Networking without feeling pushy, payroll clerk here

A friend suggested informational chats and I do not know how to ask. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. I worry about bothering people. Did any turn into leads?

I asked what they wish they had known at my stage. People enjoy answering that.

Follow up with a thank-you and a short update. One of my chats led to a referral a month later.