Do you buy the coffee before info interview?

"Redacted"

I 100% remember how stressful something like this was at the very beginning.

Email 30 mins before to confirm that they are still available. Show up 5 mins early. Let them order first. They will typically say something to the effect of, "get whatever you want, it's on me." Act a little surprised (like, "oh, you sure?" but gracious). If they don't say that, pull out your wallet like you're going to pay and then they will say it. I never once (despite offering every time) paid for a coffee when doing an informational interview as a student. Believe or not, bankers like doing stuff like paying for a students coffee.

Sit. Talk. Thank them again at the end for both the time and the coffee.

You have now mastered the informational interview (coffee purchasing portion).

This is good. As a banker and someone making six figures after bonus, I would feel pretty bad if a student, who is probably broke, bought me coffee. When I did informational interviews as a student, only one banker ever accepted (he was also one of the ones who never helped me).

"SSits"

cicit123: Can somebody work me through a detailed process?
...
I'm planning arrive 10 mins early.

You should arrive at least 30 minutes early, unless it's a peak time. If it's a peak time, arrive at least 45 minutes early.

Buy 3 cups of coffee and stake out a table. You don't want your informational interviewer turning up on time, not getting a seat and leaving you having to do the interview standing.

Why 3 cups? You want to keep the seats next to you empty so that the interview is appropriately intimate and not rushed. However, you'll have problems defending 3 empty seats for 30 minutes, plus buying 3 extra cups of coffee to hold out those seats is expensive. Defending just 2 seats is easier and cheaper, plus holding 1 seat on the adjoining table for 2 really gives you an exclusive call option on the entire table.

Also important - if the venue has a bathroom, use it fully before you stake out the seats and don't flush the toilet. There was a post somewhere about using the bathroom that before real interviews. Same psychology applies to informational interviews. Not flushing is my only special, confidence building twist on the idea. It's primordial evolutionary psychology that will put you in a confident frame of mind.

When the interviewer arrives, ask him or her "What would you like to drink?". Then buy that drink for the interviewer.

If the interviewer insists on paying, let them.

This is next level right here.

ask them?

Don't email them the day before to ask what coffee they want. Just ask them, and if they say no coffee, who cares? Buying them coffee will not get you a job.

Jesus Christ.

You should ask if he wants a hand job too. Wait no, no he might prefer blow jobs instead. Hard to tell these days.

This can't possibly be a serious topic.

Please tell us this is a lazy Friday troll post.

Worst troll post in a while.

Wtf is wrong with you. Of all jobs, Wall Street is def. not for you if you're this awkward.