Networking · generator
Coffee chat & informational interview question generator
Tell us who you're meeting and what you actually want out of it, and get an ordered set of questions: open warm, move to substance, look forward, and only then a soft ask — if the goal even warrants one. No more sitting across from someone interesting and blanking.
Your questions
- 1.Thanks for making the time. Before we get into it — how has your week been going?
- 2.I'm glad we got connected. How do you know the person who introduced us?
- 3.Walk me through how you got to your role — what were the turning points?
- 4.Was there a decision along the way you'd make differently now?
- 5.What part of the work surprised you once you were actually in it?
- 6.What skills have mattered far more than you expected, and which mattered less?
- 7.Who or what shaped how you think about your career most?
- 8.Where do you see your own path heading from here?
- 9.For someone a few steps behind you, what's worth investing in early?
- 10.Would you be open to staying in touch as I navigate some of these decisions?
Questions to avoid
- Anything you could answer in 30 seconds on Google or their LinkedIn — title, company size, where they went to school.
- Anything that's really about you ("Can you get me a job?" on the first call) — earn the ask by being genuinely curious first.
- Yes/no questions — they stall the conversation. Ask "how" and "what" instead of "did you."
- "What's your typical day like?" as an opener — it's a filler question; pick something specific to them.
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere. These are a starting point; the best question is the one that follows naturally from what they just said.
How a good coffee chat is shaped
The order matters as much as the questions. A chat that lands almost always moves through the same arc:
- Open warm. Get them talking before you get specific. One light, human question buys you the rest of the conversation.
- Get to substance.This is the middle, and most of it: how they got here, what surprised them, what they’d change. Stories, not stats.
- Look forward.Where is their work—or their field—heading? It signals you see them as a person, not a resource.
- Ask softly, if at all. Only if your goal warrants it, and only near the end. Earn the ask by being genuinely curious first.
The questions that quietly kill a coffee chat
You can do everything right and still lose the room with the wrong question. Skip these:
- Anything Google-able in 30 seconds.Their title, their company’s size, where they went to school—asking signals you didn’t prepare.
- Anything that’s really about you. “Can you get me a job?” on the first call reads as transactional. Be interested before you’re interesting.
- Yes/no questions.They stall. Ask “how” and “what,” not “did you.”
FAQ
What are good questions for an informational interview?
The best ones get the other person telling stories: how they actually got to their role, what surprised them once they were in it, what they'd do differently, and where they think their field is heading. Avoid anything you could answer from their LinkedIn in 30 seconds — start specific and stay curious.
How do I ask for a job in a coffee chat?
You mostly don't — not directly, and not early. Spend the conversation being genuinely interested in their path, then, near the end, make it easy for them: "If a role I'd be a fit for ever crosses your desk, would you be open to me reaching back out?" People help people they liked talking to.
How long should a coffee chat be?
Twenty-five to thirty minutes. You asked for their time, so respect the limit you implied — wrap on time and offer to let them go even if they're enjoying it. If it's going well, they'll be the one to extend it.
How do I follow up after a coffee chat?
Send a short thank-you within a day. Reference one specific thing they said (proof you were listening), act on any suggestion they gave, and close the loop later when you do. A note that reports back weeks afterward is what turns a single chat into a relationship.
What if there's no obvious ask?
Then don't manufacture one. "Just building the relationship" is a perfectly good reason to meet someone. End by offering to be useful to them instead — intros, feedback, a relevant article — and let the relationship compound on its own.
Is this question generator really free?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser, requires no signup, and sends nothing anywhere. Pick your inputs, copy the list, and go.
How Wend handles this
The questions are the easy part. The hard part is the second conversation — remembering what they said, what you promised to send, and where you left off. Wend logs every conversation so your next question picks up exactly where the last one ended.
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