How to ask a GS partner for a referral?

Hello,

I am good family friends with two global head Goldman Sachs partners and was wondering:

(1) how should I go about asking for a referral so I come across as respectful and not entitled?
(2) should I take a 1st year job at a boutique and ask for the referral next year? (my school and gpa would make breaking into GS very difficult)

I have a 3.2 cumulative and 3.9 major GPA at a top 40 ugrad bschool. Poor grades freshman year were due to a sickness. I am very driven and have an above average understanding excel/ modeling/ global markets.

Thanks

 
PeakLapel:
No there are still partners, collectively they only own like 10% of the company though, or maybe even less.

Talking out of our ass, are we now? Partnership is just in name, they get fatter bonuses than non partner MDeez. He may have connections outside his group, the only way to find out is to ask.

 

GS´s management decision to went public was wrong...

Private Partnership during 2000-2007. Woah, nothing compared to the public listing benefits.

http://www.madhedgefundtrader.com/ http://www.tradersmagazine.com/
 
Bernankey:
Don't. I doubt he has any pool outside his line of work.

Even if he did, thats exteremely awkward.

My personal opinion is that approaching him has a potentially big upside and virtually no downside - exams are anonymous and it's not that he's going to try to blacklist you, so I don't really understand why you think it's bad to do so.

 

I disagree. Get friendly with him. If he's a partner, he's got friends all over the place.

Professors are often connected as hell, so a guy with a job is going to be a very useful contact.

Get busy living
 
Boothorbust:
Everyone at GS has at least one pool outside of work, Bernankey

Unless I misread OPs post...if hes in ops then he works in jersey city...kinda hard to build a network from there

 

But its not hard to build a pool, Jersey has lots of open space.

Seriously though, as others said there is limited to no downside. Also Ops guys work very closely with traders and if he's a partner he definitely knows and interacts with many senior FO guys. IF the OP wants to work in finance it would be foolish not to at leas talk to the guy.

 

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Take care to get what you want,otherwise you will be forced to like what you get.

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