Before an informational interview, decide which choice the conversation needs to inform. Ask for specific examples of the work, its demands, and how people enter the field; then check what you hear against other workers, current job descriptions, and occupational information before applying or buying training. Consider Maya, a fictional career changer comparing administrative assistant work with customer-facing service roles. She enjoys organizing information and helping people, but she wants to know how much of each day involves interruptions, whether schedules fit her responsibilities, and which skills she can demonstrate without purchasing a course. Her goal is to leave each conversation with evidence to investigate, not a promise of a job. What should you decide before inviting someone? Write down the decision and two or three conditions that would change your choice. Maya might prefer administrative work if she can spend substantial time organizing schedules and records, but favor customer service if she finds that solving varied questions gives her energy. She also needs a schedule that works for her and wants to avoid paying for a credential that prospective employers do not require. Compare specific roles rather than assuming that every job with the same title is alike. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics describes administrative assistants as performing clerical and organizational work, while customer service representatives answer questions, handle complaints, and process orders. Both can involve communication and computer work. The mix, pace, schedule, and degree of customer contact can differ by employer and industry. Use Peaklivo career exploration resources to identify categories worth investigating: the browse page includes Assistant and Customer Service categories. Treat a category as a starting point for finding role names and questions, then check any position that interests you with its employer or original source before relying on the description or availability. Decision factor | Administrative role: investigate | Customer-facing role: investigate Daily work | Scheduling, documents, records, and competing requests | Questions, complaints, transactions, and follow-up Work pattern | Interruptions, deadlines, and support for multiple people | Contact channels, busy periods, and expectations for response Entry route | Software skills, prior experience, and role-specific knowledge | Communication skills, employer training, and industry requirements Personal fit | Comfort with detail and changing priorities | Comfort with frequent interaction and difficult conversations Whom should you ask, and how much time should you request? Look for someone currently doing a role close to the one you are considering. A former colleague, professional association contact, community member, or a person introduced by someone you know may be able to help. Check their role and industry so you can explain why their perspective is relevant. If possible, plan a separate conversation with someone in each path; a person doing a hybrid role can also help you understand where the paths overlap. Make a brief, low-pressure request. For example: “I’m considering a move into administrative work and would appreciate 20 minutes to understand your day-to-day responsibilities and how you entered the field. Would a short phone call be convenient in the next few weeks?” Offer a way to decline and accommodate their preferred format. CareerOneStop suggests keeping an initial informational interview to roughly 15 to 30 minutes. This is a request to learn, not a job interview. Do not assume the person can share confidential information, review a long résumé, introduce you to a hiring manager, or secure a referral. If they do not reply, move on respectfully. At the start of the conversation, confirm the available time and ask whether they are comfortable with you taking notes. What should go on a short question agenda? Send a few topics in advance if that helps the person prepare. In a 20-minute conversation, Maya can introduce her decision in two minutes, spend about 15 minutes on her most important questions, and leave a few minutes to confirm what she heard and thank the interviewee. She should prioritize rather than rush through every question. For daily work, ask: “Could you walk me through a recent workday? What took most of your time, and what interrupted your plans?” Follow with: “What is an example of a difficult or satisfying task?” A recent example gives Maya more to compare than a general statement that the job is busy. For conditions, ask: “How are priorities set when several requests arrive at once?” and “What schedule, customer contact, or performance expectations matter in your role?” A service worker might describe phone queues or difficult customer interactions; an assistant might describe supporting several people with competing deadlines. Ask which details are specific to their workplace. For entry and training, ask: “Which skills did you need when you started, and what did your employer teach you?” and “When you see applicants for comparable roles, what evidence of those skills is useful?” If training comes up, ask which skill it develops and whether there are other ways to demonstrate it. Close with: “What should I read or check next, and is there another perspective that would help me test what I’ve learned?” Ask for an introduction only if it feels appropriate, and let the person decide. End on time even if questions remain; a short thank-you message can mention one useful insight and the action Maya plans to take. How do you separate evidence from opinion? Immediately after the conversation, record the interviewee’s role, industry, and the date, along with what they actually described. Separate an observed example from their interpretation and from your own inference. A worker’s account is valuable evidence about their experience, but it does not establish that every employer operates the same way. For example, suppose Maya hears, “Our team handles calls for most of the shift, and I find the pace exhausting.” The first part describes that team’s work pattern; the second is the speaker’s personal assessment. Maya may reasonably flag sustained calls as a possible concern, but she still needs to ask whether other service roles use different channels or schedules. Avoid turning an unsupported generalization into a rule. If someone says, “You must buy a certificate to get hired,” ask which positions require it and how they know. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says entry-level administrative assistants typically qualify with a high school education and comfort with word processing and spreadsheets, while customer service representatives typically need a high school diploma or equivalent and receive on-the-job training. Individual employers and specialized roles can ask for more, so check the roles Maya is considering. Note field | Hypothetical entry | Next check Observed example | The interviewee handles calls for most of a shift. | Ask another worker about contact channels and breaks. Opinion | The interviewee finds the pace exhausting. | Ask what makes it tiring and consider your own preferences. Claim to verify | A particular certificate is essential. | Check current employer requirements and the program's purpose. My inference | This role may involve more sustained calls than I want. | Compare with roles using email, chat, or mixed duties. What should you check before applying or paying for training? First, compare Maya’s notes with the Occupational Outlook Handbook profiles for administrative assistants and customer service representatives. Use them to identify common duties and typical entry routes, not to predict conditions at a particular workplace. Customer service schedules, for example, can include evenings or weekends; Maya should ask each prospective employer about the actual schedule. Next, examine several current descriptions for roles in her location and preferred industry. Record repeated requirements, distinguish required qualifications from preferred ones, and verify promising openings through the employer or original source. If requirements conflict with the interviewee’s account, note the differences rather than forcing a conclusion. Then speak with another person, ideally in a different organization or industry. Ask the same core questions so the answers are comparable, and investigate disagreements: a healthcare office and a small business may organize similar titles differently. If Maya cannot arrange a second conversation, she can still identify the uncertainty and avoid treating one account as representative. Finally, choose the least committing next step that addresses the largest gap. If Maya already has relevant spreadsheet and communication skills, she might prepare examples for an application. If several verified roles require a skill she lacks, she can compare ways to learn and demonstrate it before paying for a program. Ask a training provider what the course covers, its total cost and schedule, and what evidence supports its claims; confirm that the skill matters to the roles she wants. Maya can then make a provisional choice: apply to roles whose duties and conditions fit, investigate a remaining uncertainty, or pause a path that conflicts with a non-negotiable need. An informational interview is most useful when it turns a broad career idea into a specific next action and a clear list of what still needs checking. Sources • Secretaries and Administrative Assistants - Occupational Outlook Handbook • Customer Service Representatives - Occupational Outlook Handbook