# Coffee Chat Notes: [Contact name, employer, YYYY-MM-DD]

> A one-conversation worksheet for MBA recruiting coffee chats and informational interviews: preparation, a timed
> agenda, a question bank by goal, structured notes taken during and right after the chat, a thank-you message
> checklist and the follow-up plan. It is for MBA students talking with alumni, employees, second-year students and
> recruiters, in person or by video.
> Source basis: research on question-asking and liking (Huang et al. 2017) and on expressed gratitude (Grant and Gino
> 2010; Kumar and Epley 2018), written in our own words. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked
> *Example*. This is a planning aid, not career advice; all people and firms in the examples are invented.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Copy this file once per conversation and give it an ID (CCN-001, CCN-002...). Link the ID in the touchpoint log of mba/mba-networking-tracker.
- Spend about 20 minutes on section 2 before the chat. Do not ask anything the employer's website or the school's employment report already answers.
- Take short notes during the chat only if the other person is comfortable with it; complete section 5 within an hour afterwards.
- Send the thank-you within one day (section 6) and put the next follow-up date in the tracker.
- Related templates: mba/mba-networking-tracker, mba/mba-recruiting-plan, mba/mba-fit-stories, mba/mba-alumni-network-plan, career/interview-prep
-->

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: Keep the notes private: they contain another person's words and details. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Note ID | [CCN-001] |
| Contact (tracker ID) | [Name (NET-001)] |
| Employer, role, office | [Firm, role, office] |
| How we connected | [Alumni directory, introduction by NET-nnn, club event] |
| Date, time, format | YYYY-MM-DD, [time and zone], [video, phone, in person] |
| Planned length | [20 minutes] |
| Version | [0.1] |
| Classification | Personal, private |

## 1. Purpose of this chat

<!-- Guidance: One goal per chat. A chat that tries to learn the job, test fit and secure a referral at once usually achieves none of them. -->

| Goal type | Use when | Good outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Explore | You are still choosing a track or function | You can describe a normal week in the role and decide whether to keep the track |
| Differentiate | You are choosing between employers in one track | Two specific differences you can use in "why us" |
| Prepare | Applications or interviews are close | Insight into the process and what the team values |
| Reconnect | You met before and have news | The contact knows your progress and still remembers you |

My goal for this chat: [Differentiate: what makes the healthcare practice at Firm A different from Firm B's]

## 2. Preparation

<!-- Guidance: 20 minutes. Read their public profile, the employer's recent news and your notes from earlier chats with colleagues. -->

| Item | My notes |
|---|---|
| Their path (education, past roles, time at employer) | [ ] |
| Something we share (school, past industry, home region, club) | [ ] |
| Employer news in the last six months | [ ] |
| What I already know about the role, from earlier chats | [ ] |
| My 30-second introduction (past, MBA, why this conversation) | [ ] |
| The one thing I most want to learn | [ ] |
| A fit story ready if asked (mba/mba-fit-stories ID) | [STY-nnn] |

*Example* introduction (Amara Okafor, fictional): "I spent four years in hospital operations analytics, where I led a
project that cut theatre scheduling gaps. I'm a first-year at [School] exploring healthcare consulting, and I'd love
to hear how your work on hospital cost projects compares with what I did inside a hospital."

## 3. Agenda

<!-- Guidance: Respect the time agreed. If they offer to continue, accept briefly; never run over on your own initiative. -->

| Part | 20-minute chat (min) | 30-minute chat (min) | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening and thanks | 2 | 2 | Thank them, confirm the time they have |
| Your introduction | 1 | 1 | The 30 seconds from section 2 |
| Their path and role | 5 | 7 | One open question, then listen and follow up |
| Your prepared questions | 8 | 14 | Two to four questions from section 4 |
| Advice and next step | 3 | 4 | Ask for advice, then whether there is someone else worth speaking to |
| Close | 1 | 2 | Thank them, say what you will do with the advice |
| **Total** | **20** | **30** | |

Total time per 20-minute chat, including preparation and the thank-you: 20 + 20 + 5 = 45 minutes, or 0.75 hours, the
unit used in the hours budget of mba/mba-recruiting-plan.

## 4. Question bank

<!-- Guidance: Pick two to four. Follow-up questions on what they just said are worth more than any prepared question. -->

Explore:

- What did a typical week look like on your last project, and what took most of your time?
- What surprised you most in your first six months?
- Which skills from before the MBA turned out to matter, and which did not?

Differentiate:

- How are people staffed on projects or teams here, and how much say do you have?
- What kind of person does very well here, and what kind finds it hard?
- How does your group's work differ from the rest of the firm's?

