dear annie:i'm trying to change careers, hoping to apply my two decades of consumer-product marketing and branding experience to the health care field. i'm at the point where i'd like to set up some one-on-one meetings with networking contacts who are senior managers at health care companies, partly to see where they think my qualifications would fit in the industry, so i can focus my job hunt accordingly.
親愛的安妮：我想換個工作，希望把我20年的消費產品營銷和品牌推廣經驗應用到醫療行業。我正打算與我認識的醫療公司資深管理人員進行一對一的面談，部分原因是想知道他們認為我適合這個行業的哪些工作，這樣我可以相應地調整求職重心。
these are very busy people, so i want to make the most of whatever time they can give me. coincidentally, my daughter, who is graduating this spring and wants to go into finance, is doing informational interviews with people in that field (on the advice of a career counselor at her college). we've come up with a short list of questions, but do you or your readers have any suggestions? is there anything to avoid asking? -- dallas dad
他們都是大忙人，因此我想充分利用他們給我的時間。巧合的是，我的女兒在今年春季畢業，想要進入金融業，她正在與那個行業裏的人進行信息面談(這是她所在學校裏的職業顧問提供的建議)。我們已經制定了一個簡短的問題列表，對此你或者你的讀者有何建議?有什麼避諱嗎?——達拉斯老爹
dear d.d.:interesting question. since your goal in an informational interview is to find out as much as you can about your chosen field, the more you already know about it, the better. "so be sure to research both the latest developments in the industry and the background of the person you're meeting," says paul freiberger, a former mckinsey consultant who now runs a career coaching firm called shimmering resumes and the author of when can you start?: how to ace the interview and win the job.
親愛的達拉斯老爹：您的問題很有意思。由於信息面試的目的是儘可能多地瞭解特定行業的情況，因此事先對這個行業知道的越多就越好。“所以，要調查那個行業的最新情況，也要了解與你會面的那個人的背景，”保羅•弗雷伯格説。他曾是麥肯錫公司(mckinsey)的顧問，現在經營着就業指導公司shimmering resumes，還著有《何時開始?：成功面試好上崗》(when can you start?: how to ace the interview and win the job)一書。
"keep your questions open-ended," he adds. "questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no are dead ends. in order to gain any real insight from it, you want the interview to expand into a working conversation between two people with shared interests. open-ended questions push things in that direction."
“要提出開放式問題”他説。“能用是或否來回答的問題屬於封閉式問題。為了從提問中獲得真正的見解，需要把面談變成兩個擁有共同興趣的人之間的工作談話。開放式問題能夠把談話推往那個方向。”
naturally, what you ask depends on what interests you most and will vary with each of your interviewees, but freiberger suggests these queries as possible starting points:
自然，你問的問題取決於你最感興趣的是什麼，而且應該根據被提問者的不同而發生變化。但弗雷伯格認為，下面這些問題或許是良好的開始：
where do you see this industry (or profession) going in the next few years? what changes have you seen in the course of your career so far?
• 你認為這個行業(或職業)在今後幾年裏的前景如何?你在你的職業生涯中目睹了哪些變化?
what specialized training or education is required to succeed in this field now? how has that changed?
• 如今在這個行業裏需要哪些專業化培訓或教育?這方面有什麼變化?
which skills have you found most helpful, and which ones will be most important in the future?
• 你認為哪些技能最有用，哪些技能在未來最重要?
could you describe your average workday and your key job responsibilities?
• 你可以講講你的日常工作和主要職責嗎?
what are the best and worst things about working in this field today?
• 如今在這個行業裏工作，最有利和最不利的地方分別是什麼?
what resources help you keep up with the industry? which trade or professional associations have you found most useful?
• 哪些資源幫助你跟上了這個行業的腳步?你認為哪些行業組織和職業協會最有用?
has anything surprised you over the course of your career? what changes have you found most challenging?
• 在你的職業生涯中，有什麼事情令你感到吃驚嗎?你認為哪些變化最具有挑戰性?
would you choose this field if you had it to do over again? is there anything you would do differently?
• 如果再來一次，你還會選擇這個行業嗎?在某些事情上你會不會採取不同的做法?
what are the biggest technological changes influencing this business right now?
• 目前對這個行業影響最大的技術變化是什麼?
in what ways does your job affect your life outside work? how do you see work-life balance issues affecting colleagues?
• 你的工作對你的生活產生了哪些影響?你認為工作與生活的平衡問題對你的同事有何影響?
"don't hesitate to ask about things that are specific to your employment situation," says freiberger. "it's fair game to ask how your existing skills and experience or education fit into the field, and how you can improve your prospects going forward." he recommends bringing your resume to the meeting: "you're not going to thrust it into this person's hand, but you want to have it available if he or she asks to see it."
“要積極詢問與你的就業情況息息相關的問題，”弗雷伯格説。“詢問你的現有技能、經驗或教育背景是否適合這個行業，以及你怎樣才能改善自己在這個行業裏的前景，這些都是很合理的問題。”他建議帶上簡歷去赴會。“不是要你把簡歷硬塞到對方手裏，而是如果對方提出看簡歷的話，你可以馬上拿得出來。”
since most informational interviews are short -- often just 15 or 20 minutes -- it's smart to lead with what's most relevant to your job search. freiberger suggests bringing a list of questions in descending order of importance. as for what to avoid asking, he says, "aside from questions that are ridiculously inappropriate ... there is only one absolute taboo: don't ask for a job." if all goes well, that will come later.
大多數的信息面談都很簡短，通常只有15或20分鐘，因此應該首先詢問與求職關係最大的問題。弗雷伯格建議，制定一個問題列表，按照重要性由高到低的順序排列。至於有什麼避諱，他説：“除了極其離譜的問題以外……只有一個絕對的禁忌：不要直接向對方求職。”如果一切順利的話，這是水到渠成的事。
talkback: what questions have you found most useful in an informational interview? leave a comment below.
反饋：你認為在信息面談中哪些問題最有用?請在下面發表評論。