How to Ask for Informational Interviews in Spain (Message Templates)
Messages to strangers asking for “a quick chat” often go unanswered. Many foreigners in Spain send dozens of LinkedIn requests in Madrid or Barcelona and get almost nothing back. Usually the idea is fine, but the approach doesn’t fit the culture. This guide explains how informational interviews work in Spain, who to contact, and gives you message templates in Spanish and English.
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Why Informational Interviews Work Differently in Spain
When I first tried this, I copied the North American script. I wrote a polished, slightly formal message asking for “fifteen minutes of your time to learn about your career path.” The silence was humbling. A Spanish colleague later told me my message read like a sales pitch from a stranger, and that Spaniards rarely give time to strangers. They give time to people who are connected to someone they know.
The Warm Introduction Culture
Spain’s professional world runs heavily on enchufe, a word that means having the right connection. It sounds cynical, but in practice it means people trust a recommendation far more than a cold message. A request that opens with “Laura from your old team at Telefónica suggested I write to you” gets read. A request with no connection often gets ignored.
That doesn’t make cold outreach useless. It means you need to work harder to give the person a reason to trust you. A shared university, the same coworking space in Valencia, a meetup you both attended, or a specific comment on something they published all count. Our guide Networking in Spain: Events, LinkedIn, and Community Strategies covers how to build those first threads before you ever ask for a conversation.
Be honest about what you want. Spanish professionals are often generous once they decide to help, but they can spot a disguised job request immediately. If you’re hoping for a referral down the line, don’t hide it. Just don’t lead with it.
Tú, Usted, and Getting the Tone Right
New arrivals worry a lot about the tú versus usted question. In most of Spain’s private sector, especially tech, startups, marketing and creative agencies, tú is the norm, even with senior people. Using usted with a thirty-year-old product manager in Barcelona’s 22@ district can feel stiff, almost comically so.
More traditional sectors are different. Law firms, banking, public administration and some family-owned industrial companies in the Basque Country or Castilla y León still lean toward usted in first contact. A safe rule is to start with usted for very senior people in conservative industries, then switch as soon as they write back using tú. In my experience they almost always do.
Writing in Spanish, even imperfect Spanish, signals effort and respect. If your level is shaky, practise the key phrases out loud first. Short audio lessons on SpanishPod101 helped me get comfortable with polite request structures like me encantaría and ¿te vendría bien? before I used them in real messages. For more on tone in professional writing, see Spanish Workplace Communication: Meetings, Feedback, and Tone.
Before You Hit Send: Finding and Researching the Right People
The quality of your list matters more than its length. Ten carefully chosen contacts will outperform a hundred random ones every time.
Where to Find Contacts
LinkedIn is the obvious starting point. Filter by company, city and shared connections or alumni groups, and look for people one or two levels above where you want to be, not the CEO. For search filters and tricks, read How to Use LinkedIn to Find Jobs in Spain: Practical Search Tips. Before you contact anyone, make sure your own profile looks credible to a Spanish reader. A half-finished English-only profile undermines your request. How to Create a Spanish LinkedIn Profile: Keywords and Sections walks through what to fix.
Outside LinkedIn, the best contacts often come from offline spaces:
- Industry meetups, which are common in Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga and Valencia.
- University alumni associations.
- Chambers of commerce, such as the British, American or German chambers that operate in Spain.
- Coworking events.
- Language exchanges, where professionals often turn up after work.
How to Find Industry Meetups in Spain lists ways to find these gatherings. Meeting someone briefly at a meetup in Málaga TechPark and then messaging them the next day is far more effective than writing to them cold.
Spend ten minutes researching each person and their company before writing. Look at recent news, product launches and anything they’ve posted. The method in How to Research a Spanish Company Before Applying Checklist works just as well for preparing an informational chat as it does for an application.
Choosing the Right Channel
Each channel carries different expectations in Spain. Here’s how they compare:
| Channel | Best for | Tone | Typical risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn connection note | First contact with strangers in your field | Short, friendly, mostly tú | Ignored if generic or too long |
| Senior people, traditional sectors, contacts from a referral | Slightly more formal, clear subject line | Lost in a busy inbox | |
| Warm introduction via a mutual contact | Highest-value targets | Set by the person introducing you | Burns goodwill if you don’t follow through |
| Only after someone shares their number | Casual, brief | Feels intrusive as a first contact | |
| In person at an event | Building trust quickly | Natural, conversational | Hard to scale |
WhatsApp deserves a warning. Spaniards use it constantly for work, but sending a first-contact message there to a number you found online crosses a line. Wait until someone gives you their number. The norms are explained in Using WhatsApp for Work in Spain: Boundaries and Etiquette.
Message Templates You Can Adapt
Each template uses an example name and situation. Change the details to match your real connection to the person. Never send a template unedited. The specific detail is what earns the reply.
LinkedIn Connection Note in Spanish
Keep it short. LinkedIn connection notes have a character limit, and Spaniards respond better to brevity than to a long biography.
Hola, Marta. Vi tu charla sobre producto en el meetup de Madrid y me pareció muy útil. Acabo de mudarme a España y estoy explorando el sector fintech. ¿Te importaría si te hago un par de preguntas sobre tu experiencia? Gracias de antemano.
In English, this says: “Hi Marta. I saw your product talk at the Madrid meetup and found it really useful. I’ve just moved to Spain and I’m exploring the fintech sector. Would you mind if I asked you a couple of questions about your experience? Thanks in advance.”
