Coffee chats do not get you hired. A clean follow-up might get you a second conversation. A sloppy one gets you muted.
Write like a colleague. Short. Specific. No attachment of your case tree.
Same day, after coffee
Send it the evening of. Not three days later with "sorry for the delay".
Hi Priya,
Thank you for the 20 minutes today. The point about London retail staffing (how first-years still sit on store P&Ls) is the bit I will actually use.
If it is easy: is there someone on the UK consumer team who would take 15 minutes on how cases get staffed in the first six months?
Thanks again, Amira
Why it works: one specific thing they said, one easy ask, no resume attached, no "I would love any referrals you can spare".
Three days later, only if you have something
Do not invent a "thought you might find this interesting" from a generic McKinsey article.
Hi Priya,
Short follow-up. You mentioned first-years still see store P&Ls. I ran a grocery-margin case this week and the whole case died in mix, not traffic. That matched what you described.
No need to reply. If the intro is still possible I am around Thursday or Friday morning.
Amira
Referral, only if they offered a path
If they said "send me your resume and I will pass it on", then send it. If they did not, do not.
Hi Priya,
As you suggested, resume attached (one page). I am applying to London BA, September cycle. The office line in the letter is the grocery project, not a generic "I love London".
Happy to send the portal ID if that helps your referral form.
Thanks, Amira
After a no
You still write. You do not argue the decision.
Hi Priya,
Heard from recruiting this morning. Not this round. I am still aiming at the London office next cycle and the grocery work still stands.
If you are ever willing to do 15 minutes on what you would have wanted in the case, I will take it. If not, thank you for the coffee. I will not clog your inbox.
Amira
What never to send
- A framework you "thought they would enjoy"
- A six-paragraph autobiography
- "Per my last email" after 36 hours
- A LinkedIn voice note
- The same message to 40 alumni with the name mail-merged
A simple log
Keep four columns: name, firm, date, last specific thing they said. The tracker can hold firms. This log holds people. If you cannot remember the specific thing, you were not in the coffee. You were performing.