MS Information Interview This Week - Help

So my uncle got me in contact with a good friend of his who is an MD at MS in the M&A division regarding a summer internship. He offered to give me a call this week for an information interview and also asked me to come visit over winter break. I guess my question is, if I make a good impression on this guy, can I bypass the HR selection process entierly? What kind of pull do MD's have? How should I be preparing for the interview? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Also...

I'm a junior at a non target school with a 3.6 GPA double majoring in accounting and finance with a minor in Mandarin....so I realize I'm not a prime candidate...but how can I help my case?

 
Best Response

MD's at BB's can past the 1st round, but you'd still have to go through either the interview or if he's got major pull, then straight to the Superday. I'd say the only people who can entirely bypass you from the interview process are those on the MS Board (management level). Still, getting past the initial resume check is big because at that point all you have to focus on is the interview.

I'm guessing you've never met him before so the most important thing for you is to make a good impression when he calls you and when you come into the office. After that, it's all up to him how far he wants to go for you. Don't worry about how far he'll get you, that's where his status as MD comes in. You just have to look/sound smart and since you're an Accounting/Finance major, make it seem like you kind of know what you're talking about.

 

And just to add to that, make sure to be yourself. You hear this a lot but it's nonetheless very important, particularly in this case where this contact is a family friend. Your chat will probably be very fit based meaning you should be able to explain why you want to do banking. Be nice and genuine too. Good luck.

 

Thanks guys, this is all very helpful. Below is the email he sent my uncle last week. From his tone, what should I be doing now to get ready? I realize this is an opportunity that probably won't come up again, and is probably my one shot at breaking into I-Banking, so I just want to make sure I don't mess it up.

Thanks for the referral and hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving (Edward's favorite holiday of the year!). We'll reach out to Austin. Our process kicks off in January, but we'll plan to give him a ring in the next week or so for an informational interview. Also, if he plans to be in LA anytime between now and late January, we can have him swing by the office to meet some folks.

 

MS in LA does "west coast coverage" if I'm not mistaken...

The MDs are top notch but from what I've been told, they do the origination side of the M&A transaction while the NY team does the actual execution.

Still a great brand name but you might be doing more pitching than actual modeling.

 

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Take it as it comes JJ

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