Networking Basics: How to Crush Your First Coffee Chat as a Student
Networking is becoming increasingly important for students to be doing if they want to have a good shot at breaking into a top, competitive business career like investment banking or consulting.
It might be a coffee chat you had to source yourself through LinkedIn.
Or maybe it came about as a result of a professional university event from a society like SUBS.
Whatever your case may be, you’ve got a coffee chat coming up, and you’re going to want to go in feeling prepared and ready to crush it. However, as with doing most things for the first time, having our first upcoming coffee chats scheduled can be a pretty daunting thought. Especially for students, who will generally be meeting with people who have already walked down the path(s) that they want to go down in the future as well.
Naturally, many of us feel pretty nervous when it comes to preparing for our first coffee chats. However, I’m here to tell you today that it doesn’t need to be as scary as it is in your head. Keep on reading, and I’ll break down some key tips you can utilize to crush your first meeting and make a sound impression on the other person!
What Is the Point of a Coffee Chat?
A coffee chat is an informal meeting between two people that allows for the chance to establish a relationship and seek advice in a relaxed, conversational manner without having to be too formal or professional.
Coffee chats can be done either over the phone, or more traditionally, in person over a coffee.
Note that even if you do it over the phone, it’s still known as a coffee chat.
The point of a coffee chat is to establish a meaningful relationship, allow you to gain some insights into whatever you’re wanting to do, and seek advice in an informal and relaxed setting. For the majority of coffee chats involving a student, this usually means meeting up with college or university alumni who've managed to do what the student intends to achieve in the future. Regardless, it’s a chance to establish a relationship and build stronger connections among your own professional network, beyond the limits of simply messaging people on LinkedIn.
Preparation Beforehand Is Key
Research the Background of Whoever You’re Meeting
It’s an extremely good idea to have a good understanding of the background of the person you’re going to be meeting.
Yes, it’s fine to do a little bit of stalking here and there.
This means having a good look over their LinkedIn profile before you actually meet them in person for the coffee chat. Investigate this person’s background, recent projects, and any noteworthy accomplishments that they have. Have a good understanding of the classes they took during their time in college or university, and also have a good understanding of the firm they work at, the kind of work they do, and their values. The reason for this is that you can look highly unprofessional and give off the impression that you’re not a person they should be taking seriously, if you just randomly rock up to the meeting without having any prior knowledge about them. Or, even worse, if you’re wasting their time asking questions that could easily be answered online (such as their first internship that they did).
Instead, you want to be asking questions that get them thinking about their journeys, and can’t be found online (such as how exactly they were able to source their first internship as a first year student). Doing your research prior to the meeting will make you look much more organised and smart. I’d recommend you take a look at and familiarise yourself with the following before your meeting:
- The firm they work at (values, product/services, office location, etc.)
- The school(s) they attended
- Their major awards and achievements (such as university scholarships)
- Their work experience
- Their qualifications (university degree and other qualifications such as the CFA or CPA)
Have a Strong Introduction
It’s often said that the most important parts of a coffee chat are the start and the end.
It’s the first impression that you can make on someone, and then your ability to end the conversation on a high note and walk away having achieved your goals.
Everything else that happens in the middle is less important. So, your introduction needs to be on point. This means keeping it concise, conversational, free of jargon and confident.
Simply share with them your name, the university you’re attending, and then the reasons you’re passionate about the industry, or what you’re intending to do in the future (want to be an investment banker, consultant, etc.). Make sure to have a solid, firm handshake, a clear voice, confident body language and maintain comfortable yet direct eye contact as you speak.
Have Clear Goals
You should have clear goals for the coffee chat, otherwise you really will run the risk of facing a problem where you don’t know what to do.
Whether you are looking for advice on entering the industry, learning more about their career path to see whether it’s something you want to do, or hopefully want to get yourself a referral for an internship/graduate position, you need to know what you want out of this meeting. Having this goal inside the back of your head is going to allow you to know what you need to say at each stage of the coffee chat, as you’ll know where you want to direct the conversation next.
