Is it OK to email multiple people at the same firm?
Hi,
So I have been trying to networking into boutiques and sent two emails to two people at senior positions last week, one got back to me and asked for my resume. I sent it to him and haven't heard anything since then. I will send a follow up email tomorrow but was wondering would it be ok if I reach out to other senior people at the same firm or is it best to just limit to a few? I know it's generally not a good thing to reach out to a lot of people at the same time and it's best to ask for advice from people who has something in common with you, but since you email a few, your chances of getting responses are also greatly reduced, so just not sure how to approach this thing here.
Thanks, any insights would be greatly appreciated!
Definitely OK in my experience. I've done it multiple times, especially since it's a waste of time to wait a week before emailing your next (potential) contact at the firm. As long as it's not 10+ people nobody cares, in fact, saying "I'll talk to Jimmy John at your firm next week" in your call shows interest in the firm.
Yes it's fine, just don't overdo it.
It's ok, but like others have said, make sure you don't go overboard. We do talk about you amongst ourselves and the kids that emailed every fucking associate and analyst in the office are not viewed favorably. I would say as a general rule, the higher you go the fewer people you should email and the stronger your introductory link to them should be if you want success.
Thanks for the great advice!
But what do you mean by"the higher you go, the stronger your introductory link to them should be"? I usually pick someone in senior positions who share something in common with me and I would state that fact in the introductory email(whether asking for informational interviews or directly ask for internships), do you think that's fine or is there anything I should improve on to make my emails "stronger"?
Also, I would directly ask for internships when I send emails to boutiques or smaller firms (11-50ppl), but would request a brief meeting for coffee or informational interviews for advice if the firm is a bit bigger than that. Do you think I am taking the right approach here? Some people advise that "don't come up and ask for internships directly", I understand that but my logic is: when you are a director working for a boutique you are probably busy pitching deals and wouldn't want to sit down with college student for 20 minutes for coffee, so I thought it's better to just cut to the chase and directly ask for what you want(stating why I am qualified and attaching my resume in the email, etc)
However, I am not sure if I am doing the right thing here, what would be your recommendation?
Thank you.
If you are trying to contact a VP and the only thing you have in common is the same school you have a high chance he will respond to you. If you are trying to contact an MD who isn't involved in alumni activities at all and graduated before you were born, you're probably going to be ignored.
I would not begin the conversation asking about an internship. If someone starts asking me about internships out of the blue my immediate response is "Who the fuck is this kid and does he not realize I get a hundred linkedin messages a day from people just like him?" You need to connect with someone before even approaching the job question. That is something you can easily cover in a quick phone call or coffee chat.
To echo everyone else, emailing a couple analysts / associates is fine, but if you email a majority of the analyst class then they'll probably think of you as some overeager dude with 0 social skills.
My go-to number was around 3, depending on how big the group was.
emailing multiple people in the same firm? (Originally Posted: 01/16/2013)
Does this look rude? I would've thought that it showed genuine interest but now I'm getting second thoughts
idk people will probably say yes, but if you email various groups I never had a problem. Maybe 1 from HC 1 from M&A 1 from TMT, along those lines
It's fine, just use your best judgement
If it's a cold email then I would suggest emailing one person of each department. If you email an analyst in M&A and they have a couple busy days ahead, and are feeling helpful, they may refer you to another analyst in M&A anyway.
If you visited a firm and had the opportunity to meet multiple people then I would e-mail all of them, especially if they're all different levels of seniority.
Really depends. If your messaging alums they wont care, they will probably encourage you to reach out to others.
But if you're cold emailing I wouldn't blast it to too many people.
Spamming everyone from analyst to MD/partner at a boutique = very bad idea
Cold emailing more than 1 person at firm? (Originally Posted: 06/25/2012)
I'm a rising sophomore and am starting the networking process for an IB internship next summer. I'm getting emails right now and hope to send out 50ish emails tomorrow to firms in my area and alumni asking for informational interviews. For boutique IBs, should I only be emailing one person or is it OK to email both MDs/VPs and analysts? And for larger firms, focus more on analysts and associates than more senior people?
Yeah, you should ideally space it out 1.5 weeks between mailing two people at the same firm. It's more effective and less spammy that way.
I tried to stick with Associates, because they have some pull but aren't too high up (at least in smaller/mid market banks), or senior bankers with something in common (alumni, interest, etc.).
When emailing multiple people at one shop, try to figure out what industry/product each covers and don't send emails to those in the same group (much more likely to talk with each other, especially at a boutique, and it comes off as desperate more so than highly interested).
Be prepared for rejection and/or no replies from many, but when you do hear back try to set-up times to talk as quickly as possible (bankers are busy and have short memories with stuff like this) and always ask for some sort of introduction to another person on his/her team. (VP ask for Assoc; Assoc ask for Analyst - its easier to do down the food chain)
Good luck!
As Chris Hansen, don't people usually come to you?
