My friend and I spent the afternoon discussing job search strategies over an outdoors lunch at the Bryant Park Grill in Midtown Manhattan.

There was a brilliant exchange of ideas.

“I was thinking,” I told her, “of standing on a street corner throwing frozen food products at people who might look like prospective employers. What do you think?”

She looked at me sideways and coughed into a napkin.

“You really want to know?”

“Nothing major, mind you. Maybe some Birds Eye Peas, and maybe a frozen chicken breast, if I really want to get someone’s attention.”

I realized I might be able to use the same strategy to find a boyfriend, but hey, who has the time to search for both a job and love affair, and who has the good arm?

“You realize there would be lawsuits,” she said.

‘Yeah, but at least I would get their attention long enough to hand them my resume.”

She put her napkin down. “Alisa, concentrate. What do you imagine is the best-absolute top-job search strategy that you can utilize?”

I rested my elbow on the table and cradled my chin in the palm of my hand. Looking up at the bluest sky, I went into deep mulling-over mode…Should I have had that slice of chocolate cake last night?... No,no…Must think of top job search strategy…Oh yes!

“I’ve got it!” I exclaimed. “It’s the informational interview!”

Ah…the power of the informational interview. So powerful - it’s more powerful than a locomotive and is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound (as said in the 1950s Adventures of Superman TV series). Yet, it’s hardly ever mentioned in job search/career development literature these days. Why not? I don’t know, and it’s a little ridiculous that it isn’t because the results of an informational interview can be huge, but before we get into what it can achieve, we should know what an informational interview is today as compared to what it was in bygone days.

In bygone days, the informational interview was comprised of two people, the job seeker and the potential employer, sitting down together at an office in their finest suits, discussing the potential employer’s company/organization and the job seekers qualifications for positions that may open up in the future. The informational interview of today is still comprised of two people, but in most cases, it doesn’t take place at an office but at a neighborhood Starbucks, and the job seeker and potential employer are not usually dresses in their best professional attire, but rather their best office wear (think one or two steps up from “Casual Friday”). BUT the method of getting the informational interview remains the same – mail-in your resume to the head of the organization (unless you have a referral or are working on LinkedIn or Plaxo – then you can do everything via the internet and/or e-mail) with a cover letter explaining your interest in the organization and that you would like to discuss how your qualifications would fit with the organization’s mission and culture (something along those lines…).

Now, why not shoot them an e-mail? Because all these organizations (“organizations” includes companies, by the way) are inundated with e-mails from people looking for a job, and if you just send them an e-mail, you’re going to be lumped in with the masses! Sending out a letter and resume on really nice paper sets you apart and tells the head or president of an organization that this was important enough for you to take the time out to go through the process of actually putting a tangible letter and resume in a tangible envelope with a tangible stamp to send out to Mr. or Ms. President of the Organization, the most important person in the world!

After you mail this wonderful, spectacular letter, don't forget to follow-up with a phone call, reiterating your interest in the organization and setting up a meeting with Mr./Ms. President, and then see what happens...You won't get everyone to sit down with you, but you most likely will get at least a few that will agree to this informational interview.

Now, what are the incredible advantages of the informational interview?

You get the opportunity to pitch for future positions – That’s a give-in. There might not be an opening right now, but you better believe if one does come up that requires your qualifications that Mr./Ms. President of the Organization will be thinking – Let's hire (fill in your name) - she/he would be perfect for this position! Because you would be, and honestly, he doesn’t want to look through all those damn resumes from HR (sent via the e-mail).

You can acquire additional contacts for both future and current openings – So, this Mr./Ms. President of the Organization may not have any positions for you at the time (or maybe not even in the future), but they may know another Mr./Ms. President somewhere else with a company you’d be perfect for and they might have an opening! And hey, that’s just as good, and sometimes even better since now you have a referral – the person you’re having the informational interview with!

You can brush up on your interviewing skills – this might be the most important advantage of all…How long have you been out of work? How many job interviews have you gone to? From my chats with unemployed friends and family members, my guess is not many (and remember, that’s only because of the current job market in this horrible economy) – so, you’re probably pretty rusty on the interviewing thing. Informational interviews provide you with the opportunity to “get back on the saddle” again and hone your interview skills, so when you have “actual” job interviews, you’ll be ready. And remember, it’s easier to get an informational interview rather than an actual job interview since you won’t be competing with another job seeker to talk with Mr./Ms. President of the Company for a position because there isn’t one (not now) and because Mr./Ms. President are more than likely to be impressed about you wanting to speak with them, even though there are no openings.

“Sounds good to me,” my friend commented as she bit into a baguette.

“Yeah,” I said, “And if all else fails, there’s still the throwing of the frozen food thing.”

She stared at me in disbelief, but I knew it was an idea whose time had come. Oh, yes; it was unique, controversial and deplorable…And I definitely see an appearance on Oprah in my future.

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