Informational Phone Call

Hello all, I had my first informational phone call today with an associate and it did not go as well as I had hoped. I thought I could get away with asking all the questions to get him to talk about himself but I think I came off as self centered. He said to contact him in a few weeks to set up a in person meeting and I plan on doing so. How do I tell if the phone call went well and if the guy likes me? And how do you go about mending a relationship that might be broken? Any tips to these informational interviews to not come off as self centered?
Thanks

 

True I guess. Way I see it, associate liked OP enough to offer him the opportunity to meet in person. Many don't offer and many don't want to, and a quick phone call is a decent way to gauge if the other person on the end of the call is someone you'd be down to meet with for some guidance/help.

OP – try to give some more info on questions asked back/forth and what the general scope was. It's difficult to tell as no one on this forum other than you was in on the call, but I'm happy to give my 2c.

EBITDA rules everything around me
 

He did, pretty much asked me to tell me my story. That is where I thought maybe I ticked him off because I asked if he could refer me to any VP's or MD and he said "I do not even know anything about you, whats your story?" He seemed ticked that I was asking all the questions but I thought that was supposed to be the deal with these first phone calls.

 
Best Response

Referring you to his superior is in a way asking him to stick his neck out (ever so slightly) for you and vouch that you passed his litmus test. How you present yourself in front of his superiors will ultimately be a reflection on him.

There's a process to these things, mainly:

1) Greetings, thank him for taking the time to talk to you; 2) Start with a brief intro on yourself and why you're taking up his time. 3) Now usually he'll give you an intro to his own background, if not, it's ok to ask. 4) Have a normal conversation. Ask a question, LISTEN TO HIS ANSWER, and either add something insightful or transition to another topic. 5) At the VERY end, ask what might be the next step he recommends. He'll get the hint.

The guy probably felt like he was getting interviewed out of nowhere. Also people in this industry do NOT usually respect (or are understanding of) people who are desperate. Come across as interesting and hint at how you might add value to a firm somewhere with your current skills.

When you contact him again to set-up a meeting, DIAL IT BACK. Also while his comment about VPs and MDs is correct in that they will have more say in who ultimately gets hired, an associate's good word usually gets you the interview if there's a spot and, if there isn't, they are going to be knowledgeable about other spots open right now at a junior level (they are getting absolutely butt-blasted with recruiters 24/7).

 

I tried not to but it might have came across as such. I tried to ask about his background as I am under the impression people love to talk about themselves. That lead me nowhere so I jumped right into the meat of the matter instead. I asked for advice for breaking into the industry and he said connect with VPs and MD. I ask if he could connect me with any VP or MDs and he said "I do not even know you or your story" . It came off as "dude do not use me" but i read the line about conncet with VPs and MDs as ask me to do so for you. I am not sure, did I complete misread the situation?

 

I think your best two options are the morning coffee/afternoon lunch or the phone call. The phone call is nice because it is convenient, easy, and comfortable - just set up the call via email, find a quiet spot for 20-40 minutes and get into it. Your other option is to set up a morning coffee break, or an afternoon lunch, which offers the benefit of face to face conversation. This, of course, assumes that you can skip away for a half hour or so during the day, and that the analyst/associate is near you – otherwise it will be too big of a trip, and not really worth the time to either of you. You also have to remember that while your day ends at 6pm, an analyst/associate’s day does not, so you may want to consider setting up an evening call – this will allow you to be comfortable in your house, or a location of your choice, not have to deal with missing work, and be more convenient for the other party because you can offer a time frame. You can shoot the person an email and mention that you understand it is hard to pinpoint a time, so you can offer to do it anytime between 7pm and 9pm or something like that. This way you will know the person will be calling when he/she definitely has a few spare minutes, and not just because you set up a specific time – people are obviously more relaxed and helpful when they don’t have a deadline breathing down their neck at that very minute. The most important thing to remember is that the analyst/associate is doing you a favor/helping you out, so be grateful, comfortable and flexible with your schedule, as much as you can be, it will go a long way. Best of luck.

