MBA Coffee Chat Notes Template

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.

Document control

1. Purpose of this chat

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

2. Preparation

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

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

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

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

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):

7. Common mistakes

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

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

• 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

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.