Informational interviews and coffee chats that lead somewhere
An informational interview is a short conversation where you ask for perspective, not a job. Done well, it’s the most reliable way into a company you don’t know anyone at.
Most guides to informational interviews are written for students. If you’ve been working for years, the mechanics are the same, but the ask is sharper and the conversation can go much further.
An informational interview, or coffee chat, is a 15 to 30 minute conversation where you ask someone about their work, their company or their career path. You ask for advice, not a job. To get one, send a short, specific email or LinkedIn note, prepare a few good questions, end with an ask, and send a thank-you the same day.
What an informational interview is for#
You’re trying to learn something and build a relationship at the same time. Good outcomes include:
- Perspective on a role, a team or a career move you’re weighing.
- Signal on whether your story makes sense to someone in the field.
- Introductions to other people, often the most valuable result.
- A referral, sometimes, once they know you and your work.
Bob Moesta, who co-created the Jobs to Be Done framework, sends people to have these conversations with others in roles they’re curious about. They show you what a job is really like before you apply, and they’re practice talking about yourself.
Distill your skills, distill what gives you energy... go wide and find many different industries that can do it, go talk to friends, people who have these jobs and start to realize what they are and narrow down to one area.
How to ask for an informational interview#
Lead with what you have in common, show you did a little homework, say who you are in one line, and ask a specific question with a time box. About five sentences.
Subject: Fellow Michigan alum, quick question about your move to product
Hi Sarah,
I’m a fellow Michigan alum and saw you moved from consulting into product at Stripe a few years ago. I’m a product manager who was just laid off from a fintech startup, and I’m trying to decide between going big-company or staying early-stage. Your path is exactly the one I’m weighing, and I’d really value 15 minutes of your perspective on how you made that call. Happy to work around your schedule, and thanks either way.
Dan
Informational interview subject lines#
- Fellow [school] alum, quick question about [specific thing]
- [Mutual contact] suggested I reach out
- Question about your move from [X] to [Y]
- 15 minutes on how [company] approaches [topic]?
A LinkedIn connection note under 300 characters#
If you can’t find an email, a connection request with a note works. LinkedIn caps notes at a few hundred characters, so cut to the affinity and the question.
Hi Sarah, fellow Michigan alum here. I’m a PM weighing big-company vs. early-stage, and your move from consulting to Stripe is the path I’m considering. Would you be open to 15 minutes of perspective sometime? Thanks either way.
With busy or well-known people, ask the question in writing and let the call be their idea. Jules Walter, a product leader at YouTube, found some of his mentors through cold messages that asked one very clear question.
You have to show the person that you’re going to make really good use of their time. So you have to give really specific context.
How to prepare#
Spend 15 minutes, not two hours.
- Read their LinkedIn and anything they’ve written or said publicly.
- Write down the one thing you most want to learn.
- Have your two-sentence story ready, because they’ll ask what you’re looking for.
- Look through their connections for one or two people you might ask to meet.
Show up on time, be warm and keep to the time you asked for. If you asked for 15 minutes, offer to stop at 15.
Questions to ask in an informational interview#
Pick four or five. You won’t get through more in 20 minutes, and the best conversations follow their answers rather than your list.
- If you were in my shoes, how would you approach this? This is Phyl Terry’s “golden question,” and it’s the best single question I know.
- What does a great first year look like in your role?
- What do people who are good at this job do that others don’t?
- What’s changed about your team or company in the last year?
- What would you want to know about someone before recommending them for a role like this?
- When you made the move from [X] to [Y], what surprised you?
- What do you think I’m underestimating about this kind of role?
- Who else should I talk to?
Terry, author of Never Search Alone, sends job seekers on a listening tour of trusted contacts with that first question. It asks for their judgment without asking them to decide, on the spot, whether to vouch for you.
People are terrified to do the listening tour... I asked them to ask a golden question: If you were in my shoes, how would you approach this? I call that the golden question. It really opens the conversation.
End the coffee chat with an ask#
Every conversation ends with an ask, even when the whole call was advice. The most useful one is usually an introduction.
“This was really helpful, thank you. You mentioned the team at Northwind is hiring. Would you be open to introducing me to Priya there? I can send you a short blurb to forward. And is there anyone else you think I should talk to?”
If they agree to introduce you, follow the forwardable intro email guide. If it turns out they know your work well and a role is open, it may be time for a referral request.
Thank-you email after a coffee chat#
Send it the same day. Name one specific thing you learned, and include the forwardable blurb if they offered an intro.
Subject: Thank you
Hi Sarah, thanks so much for the time today. Your point about picking the manager over the company size really reframed how I’m thinking about this. I’ll let you know where I land. And as promised, here’s a short blurb you can forward to Priya if she’s up for it.
Dan
Ada Chen Rekhi, an executive coach, points out that helping someone feels good to the helper, especially when they later hear how it turned out. So when you act on their advice, tell them.
A big misconception that people have when they’re really getting into this work of asking for advice or input from other people... is often that it’s really one-sided. Right? I’m asking you for help and you’re getting nothing out of it. The reminder that I would have for all of you is that it feels really good to help someone.
Follow-up email if they don’t respond#
Send one follow-up about a week later, then let it go. Most silence is busyness, not a no.
Hi Sarah, just floating this back up in case it got buried. I’d still really value 15 minutes of your perspective on the big-company vs. early-stage question. No worries at all if now isn’t a good time.
How many should you do? Andrew Yeung, who hosts tech networking events, suggests at least five new conversations a week while you’re actively searching. Track them in your job application tracker.
I have an informational interview (coffee chat) coming up. Help me prepare. The person: [NAME, ROLE, COMPANY, and anything from their LinkedIn or public writing] How we're connected: [e.g. same university, introduced by a friend, cold outreach] My situation: [YOUR TWO-SENTENCE STORY and the decision I'm weighing] What I most want to learn: [ONE THING] 1. Give me 6 questions tailored to this person, starting with "If you were in my shoes, how would you approach this?" Make each specific to their path, not generic. 2. Suggest one specific ask to end with (an introduction, a resource or a next step), based on what I've told you. 3. Draft a 3-sentence thank-you email I can send the same day, with a placeholder for the most useful thing they said.
Questions people ask#
Is an informational interview the same as a coffee chat?#
Yes, for practical purposes. “Informational interview” sounds more formal and “coffee chat” more casual, but both mean a short conversation where you ask for perspective rather than a job.
Should I ask for a job in an informational interview?#
No. Ask for advice and, at the end, for an introduction or a next step. If they offer to refer you, say yes. Asking a stranger for a job in the first conversation usually ends the relationship there.
How long should an informational interview be?#
Ask for 15 to 20 minutes and respect it. If the conversation is going well, they’ll offer to keep going.
Do I need to send a thank-you email after an informational interview?#
Yes, the same day. Keep it short and specific, and include anything you promised, like a forwardable blurb.