Coffee chats

Hi there, 

I wrote an article on PrepLounge that addresses extensively the topic of coffee chats. Have a look at it HERE.

Now, specifically for this question, it only makes sense to attend these coffee chats if you still get value out of them. They don't actually increase your chances of being successful in interview, only in passing the screening. So to achieve the latter it's enough to do a couple of them. 

It's not a red flag for sure, especially because nobody keeps track of these things.

Best,

Cristian

Hi,

Here's my take on your situation:

1. If the firm/your college does not restrict the number of times you can go, then sure go ahead
2. If you are going multiple times, then
   • Use the opportunity to talk to different people each time, rather than going back to the same people
   • Use the opportunity to also ask / probe on different questions each time

In my experience of going for coffee chats, I always found that it was difficult to really achieve a lot because those I went to had really high student to consultant ratios. But maybe your setup is different. Generally speaking, if you are thoughtful and earnest in your questions, I don't think anyone will be annoyed by you. 

All the best!

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• Regarding the company, as long as they permit you to attend multiple coffee chats, there shouldn't be any problem from their perspective.
• However, from your perspective, I would advise you to reconsider whether attending multiple coffee chats will continue to add value to your future application.
• Instead, I would advise you to reach out to current employees, have meaningful discussions with them, and ideally secure a referral, which will also strengthen your application.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

no red flag. It just depends on how much value you actually get out of those. It increases your chance to get a better feel for the company culture (but that is just something for you to consider) and you might find more people willing to refer you. 

So if you already have a referral and feel like your pressing questions have been answered, you might also want to spend the time instead to practice cases or craft your application documents.

Best of luck

Hi there,

In general, no. But of course you shouldn't spam every single Partner in office x saying “I'm so interested in your practice”.

Rather, pick your people and messages those. 

Work in phases where you're messaging a set of people across a set of companies, and working through those before you then work through the next.

Good luck!

No harm at all.

But make sure to prep well and walk away feeling like you gave your best and managed to make an impression.

Hi there,

Not at all if the people offer you to have these coffee chats.

The more observation points, the more referrals, the better.

All the best,

Florian