Notice what it does. It mentions a real connection point, says briefly who you are, and asks for something small. It doesn’t ask for a job, and it doesn’t ask for a call yet. Once she accepts, send a second message suggesting a short video call or a coffee.
Longer Email in English
Many international companies in Spain operate in English, particularly in Barcelona’s tech scene and Madrid’s consulting firms. If the person’s profile is in English or their company works in English, an English email is perfectly acceptable.
Subject: Question from a fellow University of Leeds graduate
Hi Javier,
I noticed we both studied at Leeds, and that you’ve spent the last few years in supply chain roles at companies in Zaragoza’s logistics hub. I’m a logistics analyst who recently relocated to Spain, and I’m trying to understand how the sector works here before I start applying.
Would you be open to a twenty-minute chat, either by video or over a coffee near your office, sometime in the next few weeks? I’d love to hear how you made the move and what you’d do differently. I’m happy to work around your schedule.
Thanks so much for considering it.
Best regards,
Emma
The subject line names the shared connection immediately, so it doesn’t read as spam. Offering to come to their area is a small but meaningful courtesy in Spain. If you’d rather write in Spanish, Spanish Email Templates: Asking for Information, Follow‑Ups, and Scheduling has phrasing you can adapt.
Warm Introduction Request
This is the most powerful message you’ll send, and it goes to your mutual contact, not the target. Make it easy for them to forward.
Hola, Lucía. ¿Qué tal todo? Te escribo porque he visto que conoces a Pablo Ruiz, de la agencia en Valencia. Estoy intentando entender mejor el sector del marketing digital aquí y creo que su experiencia me ayudaría mucho. ¿Te sentirías cómoda presentándonos? Te dejo abajo un par de líneas sobre mí por si te sirven. ¡Mil gracias!
The two lines about yourself are key. When your contact can simply copy and paste them, the introduction is far more likely to actually happen. When it does, reply to everyone within a day, thank your contact, and move them to BCC.
Follow-Up When Nobody Answers
Silence in Spain often just means busy, especially before holidays. Wait about a week, then send one gentle follow-up:
Hola de nuevo, Marta. Sé que son semanas de mucho trabajo, así que no te preocupes si no tienes tiempo ahora. Si en algún momento te viene bien una charla breve, me encantaría. ¡Un saludo!
It roughly means: “Hello again, Marta. I know these are busy weeks, so don’t worry if you don’t have time right now. If a short chat ever suits you, I’d love that. Best wishes!” If there’s still nothing after that, let it go gracefully. A third message damages your reputation in what are often small, tightly connected industries.
Running the Conversation and Keeping the Relationship Alive
Getting the “yes” is only half the job. How you handle the meeting decides whether this person becomes a real ally.
Timing, Coffee, and the Spanish Calendar
Spanish working hours shape when people say yes. Mid-morning, around the coffee break, is often ideal. Avoid late afternoon in companies on a jornada intensiva summer schedule, because many of those finish early and people head home. Avoid suggesting the two-to-four lunch window unless they propose it themselves. A lunch invitation from a stranger can feel like too much.
The calendar matters even more. August is largely dead for outreach, because many offices run skeleton crews. Weeks around Semana Santa, Christmas through Three Kings, and the long puentes bridging public holidays are also poor windows. September and the stretch from late January to spring tend to be the most receptive periods.
If you meet for coffee, offer to pay. It’s a small, expected gesture of thanks, and the other person may well insist on paying anyway. If you’ve only just arrived and don’t have a Spanish bank account yet, a multi-currency card such as Wise lets you pay in euros at the café without fumbling with cash or worrying about card declines. Arrive on time even if they’re a few minutes late. Social punctuality in Spain can be flexible, but you’re the one asking for a favour. Work Culture in Spain: Meeting Punctuality vs Social Time explains that dynamic well.
Questions to Ask and the Thank-You Note
Prepare five or six questions and expect to use three, because Spanish conversations tend to wander pleasantly. Good questions for the Spanish market include:
- How did you get your first role in Spain, and how much did contacts matter?
- Which companies in this sector actually hire foreigners, and which prefer local profiles?
- How important is Spanish fluency day to day on your team?
- Are there associations, events or communities I should join?
- Is there anyone else you think I should speak to?
The last question is the most valuable. A Spaniard who has enjoyed talking to you will often offer an introduction on the spot, which brings you straight back to the warm-introduction culture described earlier. Never ask directly for a job during the chat. If they mention openings, follow their lead.
Send a thank-you message the same day or the next morning. Keep it warm and specific. Mention one piece of advice you plan to act on. How to Follow Up After a Spanish Job Interview Email Templates has wording that adapts easily to this situation.
Then keep the relationship alive with occasional, low-pressure updates. A short note a few months later saying you went to the event they recommended, or that you landed a role, means a great deal. Over time, these contacts become your local professional references. How to Build References in Spain When You’re New shows how to turn them into credible backing for future applications.
If reaching out to strangers drains you, start with one message a week, and practise the conversation out loud beforehand. Some learners rehearse common exchanges with SpanishPod101 dialogues so the small talk at the start of a coffee chat feels less daunting. How to Network in Spain If You’re Introverted Step by Step is written for exactly this kind of slow, steady approach.
Disclaimer
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Laws, prices and regulations vary by location and change over time. Consult a qualified professional for guidance on your specific situation.
