It's the Most Wonderful Time...for Informational Interviewing


On November 5th LinkedIn promoted “Bring Your Parents to Work Day” to help parents learn about what their adult children do for a living and to encourage them to continue providing career advice after college. In a survey of over 20,000 people, they found that 55% of parents admitted to not being entirely familiar with what their children for work. Many parents know their child’s industry, employer or job title, but few know about the day-to-day responsibilities, tasks and accomplishments that comprise those titles. The same likely goes for children lacking awareness of their parent’s jobs.

During the upcoming holiday season take advantage of extra time with your parents and extended family to learn more about their jobs and career paths. Ask questions about what they do, what they like about their jobs and how they got into their chosen field in place of small talk about the weather and how your fall semester was. This informal informational interviewing can you help as you explore your own career path. You might even find that a member of your family is doing the type of work you desire and can serve as a connection for internships and full-time jobs. Or, you may learn about an interesting new career that you never knew existed.

Come back to the Career Center in the spring to discuss this new found information and use web resources at auburn.edu/career to do more exploration. Our career counselors can help you choose a major to reach your career goal or talk about how you can use your current major to pursue various career options.

Happy Holidays and Happy Info Interviewing!

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