Coffee Chats: Secret Weapon for Career Growth with Luki Danukarjanto (NOF#10)

I chat with Luki about whether informational interviews (also known as “coffee chats”) are essential or overhyped. We share our experiences using them to build connections and get job promotions. We also give best practices for improving your coffee chat skills.

Episode Highlights:

A Conversation that Started on LinkedIn

• I posted that “informational interviews are underrated”. Luki countered saying they can be overrated and should be rebranded as “curiosity conversations.”
• This online debate inspired us to share our differing experiences and come up with advice.

A Tool that Got Me Six Promotions

• I attribute coffee chats for my biggest career moves – they helped me land six promotions. But I learned the hard way how to have good ones!

How to Request a Meeting

• Share your situation and specific question you have for them. Suggest a short meeting like 15-20 minutes. Provide a calendar link to make scheduling easy.

Best Practices for the Conversation

• Prepare questions ahead of time, but keep it a flowing chat rather than an interrogation.
• Set and respect the time expectation. Mention when time is almost up.
• End with next steps like another meeting or you providing value in the future.

Key Takeaways:

• Coffee chats can be valuable, but focus on learning about the person instead of direct career help. Mutual value matters most.
• Framing meetings as “curiosity conversations” sets a collaborative tone from the start.
• Practice coffee chat skills whenever you can. Use reflections and tools to keep improving.

Conclusion: Overall, we agree coffee meetings are great ways to build meaningful connections, though the approach matters. Try our tips to get better at networking through information conversations!

Full ShowNotes HERE

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