Don't artificially limit your possible networking contacts by not going for senior bankers at larger banks.
Also, when I was networking, I found that many times at smaller firms (MM and smaller), bankers wanted to hear who else you had talked to at their firm. "Not not a boutique" is right though; try to space out your emails and send them to different groups if possible.
Cold-emailing more bankers at a firm (after meeting several) (Originally Posted: 11/15/2012)
So, I have met about 2 analysts and 3 senior bankers at a BB.
I am really interested in reaching out to another analyst as I saw on Linkedin that we were in some of the same national organizations (and they are in a different IBD group).
At this point, few weeks away from SA deadlines, would cold-emailing seem too desperate/last minute or forward? Should I also just strictly focus on my current contacts?
Thanks guys.
Go for it - Never hurts to cast a bigger net. Plus you've already had contact with other bankers. Worst case this other analyst doesn't help you out. Good luck
Contacting Multiple People From The Same Office (Originally Posted: 01/12/2015)
Hey, everyone:
So, I wanted to speak with someone from a specific bank at a specific office, so I sent out an email to one of the bankers. I did not receive a reply in 24 hours, so I sent another email to a different banker from the same office. If I hit that 24-hours-and-no-reply mark again with the second individual, would it be okay to send another email to a different banker at the same office? I'm not sure if that would be appropriate (especially since the emails are pretty much the same); I just don't want them to think that I am mass spamming people in their office.
I was thinking I should perhaps try to instead call one of the first two people I sent an email to. Would this be a better way to proceed? I think I have learned a good deal about the bank, but I am just trying to learn a little more about their culture and what not. I had first round interviews with them, and I'm currently waiting to hear back to find out whether or not I have been selected for second round interviews. I'm just trying to speak with someone from the bank and learn more about the culture in the meantime.
Thanks for the help everyone.
Best of luck with interviews, and congratulations to those already with offers!
Jesus no. If you keep spamming and they haven't decided yet, you'll annoy them and seal your fate with a rejection.
I personally wouldn't try to reach out to anyone else yet - wait and see if anyone replies.
Okay, good to know. I'll lay off and wait to see if anyone replies. Yeah, coming off as "annoying" was really what I was trying to avoid. I should hopefully hear back about whether or not I'm accepted for the second round within a day or two. Fingers crossed!
If they haven't replied to you yet, definitely don't just pick up the phone and call either.
How many people should I network with at every company? (Originally Posted: 06/30/2013)
Suppose I want to work for XYZ company (5,000+ employees) and I already know three people and if I go deep into networking, I can end up knowing more than 10! Do you think it's a good idea to actually reach out to so many people at one firm? Pros and cons? How many people should I plan to contact at every firm anyways? The whole point of this networking thing is to get interviews, right?
So how does this work? If one person is enough to get me an interview with the firm, why should I reach out to 10 people and do the extra work? My time would be better spent in reaching out to more people at other firms and/or preparing myself for the interviews (including technicals)?
I am a rising junior and now officially starting networking to prepare for Fall recruitment.
You've pretty much got it. Never cold email more than one person in a particular group/division of a firm. Once you talk to that person hopefully you can get referred to other people within the group to talk to. If you email blast a bunch of people in a group at once they will probably make fun of you. And yeah you're better off with one solid contact at 10 different firms than two contacts at 5 firms.
.
.
At least 350
Edit: Got damn quickest I've ever been shit on. Someone's not in a fun mood this morning.
HAHAHA
^This, especially the edit
.
Best way to network with people in different groups at the same firm (Originally Posted: 10/01/2017)
Hey guys,
I am trying to network with people at the same firm, but in a different group.
Would you recommend using company email or personal alumni edu email for this - my current firm doesn't know that I am recruiting.. Any suggestions here?
Hey hopinggtsgy, I'm the WSO Monkey Bot and I'm here since nobody responded to your thread! Bummer...could just be time of day or unlucky (or the question/topci is too vague or too specific). Maybe one of these topics will help:
More suggestions...
Hope that helps.
Cold email to second person in the same company in a very specific situation (Originally Posted: 02/18/2016)
A few weeks I started job hunting. I am still quite junior (3yrs experience in my current field), my job is OK but I want (really "need") to move locations and it is not possible with my current company to where I want.
Anyway I started looking for jobs and I took a look as well into my university alumni database (I am European and live in Europe but studied in the US). I contacted someone from my alumni database (in Europe but in another office) working in a company I was interested. The guy was honestly super cool on the phone and he gave me the contact of someone (lower ranked let's say) that works in the city I am interested. This guy on the phone emphasised how interesting my background is (which I find odd because I have a very uncommon background... anyway I thought it was a compliment :) ). I was in this city visiting family a couple of weeks ago and met this second guy. He was very nice as well. They told me both of them that they were not hiring (which I reckon it is true, I haven't seen anything in their website). Anyway my first contact with this company was really cool... both of them seemed super easy going and happy to work there... which is a very good sign (read finance-related industries).
