If a hiring manager invites you for ‘a quick coffee’ about a role then please be super grateful they’ve thought of you
You’ve skipped the panel interview and the formal questions but they still want to work out if you understand their business and if they can work with you
And you still need to work out if you’d want the job
The trouble I hear from my new clients is they think a coffee interview means they’ve got the role so they get comfortable and spend twenty minutes talking about their old workplace and how they’re ready for something different and totally forget about the work they’re being hired for
Then they leave thinking they aced it but really know very little about the role or how they went
Before you go for your coffee interview ask them ‘Is there anything you’d like me to prepare?’ and have two short examples ready showing the kind of problems you’re good at solving
Say they tell you they’ve grown quickly and nobody seems clear on who owns what
You could say…
‘I’ve worked through that before when two teams kept handing the same customer issues back to each other
I got the team leads to agree on who owned each step and when they needed to involve the other team
Where do you see that confusion causing the most trouble here?’
Now you’ve given them a relevant example and invited them to explain more instead of launching into your full career history over your flat white
This is where an experienced human interview coach earns their keep because knowing your story and knowing when to use it are two very different skills
When we practise I can hear the moment you brush past something impressive because you think everybody can do it and I can stop you when you’ve spent two minutes answering a question nobody asked
My hiring manager experience helps me ask the follow-up question testing your example and point out what you still haven’t shown me about what you did
Then we try it again so you learn to explain the value you bring while listening and thinking and responding to the person in front of you
That practice gives you something to trust when the conversation takes a turn you didn’t prepare for
And before you leave ask ‘What would be a useful next step from here?’ so you both know if there’s a reason to keep talking
Your dog already understands how to relax and still pay attention because she can look half asleep beside you at a cafe and somehow notice the exact moment a chicken sandwich arrives at the next table
Admittedly her career goals begin and end with lunch but she’s got the attention part sorted
That’s The Dog Code over coffee
Your life is not a dress rehearsal so live like someone left the gate open
Make your next coffee interview count
The Dog Code gives you practical ways to stay calm, listen closely and explain your value when the questions get difficult