"It's not one of those resources widely used, particularly for entry-level [professionals]," says Taylor. "Mid-level professionals probably take more advantage of the informational interview because they have a more extensive network. But most entry-level people don't do this, and it actually would be helpful in a lot of instances for them to take advantage."

Finding out the ins and outs of an industry puts you ahead of the game. Once you find the career path you'd like to follow, you can zero in on it and give your all to putting your skills out there. For example, if diversity is important to you, utilize the informational interview to find out where the company stands on diversity initiatives.

"You can ask things like 'Can you talk a little bit about the diversity initiatives within the company? Are there affinity groups?'" says Taylor. "Also, 'What other kinds of special efforts are being made toward building diversity in the organization?'"

Click here to visit DiversityInc's Career Center.

Here are a few tips on making the most of an informational interview:

Landing the Interview

As with anything else, there are do's and don'ts to getting the interview, so preparation is vital. You can't just call someone up and ask if you can set up an informational interview.

"You've got to think about your network of individuals that you can tap into," says Taylor. "Family or friends if you still have access to your career center at the university you may have gone to, that's still a good source, as well as alumni networks." Also, consider contacting professional and/or diversity-related organizations that you may belong to, such as ASCENT, National Society of Hispanic MBA (NSHMBA), or National Organization on Disability (NOD), or USBLN.

Once you have someone who can point you in the right direction, ask them if they'd be comfortable making the introductions. "I would ask them to make an introductory phone call for me so that person knows that I'm going to be calling and to lay the groundwork for me," suggests Taylor. "Then I want to make sure that I also send an e-mail once they make that introduction, saying, 'Here's why I want to visit with you. This is what I'm trying to accomplish. I'm just trying to get information.'"

You Are in Control

The major difference between an informational interview and a traditional job interview is that you are in control. Ask the questions to clarify your concerns about the industry or job of interest.

It is of the upmost importance that you are readily prepared and have done your homework. "Even though this is informational, you still want to make sure you've done some groundwork in terms of finding out what the company's about, what kinds of things they do, product lines. You want some basic information so that you're asking intelligent questions," urges Taylor.

Once the groundwork is set, you can enter the interview with your questions and make the most out of it for both you and the individual giving the information.

Ask questions: "Tell me what your experience has been. How did you get started in the company? How did you get interested in this position? What kinds of skills do you utilize in this particular job? What are some of your duties and responsibilities on a day-to-day basis?" Taylor says these are all suitable for the informational interview because "what you're trying to do is assess how your skills fit with that company, so if you get the real interview, you can really kind of sell that."

A Good First Impression Goes a Long Way

You never know what doors may open up for you simply because you made a lasting impression on someone. So while the informational interview serves the purpose of finding out about the field or industry you're most interested in, other gains can come of it as well.

"Even though it's you in control, you still want to do some things that you would do in a regular interview, like dressing professionally," says Taylor. "You're not asking for a job, but it still may prompt [the person you've talked to] to talk to someone else and say, 'Hey, this person was industrious in terms of asking questions and took the initiative, and that may be someone we may be interested in.'" You never know how much influence someone else's opinion could have on a positive outcome for you.