Ask Thoughtful and Open-Ended Questions
Ask Beyond the Basics
It’s important that you make the most of your coffee chat, and that means asking questions that aren’t too basic.
Don’t ask too many questions like: “Do you enjoy working at Goldman Sachs?”
Instead, it’s a good idea to invite detailed and insightful responses to questions like, “Can you share a pivotal moment in your career and how it changed your viewpoint on your career choices?” or “How have you personally dealt with the changes in the industry around the shift to hybrid work schedules?”
Asking these types of engaging questions will foster a more engaging conversation. On top of this, the other person is much more likely to have a good time and enjoy the coffee chat if you ask more thoughtful questions that actually get them to think about their answers and share their insight. Again, it comes down to asking questions that are going to expand your insights into the industry you want to go into, and avoiding asking too many questions that you could’ve found the answers to online.
The coffee chat takes up both of your time, so don’t waste it by asking questions you could have simply searched up on Google.
People Love to Talk About Themselves
It’s a common fact that in conversations, everybody’s favourite topic is themselves.
Everybody loves to talk about their own achievements/experiences, and everybody loves to feel important/smart by being able to share their knowledge with someone else who needs it (such as a young, naïve student like you). If you can steer the conversation in a direction where you can get the other person talking about themselves and their experiences, it’s a win-win!
They’ll have a good time, and you’ll get the insights that you wanted.
Listen Actively
Maintain Strong Eye Contact
Obviously, showing strong eye contact is going to send off a signal to the person you’re talking to that you’re respectful of their time, paying attention, and are genuinely interested in what they have to say. This is going to make them feel good and encourage them to keep on talking more and more. Don’t just stare into their eyes, but do make sure that you’re making eye contact, and that your eyes aren’t darting around the room.
Show Confident and Strong Body Language
It’s important that you can show some strong and confident body language during your conversation so that you can improve the impression you make on the other person.
No matter what you say or how smart you sound, if you’re sulking, using weak body language and not looking confident, the other person likely isn’t going to take you very seriously. Sit up straight, keep your chest up, don’t be afraid to use hand gestures and just try to look relaxed and open.
Tell Your Own Story
You can build trust and make yourself seem a lot more likable and relatable to the other person if you share with them your own story, giving them some background information about yourself and why you want to go into working in that industry.
Look for common ground and shared points of interest between you and the other person, such as any shared experiences (like sharing the same first job in retail or both having played the same sport in high school). Then, just be upfront and honest about why you want to go into the industry. You can use the money and attractive compensation packages as a reason, but make sure that that’s not your main reason, as that’s not exactly a good look either.
Embrace That You’re a Beginner
Don’t be afraid to admit that you’re a beginner.
Working professionals appreciate honesty, and your eagerness to learn and grow will be much appreciated by whoever you’re talking to. In fact, many people often find that when they make themselves seem like pure beginners, people like to help them more.
I mean, who doesn’t feel good when they help someone else out who’s in need of some guidance/assistance?
You’ll be surprised at how willingly most people will help a young, ambitious student in need of guidance and wanting to achieve what they’ve already done. Use your age and lack of experience to your advantage, and get what you want.
Always Express Your Gratitude and Thank Them
Remember, them attending this coffee chat with you, regardless of whether it was over the phone or in person; is them doing a favour for you.
They had absolutely no obligation to spend their time coming to meet a random student who they met, or who reached out to them. So, make sure you sincerely thank them for their time and all of their efforts to help you both at the beginning of the coffee chat, and at the end.
Be specific about the insights or advice that resonated with you, and repeat some of the main points they’ve said during the chat. This not only shows appreciation, but also reinforces your commitment to learning from the conversation, making you look much more trustworthy and increasing your chances of them wanting to keep in touch with you.
At the End of the Coffee Chat
It’s common industry standards for a coffee chat to be roughly 30 minutes long.
