Informational interviews. Just do them. We are always surprised and touched at how many people are willing to help you and offer advice. To get to the position that seems so out of reach to you right now, they’ve gone through some stuff and many are willing to help. They will be more likely to if you remember a few things.
#1, they do not have an hour to spend with you. Even if they want to help you, even their co-workers who have a deadline in two days with them are struggling to get time with them. Ask for 10-15 minutes. Ask for a phone call. This is not about devaluing your time or appearing subservient. This is about carving out actual time in their calendar that they actually have.
Make it interesting for them. Tell them a story about how you got intrigued about industry in the first place and what you think the job might be like when you join. The answer might be “Yes, it’s exactly like that, it’s awesome” or “Nooo, it isn’t like that at all.” This is absolutely useful information when you’re making life choices based on your fantasy of life in pharma.
Give them something. Reid Hoffmann suggests that, even if they’re 57 and CEO of a small pharma and you feel like you have nothing to offer, you have Youth and Information. You know about what’s happening in your niche, trends, interesting influencers that they might want to check out, etc. Informational interviews are all to help you, of course, but think about entertaining them for 10-15 minutes and think about how to give back.