ABSTRACT
Most sustainability practitioners, though busy, are happy to make time for informational interviews with MBA students when they can. “Be prepared,” says Rebecca Swartz, a CSR Compliance Specialist at a major retailer who honed her skills conducting more than 20 informational interviews as a student. Another important tip in conducting informational interviews is to clearly define sustainability focus. It is also possible (though less common) to define interests too narrowly. Often, this has to do with geographic preference. If a student says, for instance, that her goal is to work in green marketing for a major consumer packaged goods company in Portland, Oregon, then her options are going to be drastically limited. If we have a specific geographic focus, be prepared to be flexible in considering jobs in the context of the industries and companies prevalent in that market.
