Morgan Stanley Exec Reveals Coffee Meeting Test for Aspiring Bankers

Lindsey Coleman, an executive at Morgan Stanley, suggests that asking for a coffee meeting can reveal a candidate's seriousness about a Wall Street career. She advises building relationships before you need them, among other tips. Her advice is aimed at those seeking to break into finance.

The advice from Morgan Stanley’s Lindsey Coleman highlights a common, informal screening tactic in high-finance hiring: the coffee meeting. Such encounters let candidates demonstrate initiative and genuine interest beyond a polished resume. Coleman’s broader point—building relationships before you need them—reflects the industry’s heavy reliance on networking and personal referrals. For outsiders without existing Wall Street connections, this can be a barrier, but also a practical entry point. The test is less about the coffee itself and more about whether a candidate treats the interaction as a professional step, not a casual favor. This approach fits a sector where trust and cultural fit often weigh as heavily as technical skill.