What Is a Coffee Chat?
A coffee chat is a 15 to 30 minute conversation with someone who works at a bank, arranged by the candidate. It might happen over an actual coffee near the office, but most are phone or video calls. The formal name is an informational interview. The candidate asks about the person's role and path; the banker gets a read on the candidate. There is no job on the table, and the person who asks for one has misunderstood the format.
Why It Matters
Referrals decide who gets first-round interviews, especially for candidates outside the school-specific resume piles. A referral comes from a banker who has talked to you and is willing to put their name next to yours. Coffee chats are how that willingness gets built. One good chat rarely does it; a pattern of them at the same bank, with a follow-up each time, does.
How to Run One
Arrive with questions that show you have read about the bank and the group, not questions a search would answer. Keep to the time you asked for. Near the end, ask whether there is anyone else on the team they would suggest speaking with, which turns one conversation into the next. Send a short thank-you the same day, and a brief update when something changes, such as an application submitted or an interview scheduled. Bankers remember the people who kept in touch without asking for anything.
