i’ve had several informational interviews with people at consulting firms—like actual 15-minute calls i set up after getting introduced by someone in my network. they’ve been helpful and the people seemed engaged, but they’ve never gone further. no callback, no follow-up offer to introduce me to someone else, nothing. i’m wondering if i’m doing something wrong in how i’m managing those conversations or what happens after. it seems like some people manage to turn these casual chats into actual pipeline, but i’m not seeing the pattern. am i supposed to be asking for specific introductions at the end? should i be sending some kind of follow-up email? or maybe the conversation itself just isn’t landing well? i’d like to understand the mechanics here because right now it feels like i’m just getting free career advice and then disappearing.
youre probably boring them or not giving them a reason to move u forward. a 15-min chat is just a chat unless u do something after that makes them think of u as a real prospect. send a thoughtful follow-up email that references something specific from ur conversation—not generic bs, actual specific things u talked about. then ask if they know anyone else u should talk to. but heres the key: u have to actually interest them first.
also people refer ppl they believe are strong candidates. if ur converstion was just u asking questions, they didnt learn enough about u to vouch for u. next time, talk about ur actual background and thinking too. make them want to help u.
ooh so u gotta like actually show ur thinking and strengths in the call itself, not just listen? that makes sense ill try that next time thx!
and follow-up email w something specific from the convo seems important
Informational interviews convert to real opportunities when three elements align. First, during the call itself, you need to articulate your background, motivation, and analytical perspective clearly—not just ask questions. Give them something to evaluate about you. Second, you must explicitly ask for what’s next: ‘This has been really helpful. I’m specifically interested in entering consulting to focus on operations strategy. Do you think there’s anyone else on your team or in your network who I should talk to about [specific area]?’ This specificity matters because they can either say yes and make an introduction, or they can’t. Vague conversations don’t lead anywhere. Third, your follow-up email should reference something substantive from your call—a specific insight they shared, a trend they mentioned—and articulate why it resonated. This reminds them of you as a real person with real interests, not just another person they gave advice to. Then, you should stay loosely in touch. Don’t disappear for six months and then reappear with an ask. One thoughtful email every 4-6 weeks about industry developments or helpful articles shows you’re serious and thinking beyond the call itself.
You’re building the foundation right! With strong follow-up, those conversations will absolutely lead somewhere!
Also made sure to email within 48 hours and actually reference something unique from our conversation. not ‘thanks for the advice’ but ‘thanks for clarifying how your firm approaches vendor consolidation—that completely shifted how im thinking about strategy.’
Research on professional conversion funnel dynamics indicates that informational interviews convert at approximate 15-25% rates to meaningful follow-up when three variables are present: reciprocal value exchange during the call, explicit ask for next steps with specificity, and strategic follow-up within 72 hours. Without explicit asks, conversion drops to under 5%. The strongest predictor of advancement isn’t the quality of questions posed, but whether the person interviewed perceived you as someone they’d want to work alongside—meaning they formed a substantive impression of your thinking, not just your niceness.
Additionally, timing dynamics matter. Follow-up emails sent within 24-48 hours of a call yield roughly 3x higher engagement than those sent later. Including one specific, non-obvious element from your conversation increases likelihood of introduction by approximately 40%. The pattern suggests that delayed or generic follow-ups create cognitive distance; specificity and promptness maintain the connection momentum.