Prepare:

- What does the team look for that candidates often miss?
- What would you do differently if you were recruiting again?

Always end with: "Is there anyone else you think I should speak to?" Ask for an introduction only if they offer or the
conversation clearly invites it.

Avoid: questions answered on the website, salary and benefits in a first chat, "can you refer me?" before any
relationship, and asking them to evaluate your chances.

## 5. Notes

<!-- Guidance: Write within an hour. Separate what they said from what you concluded. Quote only short phrases you will reuse with permission. -->

| Topic | What they said | What I conclude | Follow-up question |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Example:* Staffing | MBA hires do two or three projects in the first year, mostly in one practice | The healthcare focus is real, not only on the website | How early can a new hire choose a practice? |
| *Example:* Culture | Teams debrief after every client meeting | Feedback is frequent, which suits me | [ ] |
| [Topic] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |

Names they mentioned (ask before you contact them): [Name, role, whether they offered an introduction]

Specific point for the thank-you note: [One idea, piece of advice or story they shared]

Rating, for my own use only (1 to 5): fit with my goals [ ], my preparation [ ], energy of the conversation [ ].

## 6. Thank-you and follow-up

<!-- Guidance: Short, specific, sent within one day. Gratitude that names what helped is the part people remember. -->

Thank-you checklist:

- [ ] Sent within one day.
- [ ] Names one specific thing they said and what you will do with it.
- [ ] Under 120 words, no attachment unless they asked for one.
- [ ] No new request, except confirming an introduction they offered.

*Example* (fictional): "Thank you for your time today, Daniel. Your point that the healthcare practice debriefs after
every client meeting made me rethink how I would work on a team, and I will ask about it in my next two
conversations. I will let you know how the first round goes."

People tend to underestimate how much a thank-you note is appreciated (Kumar and Epley 2018), and expressed thanks
makes people more willing to help again (Grant and Gino 2010).

Follow-up plan (copy into mba/mba-networking-tracker):

| Action | Date | Done |
|---|---|---|
| Thank-you sent | YYYY-MM-DD | [ ] |
| Introduction offered, contact the person | YYYY-MM-DD | [ ] |
| Update with news (about 30 days) | YYYY-MM-DD | [ ] |
| Tell them the result of any application they helped with | YYYY-MM-DD | [ ] |

## 7. Common mistakes

<!-- Guidance: Check before every chat. -->

1. Talking more than listening; aim for them to speak most of the time.
2. Asking questions the website answers.
3. Asking for a referral before any relationship exists.
4. Running over time.
5. Taking no notes, then confusing two people's advice.
6. A generic thank-you that could go to anyone.
7. Using AI note-taking or recording without the other person's clear agreement.
8. Never following up after the thank-you.

## 8. Self-test

<!-- Guidance: Use it once before your first chat of the season. -->

1. In a 20-minute chat, how many minutes go to your prepared questions, and what share of the time is that?
2. What should a thank-you note always contain?
3. Name two questions to avoid in a first chat.

## Sources and further reading

<!-- Guidance: The research explains why questions and thanks work; your career centre explains local norms. -->

- Huang, K., Yeomans, M., Brooks, A. W., Minson, J., and Gino, F. (2017). It doesn't hurt to ask: question-asking
  increases liking. *Journal of Personality and Social Psychology*, 113(3), 430-452. Correction published 2025.
- Grant, A. M., and Gino, F. (2010). A little thanks goes a long way: explaining why gratitude expressions motivate
  prosocial behavior. *Journal of Personality and Social Psychology*, 98(6), 946-955.
- Kumar, A., and Epley, N. (2018). Undervaluing gratitude: expressers misunderstand the consequences of showing
  appreciation. *Psychological Science*, 29(9), 1423-1435.
- Related templates: mba/mba-networking-tracker, mba/mba-recruiting-plan, mba/mba-fit-stories.

## Answer key

1. 8 minutes, 40% of the 20 minutes.
2. One specific thing the person said and what you will do with it; it is short, sent within a day and makes no new
   request.
3. Any two of: questions answered on the website, salary and benefits, a referral request before a relationship, asking
   them to rate your chances.

## Revision history

<!-- Guidance: Update your copy of the template when you change the agenda or question bank. -->

| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [Name] | First version from template |
| [0.2] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Name] | [Added product-specific questions] |

## Standard and licence note

Based on published research on question-asking and gratitude, cited above. The text, questions and examples are
original and invented; this template is not affiliated with or endorsed by any school or employer. Check your career
centre's current guidance on recruiting conduct. Template licence: MIT.