Which term describes the practice of talking with people about their jobs to learn about roles and the industry?

• A. mentoring
• B. networking
• C. informational interview
• D. apprenticeship

Answer: (B)

Talking with people about their jobs to learn what the roles involve and what the industry is like is best described as an informational interview. In this kind of conversation, you reach out to professionals to ask about day-to-day tasks, the skills that matter, typical career paths, and current trends in the field. The goal is to gather firsthand information to decide if a field fits your interests and to plan practical next steps, like coursework or applications. This differs from mentoring, which is a longer-term guidance relationship; from networking, which is about building connections for opportunities; and from an apprenticeship, which is formal, paid training in a skilled trade. So, when you want to understand what a job actually entails and how an industry operates, an informational interview is the precise approach.