Sort of ... but you go to them and actually conduct an interview. It's a technique used in the business world from time to time where someone seeking employment. They ask to get an interview with someone in the industry they are interested in for the purpose of picking their brain about that industry, their company and typical career paths and to make connections.
First you must do your homework and find out who you'd like to interview. Get names and phone numbers and try to speak to them rather than email them to ask for a face to face interview. Yeah ... an email or phone interview could be done ... but face to face will give you a chance to really impress them ... so that should be your goal. You can approach them by saying something like if they can find time (aask for something like 30 minutes), you'd love to interview them about their industry and their company. You explain that you are working towards a career in that industry and you are doing research to prepare yourself. It can result in learning what you need to know to break into the industry, and sometimes valuable refererrals.
Of course, you need to be able to conduct a good interview in the time they allot you ... it might be a little as 15 minutes. To impress, you need to have a precise plan of what information you seek and ask the right questions that will get the information that you need. Remember, they are granting you time out of their busy day as a favor ... so make sure you respect that.
It's OK to ask about what departments and jobs entry level employees or interns have at their company ... and what qualifications they look for ... i.e. education, experience etc. And it's OK to ask them advice about what a person with your experiece should do to increase the odds to get an internship/entry level job with them. It's OK to ask about the typical career path for someone like that. But don't ask about money ... it's not relevant unless they are offering you a job. And it's OK to ask if they have heard about any internships being offered in their industry .... that could result in a referral if they like you ... and that is what you are really looking for, in addition to information.
Then send a nice hand written thank you note ! It would be an impressive touch. Most people don't do that anymore ... so it's unusual enough to have them remember you.
