11 Tips to Make the Best Out of Your Coffee Chats

Coffee chats are essential for career networking.

But what is a coffee chat? It’s an informal, in-person or virtual meeting between two people as a way to build a connection and learn new information about the other person’s experience.

Coffee chats can open doors for new opportunities and have a positive impact on your career, with 80% of professionals saying that networking has been valuable in their career progression.

Prepare For A Coffee Chat

 When writing an email to someone reaching out for a coffee chat, make sure to have a strong, eye-catching subject line, which will help you stand out. Being clear and specific in your subject line can help grab more attention into opening it. 

And while coffee chats are informal, it’s still a good idea to prepare before meeting and do research on who you are having a coffee chat with to get a better idea of your goal for the meeting and what kind of questions to ask.

Research their career path, with what their current position is on their LinkedIn profile, and which of their posts stand out to you.

 Write down your questions and take notes as a guide for the meeting. It’s also important to choose a place where you are comfortable, so if you are having an in-person coffee chat, opt for somewhere quiet and inexpensive. 

The Elevator Pitch 

Prepare an elevator pitch so that you can be ready to talk about yourself! Writing down your elevator pitch and reviewing it before the coffee chat can also help you prepare by making sure you bring up important points about yourself that can help the other person understand more about you. 

A good example of an elevator pitch includes what college or university you are currently attending or graduated from, activities or clubs you are involved in, jobs you’ve worked, where you are currently at with your career, and any ideas of how you want your career path to evolve.

Introduce Yourself 

At the beginning of the meeting, introduce yourself and break the ice by making small talk to start the conversation, such as “How has your day been so far?” Then, transition into your elevator pitch. 

Talk about your why and what: why you want to meet with them and what you are planning to discuss, setting up a clear goal and purpose for the meeting. For example, “I wanted to meet with you today to discuss what your experience was like entering the workforce after college. Your career path is really interesting to me and I would love to learn more about your career journey.” 

Ask Specific Questions

Asking open-ended, specific questions is a great way to learn more about someone and their career because it allows for more detailed responses. Open-ended questions are also a good way for creating a deeper conversation. Ask follow-up questions based on their answers, which can help you gain further insight into their experience and shows that you are an active listener and are engaged in the conversation.

Since there are so many different questions you can ask during coffee chats, you can separate the questions into key categories, such as how they got started on their career or their career journey, lessons they learned, and company culture.

Some examples of questions to ask during coffee chats are:

1. How did you get started in your career?
2. What has your career journey been like?  
3. What is your favorite part of your job? 
4. What challenges have you faced at your job, and how did you overcome them?
5. What advice would you give to someone who is new and trying to break into the industry?
6. What does the typical day look like for you in your current position?
7. What kind of networking events or networking groups would you recommend?
8. What are some important things you’ve learned while working in this industry?

Authenticity is Key

Because coffee chats are an informal setting, avoid being too rigid and let the conversation flow naturally. Coffee chats aren’t about impressing people, but rather learning new ideas and being opened up to contrasting perspectives. Authenticity can create genuine, sincere, and valuable conversations. 

Body Language is Important

Be sure to display positive body language during your coffee chat. By making eye contact, facing towards the other person, and having your arms uncrossed, it shows that you are engaged in the conversation. 

What to Avoid During a Coffee Chat

Most importantly, avoid asking yes or no questions because it creates a dead end to the conversation, while asking open-ended questions allows the conversation to flow better. Instead of asking “Do you like your job?” you can ask, “What is your favorite part of your job?”

Some other kinds of questions to avoid asking someone during a coffee chat are any direct hiring questions, what their salary is, and questions that you can easily find answers to by a Google search. 

Wrap Up the Conversation

Make sure to keep track of time during a coffee chat and give enough time to wrap up the meeting, rather than ending it in a hurry. Typically, coffee chats should be around 30 minutes, which is a sufficient amount of time to ask insightful questions. Also, remember to thank the person for their time at the end of your coffee chat.

Follow Up

After the meeting, follow up with them by sending an email or text (depending on your relationship) with a short thank you note. You can also add things that were discussed during the coffee chat that you found most interesting, or something new you learned that stood out to you.

Following up reiterates your interest in the conversation and creates an opportunity to connect again in the future. 

Personal and Professional Growth and Development

Coffee chats are beneficial for both personal and professional growth and development. Having coffee chats can help your personal growth and development by improving your confidence, acquiring new knowledge, seeing things from a different perspective, and challenging yourself to think outside the box.

On the other hand, having coffee chats can help your professional growth and development by improving your people skills, creating new connections, building relationships with industry professionals, opening yourself up to new opportunities, and even receiving mentorship and guidance. 

✍️ Written by Katrina Sotto