Informational interviews
Questions to ask, by role
When someone agrees to talk, the questions you bring decide whether their time was well spent. Each guide lists questions specific to one job, and shows what half an hour of that person's time is worth from U.S. pay data.
Management
30 minutes of their time- Questions to ask a CEO$51.44
- Questions to ask an operations manager$25.43
- Questions to ask a marketing manager$40.10
- Questions to ask an advertising manager$32.13
- Questions to ask a sales manager$35.64
- Questions to ask a PR manager$35.32
- Questions to ask a fundraising manager$30.16
- Questions to ask a CTO or IT director$42.10
- Questions to ask a finance director$40.04
- Questions to ask an HR manager$35.89
- Questions to ask a training and development manager$31.97
- Questions to ask a purchasing manager$35.60
- Questions to ask a logistics and supply chain manager$25.78
- Questions to ask a plant manager$30.31
- Questions to ask a healthcare administrator$29.78
- Questions to ask an engineering manager$41.17
- Questions to ask a research director$40.20
- Questions to ask a construction manager$27.64
- Questions to ask a university administrator$25.14
- Questions to ask a school principal$25.45
- Questions to ask a nonprofit director$19.33
- Questions to ask a CFO$40.04
- Questions to ask a COO$25.43
- Questions to ask a CMO$40.10
- Questions to ask a VP of sales$35.64
- Questions to ask a head of HR$35.89
- Questions to ask a VP of engineering$42.10
- Questions to ask a dean$25.14
- Questions to ask a facilities manager$25.64
- Questions to ask a property manager$16.83
- Questions to ask a hotel manager$16.65
- Questions to ask a restaurant manager$16.68
- Questions to ask a compensation and benefits manager$35.88
Business and Financial Operations
30 minutes of their time- Questions to ask a talent agent$19.93
- Questions to ask a recruiter$18.26
- Questions to ask a management consultant$24.49
- Questions to ask a project manager$24.60
- Questions to ask an event planner$14.70
- Questions to ask a marketing specialist$18.94
- Questions to ask a compliance officer$19.41
- Questions to ask an accountant$20.12
- Questions to ask a financial analyst$24.70
- Questions to ask a financial advisor$25.26
- Questions to ask a loan officer$18.44
- Questions to ask a product manager$24.60
- Questions to ask an executive recruiter$18.26
- Questions to ask a literary agent$19.93
- Questions to ask a buyer or purchasing agent$18.68
- Questions to ask a logistician$19.79
- Questions to ask a corporate trainer$16.66
- Questions to ask a fundraiser$17.44
Computer and Mathematical
30 minutes of their time- Questions to ask a software engineer$32.69
- Questions to ask a data scientist$28.90
- Questions to ask a security engineer$31.06
- Questions to ask a web developer$22.27
- Questions to ask a UX designer$25
- Questions to ask a systems analyst$25.45
- Questions to ask an actuary$31.25
- Questions to ask an operations research analyst$21.38
- Questions to ask a statistician$25.40
- Questions to ask a computer research scientist$33.73
- Questions to ask a network architect$32.23
- Questions to ask a database administrator$25.15
- Questions to ask a data architect$33.54
- Questions to ask a systems administrator$23.83
- Questions to ask a QA engineer$25.07
Architecture and Engineering
30 minutes of their time- Questions to ask a mechanical engineer$25.03
- Questions to ask a civil engineer$24.24
- Questions to ask an electrical engineer$29
- Questions to ask an architect$23.87
- Questions to ask an aerospace engineer$32.44
- Questions to ask a biomedical engineer$26.29
- Questions to ask a chemical engineer$30.06
- Questions to ask a computer hardware engineer$38.88
- Questions to ask an environmental engineer$25.75
- Questions to ask an industrial engineer$24.63
- Questions to ask a landscape architect$19.20
Life, Physical, and Social Science
30 minutes of their time- Questions to ask a medical scientist$24.86
- Questions to ask an economist$29.98
- Questions to ask a biochemist$30.63
- Questions to ask an epidemiologist$20.97
- Questions to ask a chemist$21.94
- Questions to ask an environmental scientist$19.77
- Questions to ask a physicist$41.41
- Questions to ask an urban planner$21.47
- Questions to ask a clinical psychologist$24.18
Community and Social Service
30 minutes of their timeLegal
30 minutes of their timeEducational Instruction and Library
30 minutes of their time- Questions to ask a business professor$23.82
- Questions to ask a teacher$15.38
- Questions to ask a computer science professor$23.32
- Questions to ask an engineering professor$26.27
- Questions to ask an economics professor$29.79
- Questions to ask a law professor$30.89
- Questions to ask a health sciences professor$25.80
- Questions to ask a biology professor$20.34
- Questions to ask a chemistry professor$22.42
- Questions to ask a physics professor$24.12
- Questions to ask a psychology professor$19.32
- Questions to ask a math professor$19.22
- Questions to ask an English professor$18.94
- Questions to ask a history professor$20.15
- Questions to ask a political science professor$23.58
- Questions to ask a sociology professor$20.26
- Questions to ask a nursing professor$19.29
- Questions to ask an art or music professor$18.90
- Questions to ask a high school teacher$17.32
- Questions to ask a librarian$16.41
- Questions to ask an instructional coordinator$18.62
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
30 minutes of their time- Questions to ask an art director$27.61
- Questions to ask a graphic designer$15.14
- Questions to ask an animator$24.53
- Questions to ask an interior designer$16.15
- Questions to ask a film or TV producer$21.72
- Questions to ask an editor$18.73
- Questions to ask a journalist$14.95
- Questions to ask a publicist$17.97
- Questions to ask an author$18.49
- Questions to ask a technical writer$21.73
- Questions to ask a photographer$10.74
- Questions to ask an industrial designer$20.17
- Questions to ask a fashion designer$19.46
- Questions to ask an illustrator$13.34
- Questions to ask a video editor$18.13
- Questions to ask a composer or music director$17.72
- Questions to ask a translator$14.47
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
30 minutes of their time- Questions to ask a physician$58.70
- Questions to ask a nurse$23.45
- Questions to ask a pharmacist$33.88
- Questions to ask a physician assistant$32.67
- Questions to ask a dentist$41.10
- Questions to ask a veterinarian$31.28
- Questions to ask a physical therapist$24.70
- Questions to ask an occupational therapist$24.12
- Questions to ask a speech-language pathologist$23.53
- Questions to ask an optometrist$32.83
- Questions to ask a nurse practitioner$31.81
- Questions to ask a dietitian$18.37
- Questions to ask a psychiatrist$67.76
- Questions to ask a pediatrician$50.49
- Questions to ask an anesthesiologist$94.11
- Questions to ask a nurse anesthetist$56.88
Food Preparation and Serving Related
30 minutes of their timeSales and Related
30 minutes of their timeOffice and Administrative Support
30 minutes of their timeTransportation and Material Moving
30 minutes of their timeBefore the conversation
Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, May 2025, U.S. medians. Each figure is the median hourly pay times 30 minutes.