Investigate Careers
Informational Interviews
An informational interview is a meeting arranged with a select individual to obtain “inside” information about an industry, occupation, organization, or program.
This can lead you to valuable career insight that would not be available through online or print information. You may be surprised at how willing professionals are to discuss and share information about their work.
A key thing to remember, however, is that informational interviews are not job interviews; they are opportunities for you to learn more about specific career paths, and to develop contacts and possible leads within your industry of interest.
- Tips for Arranging and Conducting Informational Interviews (PDF)
- How to Conduct an Informational Interview (video)
CandidCareer
Explore careers by browsing thousands of interviews with professionals in a wide variety of careers using CandidCareer.
Prepare yourself for the job & internship search through more videos focused on self-marketing, networking, and more!
Investigate careers through research on LinkedIn by using the LinkedIn Alumni Tool (PDF) and explore organizations, connect with professionals, and more.
View our Maximize LinkedIn workshop presented by Chaim Shapiro, a national speaker and trainer on LinkedIn.
Meet with a career counselor to learn more about using LinkedIn to explore and visit LinkedIn for Students to access videos and tip sheets.
Purchase Alumni Mentor Network
In partnership with the Office of Alumni Engagement, this exciting mentoring/networking platform offers an insider’s look where students can connect with enthusiastic and experienced alumni who are working in a wide range of industries.
Students will get a “first hand” peek into professions as they explore their career interests, gain career help and learn strategies for exploring career fields; all while starting to build their networks with Purchase alumni.
Mentorship Features
- Connects you with alumni for one-on-one career conversations.
- Browse alumni from diverse backgrounds and book consultations.
- All communication is routed through the Firsthand system. You can communicate with mentors through direct messaging in the system and via phone consultations over a dedicated conference line.
- It only takes two minutes to register. Select “Find a Mentor” to begin and then you will be able to search, select, and connect with mentors.
Exploration and Research Features
- Access the library to explore careers, job and internship search tips, tips for on the job and more.
- View the Vault Guides in all different fields including the arts, entertainment, media, and many more.
- In the Careers section view Vault rankings of organizations, learn about different companies, jobs in different fields, industry information, and internships.
- Browse through the Video Library to view videos on different career topics and industry focused videos.