Networking utilizing demographics
Going through my school's alumni database looking for people to email for networking. I'm wondering what you guys look for in deciding who exactly to email. I have a decently large selection to choose from, but obviously not everyone I search for under Finance - Investment Banking will be useful, especially because some of the profiles are years outdated.
Would you rather network with someone of your own race or do you think it doesn't matter? One advantage I can think of is that, as a caucasian, if I network with Indian or Asian alumni they will be more helpful due to the fact that 1. They probably don't network with people as much and will feel special that I'm contacting them, as opposed to a good-looking white guy who will out-do me in terms of social skills and make me look like a bad networker. In other words, because Indians and Asians are (generally) less socially skilled than their caucasian counterparts. Do you think this is an advantage for me or a disadvantage (ie a more outgoing individual will be better). I feel like if I network with the Indians/Asians I will be able to make them like me easier and impress them socially. Then they might feel obligated to help.
Along the same line of thinking, do you think gender matters? I feel like all the networking stories I read are one male undergrad talking with a male analyst/assoc/MD. Maybe the female employees feel left-out because there are not as many women trying to contact them for networking, so they will spend more time with me? Personally I feel like I can talk to a woman easier as opposed to a hot-shot MD. Plus in general women are nicer and more helpful. The downside to that is probably that we have less in common. What would we talk about outside of finance? I'm willing to bet most women in finance are too busy to care about how the Yankees are doing.
Essentially, my question boils down to: If you had to network with one person, would you rather them be same sex or different sex, and socially outgoing or less socially skilled, ceteris paribus?
Obviously not all Indians/Asians are nerds and a woman could be more of a hardass than a male (often they are in finance) but I'm just using these sterotypes to support the numbers game that is networking.
Couple points I look for (as far as info provided by the database) are post-2000 grad and male. I'd network with anyone obviously, but I prefer hitting these two points. I normaly don't break outside of them until I've done everyone that fits them first, then I open it up to everyone.
It's nothing against everyone else, I just find it easier to gain traction with someone you can relate to... which after all is the whole point of networking, no?
I look at his/her resume to see if they have pics of Nicolas Cage, otherwise I ignore them.
If you're looking in an alumni database, they should usually have some sort of information about their time at your university. Generally, I like to reach out to alumni who were my same major, had similar interests (we have a field to list student organizations and living group affiliations), and graduated post-2000. Gender doesn't matter to me, mainly because I find it awkward to speak to other women to begin with :( I would much rather they be more socially outgoing; you get better information out of them that way. With the less-socially-skilled individuals, the informational interview turns out sounding more like a Q&A instead of a discussion (i.e. they answer my question with one sentence and then fall silent again).
I'm Asian, and I have found that networking with Asians is no different than networking with non-Asians. Why does it always have to be about this whole diversity thing?
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I network constantly and have been for years. I find that none of those things are really an issue after you practice it for a while.
If you first have an interesting story to tell, than you can grab anyone's interest. After a while you will start to get a feel for people. You will find that the demographics are not much of an issue, it is more about personality types. Some people are generally more inclined to be sociable than other people, that's the way it is. If people don't respond to you it is pretty much because of four things
A-They have a hang-up. Either they are not sociable, or they are not used to talking to strangers, etc.
B- They can't help you and they don't want to trouble with it at all. If you are a junior analyst and you want to network with a CEO, you probably aren't going to have anything of value to them. (But you still made a connection at least, in that sense, you haven't lost anything)
C-They sense that you are in it for you, and not in it for a fair exchange.
D-You are not getting the point across effectively, or you are boring them.
Networking is a skill that you have to develop, but it is easy. Just have one rule in mind-give something if you expect to take something. Know your stuff, know what you want to say, and offer to help someone in return.
I've read and watched (Thiel Fellowship) all about networking. And you're making a valid point on giving back. But individuals like me (or the average networker) are not Thiel Fellows that have something to add or are experts in a particular field of science. We have nothing to contribute to the finance experts on the street.
I am hoping that I can be of some help to them as well, since its not all about taking. But what can we offer them? We can flat out assume that we will be successful enough to help an MD in the future when we're not all gonna make it. In the end, I think all the average networker wants is a mentor (a suitable one that is) that can guide them and aid them through breaking in.
"We have nothing to contribute to the finance experts on the street. " -kill that attitude....
Finding a mentor for yourself is a great goal. But you should look at it as you will do something for them first. Don't look at it as giving back. Give first, show that you take the initiative. Trust me, it will come back to you. Nobody is ever in the market to be a mentor really. But someone might very well become a mentor if they see something they like in that individual. And what any businessperson likes to see most is integrity and initiative.
Look at it this way- someone somewhere needs something. A business always needs something-a cheaper vendor, a more reliable service, a better salesperson, a better sales lead, expert advice, some insight into a market that they can't seem to find, -there is always, always something. You don't have to be the expert. You just have to know where to get your hands on that something. If you ask them what it is that they need, they just might tell you.
You 'help' by being fun to talk to and being a friend.
This is how I see it also. They really dont have to ever reply back but they do. We should at least make it worth there time by having a good conversation that strokes their egos. All day they get hammered by their bosses, finally there is someone (us) who they can talk to and feel special.
My 2 cents
Except when you're trying to network with MDs. But then again, this comes down to whether we're targeting VPs/Associates or MDs. Or even analysts.
Anyways to add to the OPs topic, I think networking with the opposite sex, if you're confident enough, makes for a more enjoyable conversation. You're seen less as a "lower" potential incoming male analyst, and as somewhat a little bit more as an equal. They judge you differently than a hot shot BB analyst/associate would if you were not as "qualified" as them.
If you spent less time analyzing profiles and more time contacting people, that would be more effective. This is a very strange question to me. If the person has a job you want or works at a firm you want to work, then contact them, regardless of the profile.
For MD, this is how it works - make them, especially the morally bankrupt ones, feel that they are still good human beings by helping poor kids. For most of us, there's really nothing to provide other than psychological comfort. Just don't say something like hopefully one day I will do business with you type of bs.
Just to note, Indians are Asians. That might be good to know
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