20 minutes into the chat, it’s good practice just to check with the other person and make sure that they’re okay with time, and don’t have anywhere to be. As you near the end of the coffee chat and you can feel things starting to wrap up, you can ask for what you want if you haven’t gotten it already, provided the chat has gone well.
For example, if you want a referral for an internship at the consulting firm they work at, or would like to get a chance to speak to someone else in their network, politely ask for it at the end!
Just say something like:
“This has been an awesome chat and I honestly can’t thank you enough for all these insights. As I mentioned earlier, I’m looking to do an internship at [firm name], would you be happy to give me a referral during the recruiting process?”
Or:
“This has been an awesome chat and I honestly can’t thank you enough for all these insights. From what you know about me, is there anyone else you think I should speak to?”
Saying something like this is clear, direct, and polite.
Maintaining a Relationship
Send a Follow-Up Message
Within 24 hours of the coffee chat, you should be sending a follow-up LinkedIn message or email thanking them again for their time, referencing a key takeaway from the chat, and indicating that you’d like to keep in touch.
Engage Online in Social Media
You can cultivate and sustain the professional relationships you develop through networking by engaging regularly with their content and activity on platforms such as LinkedIn.
Don’t be afraid to comment on their articles or posts, and congratulate them on their achievements when they post about them as well!
Conclusion
Your first coffee chat can seem like a pretty scary thought.
I mean, it’s going to be your first time meeting with a stranger that you connected with, and it’s likely something you’ve never done before. However, just remember to stay relaxed, keep your goals in mind, and have fun!
It’s okay if you slip up, stutter, or say something you maybe shouldn’t have, because it all happens, and that’s life.
Follow the tips in this article and just try to put your best image forward during the chat. Nobody’s expecting you to sound like the CEO in your first run. Experience and comfortability in these things will come with time, but it’s a good idea to start now, or as early as possible. That is, if you really want to be seasoned and knowledgeable by the time you’re graduating or beginning to look for work, when it does start to matter more.
Who knows, you might just meet some of the most valuable connections of your career through doing these coffee chats!
Networking is becoming increasingly important for students to be doing if they want to have a good shot at breaking into a top, competitive business career like investment banking or consulting.
It might be a coffee chat you had to source yourself through LinkedIn.
Or maybe it came about as a result of a professional university event from a society like SUBS.
Whatever your case may be, you’ve got a coffee chat coming up, and you’re going to want to go in feeling prepared and ready to crush it. However, as with doing most things for the first time, having our first upcoming coffee chats scheduled can be a pretty daunting thought. Especially for students, who will generally be meeting with people who have already walked down the path(s) that they want to go down in the future as well.
Naturally, many of us feel pretty nervous when it comes to preparing for our first coffee chats. However, I’m here to tell you today that it doesn’t need to be as scary as it is in your head. Keep on reading, and I’ll break down some key tips you can utilize to crush your first meeting and make a sound impression on the other person!
What Is the Point of a Coffee Chat?
A coffee chat is an informal meeting between two people that allows for the chance to establish a relationship and seek advice in a relaxed, conversational manner without having to be too formal or professional.
Coffee chats can be done either over the phone, or more traditionally, in person over a coffee.
Note that even if you do it over the phone, it’s still known as a coffee chat.
The point of a coffee chat is to establish a meaningful relationship, allow you to gain some insights into whatever you’re wanting to do, and seek advice in an informal and relaxed setting. For the majority of coffee chats involving a student, this usually means meeting up with college or university alumni who've managed to do what the student intends to achieve in the future. Regardless, it’s a chance to establish a relationship and build stronger connections among your own professional network, beyond the limits of simply messaging people on LinkedIn.
Preparation Beforehand Is Key
Research the Background of Whoever You’re Meeting
It’s an extremely good idea to have a good understanding of the background of the person you’re going to be meeting.
Yes, it’s fine to do a little bit of stalking here and there.
