Personal Narrative: My First Informational Interview

I always believed that interviews were only connected with the attempt to gain a position. Never have I heard of an interview taking place for any other reason. However, after completing my first informational interview, I learned there is much more to gain: connections, knowledge, and perspective. I was able to conduct my informational interview with Matt Smith, Lead Tax Services Director at Deloitte in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In reference to “Informational Interview” created by Eric Brown, my bridge person, Smith’s daughter, assisted me in making the connection to Smith. I chose Matt Smith to be my target person because he is a Certified Public Accountant and works at a Big Four Accounting firm, both of which I would like to pursue after I complete my education. In my email to Smith, I included the name of my bridge person, stated that I am an upcoming accountant student, asked for 20 minutes of his time, and gave a brief overview of the questions I would be asking in our informational interview. Smith was more than willing to complete this interview with me. With the date set, I began researching accounting, Deloitte globally and the local office, along with Smith himself so that I could prepare …show more content…
It allows students like myself to begin to broaden our network and connections with first-hand perspective from someone who has valuable experience. Gaining this insight without the pressure of an internship or career position weighing on one’s shoulders allows the interview to be conducted smoother, and lets the interviewee expand his or her answers to a deeper manner. In addition, I believe after conducting only one interview I have improved on my communication skills with people higher up than I. Above all, having my name known to a partner at Deloitte in my home city was one of the greatest benefits I received from completing this informational