Informational Interview

1. Identify a talent management practitioner to interview, preferably someone in a senior position, with at least 3 years of experience in a talent management domain. 2. Reach out to your potential interviewee for an "informational interview". Requests for informational interviews are common in organizations and people are generally willing to oblige. Request for a 30 minute interview. If you know the person well, you could ask for up to an hour. Keep the interview under an hour — be prepared to keep your interviewee on track with your questions. 3. Inform your interviewee that the interview will be recorded, transcribed, and written up as a class assignment. 4. Send them your interview questions before hand. Do not include more than 8 questions. A clear and short list of questions will help your interviewee prepare for the interview. 5. Research ways to audio record your interview. This can be done using your phone or a laptop application. 6. Contact Greg Hennessy if you need advice on any of the steps above. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Begin your interview using the following five questions as a guide. These questions are focused on information that will be useful for you and the class in learning about the practice of talent management. Feel free to edit and/or add to these questions based on your judgment on what would work best for your interview. 1. Please describe what you do in your current role? What do you enjoy most about your work? 2. What are some of the experiences or skills that have prepared you for your current role? How do you draw on these experiences or skills in your work? 3. What are some innovative practices that you have observed or implemented in the area of talent management? 4. What kinds of research or data do you use in your talent management practice? What kinds of research or data do you wish you could have — one that would be useful to you but is not currently available? 5. What advice might you give to an aspiring professional who would like to develop a career as a talent management professional? INTERVIEW WRITE-UP 1. Transcribe your recording of the interview. Edit this down to 2-4 pages. Aim to go for up to 4 pages if you have a good interview, but no more.        

Sample Solution