Member Spotlight: McKenzie Rainey on a Systematic Approach to Informational Interviews

YWiB Vancouver member McKenzie Rainey shares her tips on what she did when her career plans did a sudden 180 and her systematic approach to informational interviews.

Full interview with McKenzie Rainey

MR: I’m McKenzie and I work for PWC (Price Waterhouse Cooper).

What’s a recent accomplishment you’re proud of?

MR: A recent accomplishment would actually be finding my first post grad job out of university.  In my final year of university I realized that I did not want to go to law school.  This sparked a series of informational interviews for me where I took professionals in fields that I was interested in out for coffee to help me find out what I wanted [for] my first job.

What did the process look like?

MR: This was a series of informational interviews that I was tracking by an Excel spreadsheet.  

I had notes on what I was able to get out of each one and I think by the end of the process I had about fifty in there.  But what this really did for me was allow me to hone down what I wanted in my first job and in my career, and find a position that was a really good fit for me.

Why did you join YWiB?

MR: I joined YWiB because I was looking for a group of like-minded young professionals who were in the same place that I was in terms of careers.  I was really grateful and happy to have met a large number of young women who were at different stages in their career to exchange job search experiences, to exchange tips and I also really liked how it wasn’t just a networking group, it was a lot of development as well.  So I was able to have opportunities like public speaking training and attend all the panels.

Who was one of your role models?

MR: A role model of mine is actually someone that I brought to a YWiB panel.  Her name is Amanda Collinge. When I met her, she was a project manager at Raymond James and she’s now their Manager of Operations Performance.  She actually started out in the radio broadcasting industry and got a CPA and moved and became a project manager.  I really admired how she made the transition between industries and how she always kept what she wanted in her career in mind.  That was something that was really motivational for me throughout my own job search.

What are your hobbies?

MR: My hobbies are running and writing.  I’ve published with the blog, The Financial Diet, about the cost of living in Vancouver as well as my own challenges and successes throughout my job search.