Informational Interview through Recruiter/HR

Is it standard to ask for informational interviews with associates/VPs through recruiters? I have developed relationships with recruiters/HR by now and would like to know how I can leverage them into building a positive relationship with actual bankers.

Should I just email the recruiter saying, I would really appreciate it if you can refer me to a banker? Thanks!

47 Comments
 

I personally don't think this would be more workable than contacting bankers directly. Why don't you try to email bankers first?

"I already know I'm going to Hell. So, at this point it's go big or go home"
 

Ya I would just contact the bankers directly assuming you can find the email structure. HR really aren't the people you should be networking with.

 
New YorkerCorrect me if I'm wrong, but in an information interview, YOU are the one doing the questioning.

It is closer to a casual conversation. You ask some questions, they answer, they ask some questions.....

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

Yeah, you should at least be prepared with enough intelligent questions to lead the conversation. The good informationals end up turning into a casual conversation and go really smoothly, but others can be awkward and you'll look bad if you don't have intelligent and relevant questions ready for whomever you're meeting with.

 
213830

Talk to them about the SA program, mentoring programs, why their bank, their background. V. qualitative stuff.

Great, thanks for the advice. That's what I figured. Just curious though, what could I ask about the SA program besides the typical "how many get into the program, how many get return offers, do you get to choose your group, how do you get placed, etc. Are there other more 'unique' questions on that front that you could recommend. Not only to sound good to this person, but also questions that could have a potential value-adding answer that I didn't know before.

Also, what is a mentoring program? I have heard this before but I am unfamiliar with it. Thanks

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
 

Interview will be mainly fit related. Have good examples at hand - just make sure you are engaging. Oftentimes, the best approach for HR is to come off as passionate about the firm and the job you are interested in. If possible make it into a conversation by asking a few things here and there if the opportunity arises. Lastly, add a line or two about how youve talked to ppl at the firm and it seems like they are very talented and you can learn a lot from them (ie a little hat tip to HR for bringing in the right people). You should be fine.

Capitalist
 

thanks brew

"Some things are believed because they are demonstrably true. But many other things are believed simply because they have been asserted repeatedly—and repetition has been accepted as a substitute for evidence." - Thomas Sowell
 

Generally people high up don't ask that many technical questions (especially in informational interviews). I am guessing "Executive Director of IBD recruiting" is an HR person. If yes, then you need to have your story straight. You have to be able to articulate why you wanna switch from AM to IB.

Take a look at a basics of technicals (3 valuation techniques, how the 3 statements are related etc) but I wouldn't go overboard with that. Your story is the most important aspect here.

 

helicopter with the weiner, just jump up oh his desk, unzip the fly, and helicopter that shit

My drinkin' problem left today, she packed up all her bags and walked away.
 

or how your apartment smells of mahogany

- Bulls make money. Bears make money. Pigs get slaughtered. - The harder you work, the luckier you become. - I believe in the "Golden Rule": the man with the gold rules.
 

Talk about what is really passionate to you -- and align it to whatever Morgan Stanley group it is. Minimize the eye-rolling from the HR side.

If you want to take a gamble and preempt, you can throw all the other kids under the bus and say, "I know everyone else does X and Y ..."

 

I'm Very Curious about this as well. I currently intern at a BB Bank in wealth management and have reached out to a few analysts in IBD. They tell me to reach out to the recruiters as well, but not sure how to have a successful convo with them. Thoughts would be great.

 

Generally speaking, yes, it is not a great sign if an interview runs for much shorter than the allotted amount time. Was this interview with HR just an initial screening interview? It seems strange to do an interview with just HR and not the actual divisions that are hiring. Send a follow-up email after the new year regarding "next steps in the process," but I think it might be time to cut your losses and focus your efforts elsewhere. Good luck.

 

HR interviews are usually just screens to check you meet basic communication and grooming standards before passing you through to the business teams.

You didn't pick your nose, did you?

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.
 

Exactly. Don't overthink it (I've messed up screens in my college days). Maybe he/she was satisfied with your answers and decided to move you to real interviews and figured that it was not worth her time to ask more questions (time is precious). Maybe she decided to ding you. No one really knows.

Follow up in the New Year and feel free to bug them until you actually get a no. Until you get a no, the door is still open... My mentality is very simply this: you don't have a job. If you keep bugging them and end up with no job you'll be where you started. With no job. No big deal. However, with you bugging them you'll show persistence and they won't forget you. This should increase your chances of getting job/interview. That's good.

Of course this does not mean pester them day in day out, but you get the idea.

Good Luck

I used to do Asia-Pacific PE (kind of like FoF). Now I do something else but happy to try and answer questions on that stuff.
 
  1. Send an email asking for a feedback about the interview. Obviously, begin your email with thank you!
  2. Don't be surprised if you receive an automated response..
  3. Keep applying!
 
  1. Send an email asking for a feedback about the interview. Obviously, begin your email with thank you!
  2. Don't be surprised if you receive an automated response..
  3. Keep applying!
 

i can write more about this later, but i would say that you should relax, be yourself, and be prepared...even though it is only "informational," you definitely are being screened and they'll take notes on you regarding your potential candidacy, whether it's in the present or in the future. i know this because i give informational interviews to potential candidates and i'm definitely asked by the recruiting team to take a few mental notes on them

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 

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