Are you still exploring your career with an interest in government, policy, and law? Are you having difficulty navigating if law school is right for you? Below are several tips on how to succeed in your career exploration through informational interviews!
Academia Informational Interviews
I interviewed Professor Daniel Burkett about his decision to pursue academia. Here’s what he had to say!
First, I asked him a little bit about his journey to becoming a professor. The unique thing about Professor Burkett is that he has his JD from New Zealand. Basically, in New Zealand, you’re able to get your JD in undergrad if you pass an exam in your first year of college. The professor explained that he was very set on going to law school. He completed law school and proceeded to pass the bar. He then was doing an internship in a law firm, and that’s when he realized it all clicked.
Similar to myself, he had never taken a philosophy course before college. During college, he picked up a double major in philosophy because he liked talking about it. Getting that real-world intern experience in the law field through an internship showed him that he might want to look at the law through a more philosophical sense rather than a legal and logistical sense. This internship was a big turning point in his career and helped him get where he is today.
This is a very valuable experience, especially since Professor Roquette is originally from New Zealand. As college students, we don’t have the privilege of being able to do our JD through undergrad. This is why it can be crucial to connect with mentors and do informational interviews to gain insight into careers that interested you throughout your time here in college.
The Benefits of Informational Interviews:
There are several benefits to conducting these informational interviews for yourself, such as seeing what career you might want to pursue. Informational interviews can give you a lot of clarity and career exploration and help you figure out what direction you want to take.
A great way to conduct these interviews is through the platform Mentor Match or by connecting with Binghamton alumni on LinkedIn!
Here is a list of some benefits to conducting these informational interviews
- Gaining insider knowledge on specific companies you may want to work for in the future
- Building connections with Binghamton Alumni
- Fostering connections with possible employers in your field
- Fully understand the responsibilities of positions you may be interested in
- Understand how professionals got to their current position
- Discover different roles and career paths you may not have been aware of before the interview
Make sure to visit the Fleishman Center if you need assistance connecting with professionals to conduct these interviews! They can help you create a personalized list of interview questions, but here are some general ones to give you some ideas:
What did you study in college, and how did that correlate to where you are in your career now?
What does a typical day or week look like for you?
What responsibilities or assignments do you get within the workplace?
What are the most important skills or qualities for someone in your role?
Make sure to check out our guide to informational interviews in our Career Guide for more information!
