These days, the value of internships for gaining the skills and building the relationships necessary to propel you to the top of the admissions heap is more important than ever - when everyone’s transcript looks alike, “real world” experience is an invaluable way to set yourself apart.

One of the fastest, best ways I’ve found to land these coveted real-world internships is to begin to go on informational interviews immediately: meetings with people whom you would love to have as bosses but who don’t currently have positions available.

This approach is valuable for a number of reasons:

• It demands you put together a polished resume;
• It gives you the experience of interviewing;
• It offers you a means for discovering what skills you will need to be considered for your future dream job; and
• It puts you at the top of the list when internships do open up.

So, how should you go about setting up these meetings? And what should you do to prepare?

1. Call or email your target boss and request 15 minutes at the beginning or end of their day. Putting an “estimated running time” of 15 minutes on the meeting makes it easy for your target to say yes.
2. Make sure you are specific about why you are getting in touch with the person. “I am writing/calling you today because you are the person responsible for X (have them state the reason for their admiration) and my goal is to one day work full-time for you.”
3. The fact that the interview is informational doesn’t mean you don’t have to prep just as carefully as you would if there were a job at stake. You should know their interviewer’s resume/company inside and out. You should have at least two questions you would like to have answered; for example, “Are there any skills I should fine-tune?” “Are there any new trends in the industry I should be aware of?”
4. Make sure you have an interview-appropriate outfit; that you are on-site 10 minutes in advance of your meeting; that you speak respectfully to the receptionist; that you take notes during the meeting; that you write a follow-up thank you note.

Another great benefit of this kind of interviewing is that, if your informational interviewer is sufficiently impressed with you, he/she will have you in mind when someone in your field is looking for an intern.

Informational interviews are a win/win/win—and all those wins are for you. You get the experience of interviewing, you get the information, and you get the future connection.

Frances Cole Jones is the President of Cole Media Management and author of “How to Wow: Proven Strategies for Selling Your (Brilliant) Self in any Situation” and “The Wow Factor: The 33 Things You Must (and Must Not) Do to Guarantee Your Edge in Today’s Business World”.

Attention Job Seekers: Frances has also created an app for the iPhone and iPad called “Interview Wow”.  She is always happy to answer questions, and can be reached at www.francescolejones.com.

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