Now that you know what a coffee chat really is and why it is so important, let’s talk about how to set up a coffee chat, what to talk about, and how to maximize this opportunity.
Ask someone for a coffee chat
The first step you need to do is ask someone out for a coffee chat. This is the scariest stage of setting up a coffee chat because if you do not write your message well, you might never hear back from that person. Working professionals get a lot of messages and emails daily, when reaching out to them, make sure your message stands out. You can do that by personalizing your outreach message to be about them, be clear about what you want to learn and talk about, and have a clear call-to-action (what you want from them). We built a coffee chat request message template specifically for international students, you can download it by logging in to Isempower.
Setting up a meeting
Once you hear back from the person that he or she is open to having a conversation with you, you want to give them the details of how to join the meeting. If you are the one reaching out to them, you want to give them the flexibility of choosing the date & time or the location, if you are meeting in-person. Once you land on the date & time, you should send a calendar invitation to the other person’s email address. This is a best practice when working professionally and avoid them forgetting a meeting time with you.
Read more about how to prepare for a coffee chat, what to talk about, and how to ask for a referral on a full blog!
Prepare before a coffee chat
A day or two before your coffee chat, you would want to send them a reminder message. This is to make sure they are still available and confirm that they are not forgetting the meeting time. Before a meeting, you want to prepare a set of questions and topics of discussion. List out 5 – 10 questions about what you want to ask them such as questions related to their experience, company, the role & responsibility, industry outlook and more!
What to talk about at a coffee chat
Coffee chat is in a casual setting, you should not be interviewing the other person by asking all your questions all at once. It should be a free flowing conversation like how you would talk to a friend with respect shown. Start your conversation with appreciation, thanking them for taking the time to meet with you. Set up the objective for the meeting, tell them what you are hoping to talk about today. Afterwards, introduce yourself for about 2 – 3 minutes, talk about your personal and professional background. Once you do so, the other person should be introducing themselves as well. Then this is the time for you to ask your questions and discuss!
If you are not familiar with having a coffee chat, we built a coffee chat conversation topic guide for you! These are the questions you can ask during a coffee chat to make you sound smart and show your experience to the fullest. Download it by logging in to Isempower.
Pitching your experience at coffee chat
The objective of a coffee chat should be about getting to know someone, researching about a topic, and building a relationship. All in all, you want to use this opportunity to also pitch your experience so they know how they can help you in your career. We recommend relating your experience to the conversation. For example, if your question is “what is the technology that you use at your company currently?”, then you would want to relate your experience using a similar technology, share your experience, and relate to them. Especially, if you have an international experience from your home country, you would want to relate your experience to the Canadian work setting. You could do this through sharing your side of the story, relating your experience during a coffee chat.
If you are not sure how to navigate your coffee chat conversation, we have created a 9-part coffee chat conversation script that you can follow step-by-step. Download it by logging in to Isempower.
Making an ask at a coffee chat
If you are looking for a job right now, coffee chat is a gateway for you to build relationships and eventually get a referral. Depending on the objective of your meeting, end your meeting with an ask. Here are a few ways you can say it.
- Ask for a resume review: I really enjoyed our conversation today and I think that I can learn a lot from your expertise in [THE FIELD]. I am currently looking for an opportunity in the [THE FIELD] and I was wondering if you would be open to reviewing my resume and let me know how I can position myself for the [POSITION].
- Ask for a connection: Our conversation today was very helpful and I am more than excited to expand my network in [THE FIELD]. Do you have anybody in mind that I can reach out to to learn more about [THE TOPIC]?
- Ask for a referral: I came across this opportunity at your company and I am very interested in applying. What do you think about my experience as related to the role? What do you think I can do to get my foot in the door? If there is a referral program at your company and you believe that I can be a good fit based on our conversation today, I would appreciate being considered.
- Ask for more resources: I learned a lot from our short conversation today. As someone who is currently learning more about [THE TOPIC], is there a resource that you could recommend I look into to expand my knowledge in this area?
- Ask for a mentorship: I really enjoy learning from you today, your insights were extremely helpful. If this is ok with you, I would love to keep you updated on how I use your insight today and apply to my career journey. Would it be ok if we reconnect in the next couple of months?
What to do after a coffee chat
After a coffee chat, you should send a thank-you note to the other person. This is a good way to build rapport and show your appreciation. We recommend sending a thank-you note within 24 hours of the meeting. Thank them for taking the time and summarizing a few things that you learned from the meeting and how you intend to use it.
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