Remember

Perhaps the most powerful benefit of informational interviewing is that you have an opportunity to become known before a job exists.

Think about the difference.

A position gets posted and your résumé arrives with hundreds of others.

Or…

Three months before the position exists, you have a thoughtful conversation with someone in the organization. You ask intelligent questions. You are curious and engaged. They learn something about your experience and the direction you’re exploring.

Then an opportunity opens.

Or a project needs help.

Or someone says, “Do you know anybody who could do this?”

And they remember you.

You are now  a person they know.

Curiosity Changes Everything

The most important thing to remember about an informational interview is that you are not there to ask for a job.

Go into the conversation.

Being curious.

Ask thoughtful questions.

Listen more than you talk.

Learn about the other person’s journey and what they have discovered along the way.

Pay attention to what happens inside you during the conversation.

Are you energized by what you’re hearing?

Do you find yourself wanting to know more?

Can you imagine yourself doing this work?

Or does something inside you quietly say, no, this isn’t it?

That information matters, too.

Getting fired can create an enormous amount of pressure to figure out what comes next as quickly as possible.

The goal now is to use this moment to become more intentional about what you choose next.

Informational interviews allow you to explore without committing and build relationships without asking anyone for anything other than their perspective.

Sometimes the next chapter of your career

begins with conversations.

Ready to Start Exploring What Comes Next?

If you’re trying to figure out where to go after a job loss, you don’t have to have all the answers today.

Start by getting curious.

This is the time to reflect on what work interests you and you want to learn more about? Who is already doing something that intrigues you? Now is the time to consider conversations that could help you see possibilities you haven’t considered before.

My free Holy Grail of Informational Interviews workbook is designed to help you work through these questions, reconnect with what matters to you, and begin creating a more intentional path forward.

Use it as a place to slow down, think differently, and start uncovering the clues that may have been pointing you toward your next chapter all along.

Your next opportunity may not be waiting on a job board. It may be waiting on the other side of a conversation.

Get your free workbook at www.firedtoinspired.com/workbooks/