The “Coffee Chat” Trap: Why American Networking Advice often fails in Low Context Countries
If you have read any standard American career guidebook or scrolled through LinkedIn for more than five minutes, you’ve heard the advice:
“Just invite them for a virtual coffee chat!”
It sounds so easy. It’s low-stakes. It’s friendly. In many business cultures—particularly the US—it is the “Swiss Army Knife” of networking; an efficient, accepted way to break the ice and uncover opportunities.
But I’m going to give you a piece of unpopular advice, specifically for those of you trying to build a professional network from scratch here in the Germanic countries, which are all considered “low context” countries in intercultural theory:
Stop asking strangers for coffee chats.
First, A Necessary Disclaimer (Because Culture is Complicated)
Before the comments section explodes, let me be crystal clear about a few things.
I am not the spokesperson for all Swiss or German people. Culture is complex. You will absolutely meet extroverted Swiss professionals who love an impromptu espresso and a chat. You cannot generalize an entire nation. However, for people like me, coffee drinking is a fun and “leisure activity” that I do with people I like, either to vent or to have a family chat on Sunday. I don’t really “do coffee” or “do lunch”. I have coffee or lunch with you, because I like spending time with you IRL.
I personally enjoy networking, BUT… I need to be selective about how I spend my time. When I have an established relationship with someone, or when the context is right, a coffee chat is wonderful. However, I don’t usually have time during the week to meet someone “just for a coffee”, and I certainly prefer to be paid by a client for actual work rather than traveling through the city to meet a person I don’t know.
As a coach helping international professionals enter this specific job market, my job is to tell you what works strategically. And in my experience guiding hundreds of expats, launching a cold outreach campaign based on vague requests for “coffee” is often a recipe for frustration in Switzerland. Over the last 30 years of my professional life I have worked hard to build a solid professional network and what basically shows is that building professional network is very similar to building a circle of close friends. You can’t force it. It needs to grow over time, common values and shared interests.
So, if you want to get to know a SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT, this is not the best approach to get their attention. You need to be very clear in your ask, and you need to make sure you are not unnecessarily straining their time and energy.
Here is why, and what you should do instead.
The Cultural Divide: “Low Stakes” vs. “High Value”
In many Anglo-Saxon business cultures, a 20-minute coffee chat is seen as a low-cost investment. If it goes nowhere, you’ve only lost 20 minutes. It’s about volume and efficiency.
In Switzerland, time and professional privacy are highly guarded assets. A request for someone’s time isn’t viewed as “low-stakes.” It’s viewed as a significant ask.
When a stranger approaches a busy Swiss professional with a vague request like “I’d love to pick your brain over coffee,” it often falls flat. Why?
It feels aimless. Swiss business culture values preparation, punctuality, and purpose (what we call the “5 P’s” in our programs). A vague chat feels inefficient.
The Five P’s (Purpose – Preparation – Presence – Promises and Principles) of Networking for Nerds
It feels premature. Here, trust is often built first through demonstrated competence, then through friendliness. Asking for informal time before establishing professional credibility can feel intrusive.
It is inconsistent with the logic of the business model for coaching or consulting. If you make your living as a consultant or coach, your time needs to be valued, and you need to get paid.
If you are new here, you don’t want to be the person known for asking for “free consulting” over coffee.
You want to be known as a peer researching their market, or you will offer to pay.
The Better Alternative: The “Expert Interview”
If you don’t do coffee chats, how do you network?
You shift the frame from a casual social encounter to a structured professional interaction. In the HireMeExpress program, we teach Module 7: Expert Interviews.
👉 HireMeExpress Video Series Playlist
This isn’t just semantics; it’s a massive psychological shift.
The Coffee Chat Approach (Don’t do this):
“Hi Hans, I’m new to Zurich and looking for roles in Pharma. Can I buy you a coffee next week to pick your brain about the market?” (Hans thinks: I don’t have time to explain the whole market to a stranger. Delete.)
The Expert Interview Approach (Do this):
“Dear Mr. Meier. I am researching how upcoming EU regulations are impacting Swiss Pharma supply chains. Given your recent article on [Topic], your perspective would be invaluable to my research. Would you have 15 minutes for a brief, focused expert interview on three specific questions I’ve prepared?” (Hans thinks: This person is prepared, specific, and respects my expertise and time. Yes.)
Quality Over Caffeine
The goal of networking here isn’t to collect the most business cards or have the most lattes. It’s to build what we call “High-Quality Relationships” based on mutual professional respect.
You can absolutely have coffee with these people eventually. But in Switzerland, coffee usually comes after you have established a professional connection, not as a way to initiate one.
Be prepared. Be specific. Be respectful of their time.
That will get you much further than a generic invitation for a cappuccino.
All the best,
Angie Weinberger
PS: If you want to meet me, you should definitely NOT ask for coffee after this post. We have several ways to engage with my team and me. Please request an account on our client application, the RockMeApp, and let us know how we can help you.
