The only part that you can't do is the cup of coffee. That doesn't mean you can't start a dialogue. Many people got their jobs through this kind of initial cont

The only part that you can't do is the cup of coffee. That doesn't mean you can't start a dialogue. Many people got their jobs through this kind of initial contact and some common interest, often in an open source project. The best approach, as you mention, probably doesn't include asking for a job right away. Build some interest first.