This means having a good look over their LinkedIn profile before you actually meet them in person for the coffee chat. Investigate this person’s background, recent projects, and any noteworthy accomplishments that they have. Have a good understanding of the classes they took during their time in college or university, and also have a good understanding of the firm they work at, the kind of work they do, and their values. The reason for this is that you can look highly unprofessional and give off the impression that you’re not a person they should be taking seriously, if you just randomly rock up to the meeting without having any prior knowledge about them. Or, even worse, if you’re wasting their time asking questions that could easily be answered online (such as their first internship that they did).
Instead, you want to be asking questions that get them thinking about their journeys, and can’t be found online (such as how exactly they were able to source their first internship as a first year student). Doing your research prior to the meeting will make you look much more organised and smart. I’d recommend you take a look at and familiarise yourself with the following before your meeting:
- The firm they work at (values, product/services, office location, etc.)
- The school(s) they attended
- Their major awards and achievements (such as university scholarships)
- Their work experience
- Their qualifications (university degree and other qualifications such as the CFA or CPA)
Have a Strong Introduction
It’s often said that the most important parts of a coffee chat are the start and the end.
It’s the first impression that you can make on someone, and then your ability to end the conversation on a high note and walk away having achieved your goals.
Everything else that happens in the middle is less important. So, your introduction needs to be on point. This means keeping it concise, conversational, free of jargon and confident.
Simply share with them your name, the university you’re attending, and then the reasons you’re passionate about the industry, or what you’re intending to do in the future (want to be an investment banker, consultant, etc.). Make sure to have a solid, firm handshake, a clear voice, confident body language and maintain comfortable yet direct eye contact as you speak.
Have Clear Goals
You should have clear goals for the coffee chat, otherwise you really will run the risk of facing a problem where you don’t know what to do.
Whether you are looking for advice on entering the industry, learning more about their career path to see whether it’s something you want to do, or hopefully want to get yourself a referral for an internship/graduate position, you need to know what you want out of this meeting. Having this goal inside the back of your head is going to allow you to know what you need to say at each stage of the coffee chat, as you’ll know where you want to direct the conversation next.
Ask Thoughtful and Open-Ended Questions
Ask Beyond the Basics
It’s important that you make the most of your coffee chat, and that means asking questions that aren’t too basic.
Don’t ask too many questions like: “Do you enjoy working at Goldman Sachs?”
Instead, it’s a good idea to invite detailed and insightful responses to questions like, “Can you share a pivotal moment in your career and how it changed your viewpoint on your career choices?” or “How have you personally dealt with the changes in the industry around the shift to hybrid work schedules?”
Asking these types of engaging questions will foster a more engaging conversation. On top of this, the other person is much more likely to have a good time and enjoy the coffee chat if you ask more thoughtful questions that actually get them to think about their answers and share their insight. Again, it comes down to asking questions that are going to expand your insights into the industry you want to go into, and avoiding asking too many questions that you could’ve found the answers to online.
The coffee chat takes up both of your time, so don’t waste it by asking questions you could have simply searched up on Google.
People Love to Talk About Themselves
It’s a common fact that in conversations, everybody’s favourite topic is themselves.
Everybody loves to talk about their own achievements/experiences, and everybody loves to feel important/smart by being able to share their knowledge with someone else who needs it (such as a young, naïve student like you). If you can steer the conversation in a direction where you can get the other person talking about themselves and their experiences, it’s a win-win!
They’ll have a good time, and you’ll get the insights that you wanted.
Listen Actively
Maintain Strong Eye Contact
Obviously, showing strong eye contact is going to send off a signal to the person you’re talking to that you’re respectful of their time, paying attention, and are genuinely interested in what they have to say. This is going to make them feel good and encourage them to keep on talking more and more. Don’t just stare into their eyes, but do make sure that you’re making eye contact, and that your eyes aren’t darting around the room.
Show Confident and Strong Body Language
It’s important that you can show some strong and confident body language during your conversation so that you can improve the impression you make on the other person.