Now here comes the caveat. I still keep looking at jobs, companies, looking at profiles... yesterday by chance I saw an interview of the European Head of this division in this company (it is a well known American company, with a relatively small presence in Europe); basically the boss of the other two guys. So I took a look at his profile in Linkedin and I was quite shocked.
As I say I have a very uncommon background (but really not common, let's say medicine working in finance... you get the point; I couldn't find anyone else matching our studies and that company in Linkedin) and this guy has exactly the same background (now I understand why the first guy though my "previous life" was interesting) in terms of college education and previous experience.
Would you send a cold email to this guy? I wouldn't do it under normal circumstances but this is a really unique case; I am actually very curious personally (job aside) about his story. Bear also in mind that my extremely uncommon background is 90% a source of questions and doubts about my profile for many potential hiring managers and recruiters, even if I am confident, good at what I do and would not come back to my previous field for all the money in the world. On the other hand, I am scared that people in the company will feel I am "harassing" them; as I say this is a relatively small structure and they are in the same team (yet in 3 different cities/countries). And of course even if we have similar backgrounds, maybe the guy could not give a toss even if I contact him (nothing is guaranteed).
Thanks for the replies. :)
Number of people from a firm to contact? (Originally Posted: 02/05/2018)
So I am current reaching out to all alums from my school working in FO in the Markets division of Banks and other firms. However, given that I am currently talking to people from multiple firms I have a dilemma.
How many people from a firm should I talk to at once? I'm using LinkedIn to connect and am finding that multiple people are connections of each other. So should I do just contact one person at a time from a firm or is it okay to talk to multiple people even though they might know each other?
For eg: Suppose I am mailing a trader at a Bank. Does that mean I should hold off talking to some one else working at the same bank trading the same product?
Two points:
1) To answer your question one at a time. Only exception would be if its a big enough company that you can find two people from two completely separate divisions who you know will never be speaking with each other.
2) Don't use linkedin unless it is a last resort. Emailing is more professional and will give you a higher response rate.
I think this largely depends on the size of the firm. If this is for a large bank, I don't think it will hurt you if you have 5ish referrals from various teams/departments. If it is a small firm/team, realize that word spreads quickly and you should stop after 1-2 referrals. However, think about it from an opportunity cost perspective... for instance instead of having 10 referrals for one firm, it would make more sense to spend the time speaking with 2-3 individuals from 2-4 different firms.
Whatever you do, DO NOT reach out to any more than two individuals on the same team. We had a situation over the summer where a candidate reached out to EVERY analyst/associate as well as multiple senior folks on our team. Suffice to say he did not get an interview despite having a great resume and proper qualifications. Just be smart about it and use common sense.
I always thought you talked to a couple of analysts, get pushed up to associates and maybe speak to a VP or two. Just going to start my networking process, so want to make sure I end up doing the right thing.
I'm targeting satellite offices so think analyst classes of 3-7ish. What do you recommend?
Yes. I was targeting traders from a specific desk. So was not sure about it.
Guess I'll start contacting other desks from now once I've contacted the BBs.
Also I was using LinkedIn because I am at a target so it's easier for me to get connections.
Though I'm thinking of getting connected and then mailing them at the address given in linkedin.
Is that recommended?
Dignissimos ducimus reiciendis eveniet iste ipsam. Minima earum excepturi vero iusto.
Cupiditate sed illo accusamus error autem vero velit. Et ipsam aut minus. Recusandae aut fuga voluptatem rerum provident quia. Expedita explicabo perspiciatis aut.
Excepturi dolores ab aut molestiae maxime deleniti. Sit et non deserunt id laboriosam pariatur aut. Nam ullam reprehenderit nesciunt velit nostrum accusantium. Ut iusto non quia qui at nisi et. Magnam omnis dolor mollitia.
Ad iusto nemo soluta atque. Exercitationem pariatur est ducimus et cum et illum.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
In laudantium ea vel voluptatem et repellat laudantium. Reiciendis necessitatibus veniam qui quae nemo. Accusamus ea dolore neque iste. Neque ut cum voluptatem dolor animi delectus. Eos est est at deserunt quas. Sunt voluptatum eum facilis modi porro aliquam. Consequatur quia aperiam saepe fuga voluptatem autem assumenda.
Sapiente eaque consequuntur illo. Iure reprehenderit hic quia voluptatum enim et. Deleniti ullam doloremque quod voluptate eaque. Aut optio praesentium reprehenderit itaque provident pariatur dolor.
Ratione dolores aut in adipisci. Aperiam maxime aut eaque molestiae. Cumque non ut cupiditate consequatur qui ex. Provident architecto quos rerum nam accusantium dolorem. Sit beatae voluptas ut aut omnis quis porro vel.
Quae id laudantium atque odit qui autem. Et ea saepe sapiente sed saepe exercitationem deleniti. Odio voluptatibus sint quam reiciendis. Eius quis ad consequatur optio accusantium aspernatur sunt.