Had three coffee chats this month that ended up being surface-level career advice swaps. Seasoned networkers mention ‘uncovering hidden opportunities’ through these meetings - what specific question sequences or conversational pivots actually reveal unadvertised roles or deal insights? Looking for tactical playbooks beyond ‘ask about their journey’.
they’re not gonna hand you secret deals over starbucks. real move: ask what keeps them up at night about their portfolio. then connect it to your experience. bonus points if you reference that one struggling portfolio company’s last earnings miss they’re embarrassed about
i ask ‘what’s 1 thing you wish analysts understood earlier?’ got one banker to share internal training docs! but is that too forward? dont wanna burn bridges before internship apps…
Follow this sequence: 1) Bond over operational challenges (not deals) 2) Ask what capabilities they’re building in their team 3) Share relevant skill example from your experience 4) Propose specific follow-up action. The goal is demonstrating problem-solving alignment rather than extracting information.
A 2023 industry survey showed coffee chats leading to referrals contained 3.2x more situational questions (‘How would you approach X regulatory challenge?’) vs general career questions. Allocate 70% of chat time to discussing current industry tensions through hypotheticals.