No matter what you say or how smart you sound, if you’re sulking, using weak body language and not looking confident, the other person likely isn’t going to take you very seriously. Sit up straight, keep your chest up, don’t be afraid to use hand gestures and just try to look relaxed and open.
Tell Your Own Story
You can build trust and make yourself seem a lot more likable and relatable to the other person if you share with them your own story, giving them some background information about yourself and why you want to go into working in that industry.
Look for common ground and shared points of interest between you and the other person, such as any shared experiences (like sharing the same first job in retail or both having played the same sport in high school). Then, just be upfront and honest about why you want to go into the industry. You can use the money and attractive compensation packages as a reason, but make sure that that’s not your main reason, as that’s not exactly a good look either.
Embrace That You’re a Beginner
Don’t be afraid to admit that you’re a beginner.
Working professionals appreciate honesty, and your eagerness to learn and grow will be much appreciated by whoever you’re talking to. In fact, many people often find that when they make themselves seem like pure beginners, people like to help them more.
I mean, who doesn’t feel good when they help someone else out who’s in need of some guidance/assistance?
You’ll be surprised at how willingly most people will help a young, ambitious student in need of guidance and wanting to achieve what they’ve already done. Use your age and lack of experience to your advantage, and get what you want.
Always Express Your Gratitude and Thank Them
Remember, them attending this coffee chat with you, regardless of whether it was over the phone or in person; is them doing a favour for you.
They had absolutely no obligation to spend their time coming to meet a random student who they met, or who reached out to them. So, make sure you sincerely thank them for their time and all of their efforts to help you both at the beginning of the coffee chat, and at the end.
Be specific about the insights or advice that resonated with you, and repeat some of the main points they’ve said during the chat. This not only shows appreciation, but also reinforces your commitment to learning from the conversation, making you look much more trustworthy and increasing your chances of them wanting to keep in touch with you.
At the End of the Coffee Chat
It’s common industry standards for a coffee chat to be roughly 30 minutes long.
20 minutes into the chat, it’s good practice just to check with the other person and make sure that they’re okay with time, and don’t have anywhere to be. As you near the end of the coffee chat and you can feel things starting to wrap up, you can ask for what you want if you haven’t gotten it already, provided the chat has gone well.
For example, if you want a referral for an internship at the consulting firm they work at, or would like to get a chance to speak to someone else in their network, politely ask for it at the end!
Just say something like:
“This has been an awesome chat and I honestly can’t thank you enough for all these insights. As I mentioned earlier, I’m looking to do an internship at [firm name], would you be happy to give me a referral during the recruiting process?”
Or:
“This has been an awesome chat and I honestly can’t thank you enough for all these insights. From what you know about me, is there anyone else you think I should speak to?”
Saying something like this is clear, direct, and polite.
Maintaining a Relationship
Send a Follow-Up Message
Within 24 hours of the coffee chat, you should be sending a follow-up LinkedIn message or email thanking them again for their time, referencing a key takeaway from the chat, and indicating that you’d like to keep in touch.
Engage Online in Social Media
You can cultivate and sustain the professional relationships you develop through networking by engaging regularly with their content and activity on platforms such as LinkedIn.
Don’t be afraid to comment on their articles or posts, and congratulate them on their achievements when they post about them as well!
Conclusion
Your first coffee chat can seem like a pretty scary thought.
I mean, it’s going to be your first time meeting with a stranger that you connected with, and it’s likely something you’ve never done before. However, just remember to stay relaxed, keep your goals in mind, and have fun!
It’s okay if you slip up, stutter, or say something you maybe shouldn’t have, because it all happens, and that’s life.
Follow the tips in this article and just try to put your best image forward during the chat. Nobody’s expecting you to sound like the CEO in your first run. Experience and comfortability in these things will come with time, but it’s a good idea to start now, or as early as possible. That is, if you really want to be seasoned and knowledgeable by the time you’re graduating or beginning to look for work, when it does start to matter more.
Who knows, you might just meet some of the most valuable connections of your career through doing these coffee chats!