IBanker www.BankonBanking.com Articles, News, Advice and More Break Into Investment Banking

 

If you try to impress them by bringing up some current event, you will only make yourself look like a tool. Don't try to spout facts or talk about recent M&A activity in Mongolia. The ramifications of you opening your mouth can definitely help you, but can hurt a lot more. They are not expecting you to be an expert on what they do, but do a bit of research beforehad. Go on their website and read about them or other firms like them. If you have access to Bloomberg or Capital IQ, try to find anything about them on there. Keep your questions relevant to the topic at hand, and if this is just an informational interview, try to talk about something other than finance. They'll want to see that you are at least a somewhat interesting person.

 

i know not to sound like a tool with facts and stats ect... however it is my first meeting of the sorts and i dont really know how they go. i had emailed him and asked if we could meet and if i could ask his some questions and discuss his line of work, so shouldn't that be what i talk about not the world cup or what i do on the wk ends....

 

Ask him what he does, how he likes it, that's the point of this sort of a meeting. Read the NYT, WSJ etc. before hand and read the scores from the world cup, MLB etc. A lot of networking is being able to shmooze. Also olafenizer is right, MDs like to talk so let them, don't interrupt. Read Emily Post or any other etiquette guide and know what to do if this will be in a formal situation.

 

I'd also like to know.

"After you work on Wall Street it’s a choice, would you rather work at McDonalds or on the sell-side? I would choose McDonalds over the sell-side.” - David Tepper
 

Informational = not an interview. Just expect a generic overview of the program, interview process, tasks assigned to SAs etc.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

Hey man I'm pretty new to this site but before you get sarcastic and or no responses I suggest you SEARCH.

This question is very common and I have gotten almost all of my questions from threads. You want to ask about the persons background, how they got there (especially if they are target/non target), and what he wants to see in a candidate. Let him talk about himself and don't ask any dumb questions. For like $20 you can get the networking guide from WSO. Simple answer is search for informational interview and start reading.

"How can I position myself for an opportunity at XYZ bank blah blah blah" if conversation is going well.

 

Specific questions on his coverage. Did you actually read his reports and compare how he write reports differently? Analysts get paid by having a differentiated opinion. They can do this by focusing on a specific area. Let's assume that your analyst cover Apple. Different analysts can focus on 1) OEM relationship 2) COGS breakdown, price of each parts 3) intensive revenue model break down by each Apple's products 4) Same Store Sales, detailed breakdown on that and so forth. I think that's the key thing that you need to focus on. Only then, you can demonstrate your interest in his coverage because you actually compare his notes with other people and can tell how he runs his franchise.

"I am the hero of the story. I don't need to be saved."
 

He's clearly interested in talking with you. Good sign. Most alums never reply and even if they do they reply like weeks later.

I haven't done these informal "chats" yet, but I think for your 2nd one you should be more aggressive (e.g. ask for his help during recruiting).

 

Ya id come prepared with legit questions possibly a little more forward than just general advice... see if he 'knows anyone' aka HIM who could consider giving u an opportunity or in touch with anyone hiring for whatever ur looking for

I hate victims who respect their executioners
 

Prepare as much as possible and don't take it for granted. With these smaller firms, they don't have a set program or set number of people they take. Have good questions to ask, make him like you, that sort of thing.

Last summer I emailed a guy who responded saying they had filled up their summer intern class but that he would still be willing to talk to me about his career/the firm. At the end of it he liked me and offered me a position at the firm. You never know, and I remember thinking many times about whether it was worth it to even call him (I was stressed and just desperately wanted to find a job). Clearly I made the right decision.

 

Hi Black Jack - I was impressed by how you land the position at the firm. I had the similar situation as you did (I'm a recent graduate and desperately want to find a job. And yes, I'm stressed especially after I had an awkward conversation with an associate). I've been thinking over how can I make someone like me in the conversation. Could you shed some light on what you've said in your conversation? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

Try sounding like a human being. I don't find informational calls awkward at all. Just shoot the shit and don't come across as having the EQ of an infant.

My name is Nicky, but you can call me Dre.
 

honestly it sounds like they already made their decision. I had this happen the other day, I contacted an alumni and he ended up being in charge of analyst recruiting and immediately started asking me real interview questions. He didn't go into any technicals but the rest of the call played out exactly like a true interview and I wasn't really expected.

Moral of the day=know your shit

 

Really? I don't think your gonna get far by asking random people on an internet forum to help you out. Try reaching out to alumni. Although I doubt you will be able to set something up till mid next week.

 

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