Multiple informational interviews can bring great insights into possible careers, says Arie Meir.

After earning his degree in biophysics at Berkeley, Arie Meir took an engineering internship at Google. But he didn’t want to stay on that path. Here, he explains how informational interviewing led him to an intriguing position and helped him ace interviews.

Click here to read how Meir gained skills and career exposure in graduate school.

Tell me about your job.

I work for the philanthropic arm of Google; I help evaluate grant proposals from a technology standpoint. Our work is at the nexus of technology and impact. I work with social entrepreneurs and academic faculty to understand the state of the research in a field, like 3D printing for affordable prosthetics. I review funding opportunities and think ‘How is this game-changing and scalable?’ and ‘What are the risks?’ and ‘How would the world be different in five years if we fund this?’ Continue reading →