The informational interview, done properly

How to ask for a conversation, what to actually ask in twenty minutes, and the follow-up that turns one conversation into a referral months later.

The short answer: An informational interview is a short conversation with someone doing the job you want, asked for as a conversation rather than as a favour. It works because the request is small, specific and flattering, and because most people genuinely enjoy explaining their own work to someone who has clearly prepared. Ask for fifteen minutes, name why you approached this person specifically, come with four researched questions, take the notes, and — this is the part almost everyone skips — send a short follow-up two months later saying what you did with the advice. That last message is what turns a pleasant conversation into someone who thinks of you when a role opens.

Key points

Ask for fifteen minutes, not thirty, and never ask for a job — the small specific request is what gets a yes.
Say why this person, concretely. A message that could have gone to anyone is answered by nobody.
Prepare four questions that could not be answered by reading the company website, and ask them.
The follow-up two months later is the step that creates the relationship, and it is the step nobody takes.

The message that gets a reply

Four sentences. Who you are, why this person specifically, the small ask, and an easy way to say no. Anything longer reduces the reply rate, because length signals that the conversation will also be long.

The four sentences

1 — who you are: I am a final-year economics student in Pune, looking at credit risk roles.
2 — why them: I saw you moved from operations into credit risk at your bank, which is close to the route I am considering.
3 — the ask: Would you have fifteen minutes in the next couple of weeks to tell me what that move was actually like?
4 — the exit: Entirely understand if not — thank you either way.

Under seventy words, and the second sentence is doing all the work. Remove it and the message becomes one that could have been sent to four hundred people, which is exactly what it will be read as.

The same structure works on LinkedIn, by email, and through an alumni directory. Where you send it matters much less than whether the second sentence is real.

The fifteen minutes

Start by restating the ask. "I mostly wanted to understand what the move was like — is that alright?" It sets the scope and reassures them that this is not going to become something else.
Ask your four questions. Prepared, specific, unavailable online. Listen to the answers rather than waiting to ask the next one.
Watch the clock yourself. At thirteen minutes, say "I said fifteen minutes and I want to respect that." People almost always continue, and offering to stop is the reason they do.
Ask the compounding question. "Is there anyone else you think would be worth me speaking to?" This is the highest-value sentence in the whole conversation.
Thank them the same day. Three lines, naming one specific thing you took from it.

The message that creates the relationship

Almost everyone sends the thank-you. Almost nobody sends the second message, and the second message is the one that matters.

Two months later, write three lines: what you did as a result of the conversation, what happened, and no ask at all. "You suggested I look at the monitoring side rather than going straight for investigations — I have started a certification and applied to two of those roles. Thank you, it was useful advice."

What that message does is unusual. It tells them their time produced something, which is rare and genuinely pleasant to receive. It puts you back in mind at a random moment rather than at a moment when you want something. And it establishes that you follow through, which is the single quality most likely to make someone forward your name when a role opens. There is no ask in it, which is precisely why it works.

Frequently asked questions

Why would a stranger agree to talk to me?

Because the request is small, it is specific to them, and people generally like explaining work they know well to someone who has evidently prepared. The requests that get ignored are the ones that are vague, long, or effectively a job application in disguise. "Fifteen minutes about how the credit team is structured" gets answered far more often than "I would love to pick your brain about opportunities".

What do I actually ask?

Things you cannot look up: what the first six months were actually like, what surprised them, what the hardest part of the job is that never appears in the posting, what they would tell someone considering the move. Avoid anything on the careers page — asking it wastes the fifteen minutes and demonstrates that you did not use the fifteen minutes before them.

Is it acceptable to ask for a referral at the end?

Not in the first conversation, no. It converts a conversation into a transaction and it is the thing people are guarding against when they hesitate to reply. Ask instead who else would be worth speaking to — a much smaller request, usually granted, and it compounds. The referral, if it comes, comes later and unprompted because you stayed in contact.