I often interview out of curiosity about what's out there in the world, what conversations are happening in my space that I am not hearing about. The informational interviews are a great way to meet new people, some of whom are worth staying in touch with. I get the opportunity to tell my story many different ways see what resonates and what does not. These things don't always work well - when dealing with recruiter who is tasked with filling a role and doing it quickly, they don't see these conversations as being useful.
Others see an opportunity to build a network they can tap into at a more suitable time. I have introduced friends and co-workers to the later type of recruiter - people who want to invest their time in others, have the natural curiosity and ability to understand the human behind the resume. Recently, I met one that was a disappointment despite her long career and many accomplishments. We also have a ton of mutual connections some of whom provided glowing recommendations.
She looked at me only as a reseller of an interesting object, not even interesting to herself but to whoever would pay for it. The transaction was completely devoid of human feeling. Once she realized I was not actually in the market and certainly did not think the opportunity she described would set me or anyone else up for success, she was quick to wrap up the discussion. I hope she got some value out of our thirty minutes, I certainly did.
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