Community Contribution #7
This past week I had an informational interview to expand my personal learning network (PLN) and to gain career insight. A profession that I have always been interested in is counselling, so I reached out to a friend of a friend’s mom who I had heard had been a counsellor for many years. I think this is a perfect example of a “weak tie” connection where an arm’s-length relationship helped me gain new information that I would not have found within my immediate circle (Granovetter, 1973; Klein, 2022). In preparation for the interview, I took some time to research typical job requirements for the position online. This research helped me move past surface-level assumptions and outline specific questions I wanted to ask. I used many of the Berkeley career example questions in my personal outline (UC Berkeley, n.d.). While I wanted to understand routine responsibilities by asking questions like “What does a typical day look like?”, I was also curious about the unseen difficulties of the job. I wanted to follow my curiosity, as Jeff Wetzler (2024) says, “curiosity is how we connect”. I asked questions about the highlights of the job as well as the challenges or more negative aspects of the work to get a balanced, honest perspective. This sparked an interesting conversation around the emotional toll of counselling and how counsellors can carry the weight of their patients home. In a formal interview, I don’t think I would have gotten such an honest, raw perspective on the job’s demands. I also learned that you don’t necessarily need a degree, and you can complete a diploma in BC to become a general counsellor.
My understanding before the interview was that you needed a specific counselling degree, and I had not honestly considered all the effects that this position can have on a person’s own mental health. Something I noticed about the interview, after the initial meeting and a few nervous questions in the beginning, was that the most interesting and genuine information came from having a more natural conversation rather than sticking strictly to the questions I had prepared. I slightly adjusted my questions according to the conversation flow. This whole experience really highlighted the principles of connectivism, the idea that learning happens through forming nodes and diverse human connections across a wider network (Goldie, 2016). I do not think the amount of information and the personal connection I made and gained through this interview would hold the same significance as just seeing a post or profile on social media. Overall, this interview showed me the power of leveraging weak ties to build an impactful PLN. As I get closer to graduating, I plan to continue reaching out beyond my close social circle and using direct conversations to explore career options and pathways.
References
Goldie, J. G. S. (2016). Connectivism: A knowledge learning theory for the digital age? Medical Teacher, 38(10), 1064–1069. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2016.1173661
Klein, P. (2022). New study proves that weak ties have strong employment value. MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. https://ide.mit.edu/insights/new-study-proves-that-weak-ties-have-strong-employment-value/
Questions. (n.d.). Career Engagement. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://career.berkeley.edu/start-exploring/informational-interviews/questions/
Wetzler, J. (2024). How to learn something from anyone… (and why to try) [Video]. TEDx Talks. YouTube.