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
Considering he's the one who said to reach out and set up an in-person meeting, what do you think?
I mean maybe he just thought that OP was clearly enthusiastic also. Not many get a chance to go in and have a chat or meeting face to face after.
To OP, did he also ask you questions?
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.
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.
It's not just a Q&A. It's a convo. He's learning about you. You learn about him.
I'm guessing you asked for referral at end and then he asked to meet?
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).
Informational Call Lead and Topics (Originally Posted: 06/24/2017)
What should be the important topics that go into an informational call? Obviously you want to talk about the guy's experiences, listen to advice, and what he thinks about the industry/firm. But what else would you recommend people ask or talk about?
Do you want to lead off with your story about how you got into IB?
How badly did you steamroll this guy during the interview? We're going to need some more color on this.
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?
"Yo thanks for answering some generic questions. Where your bosses at?"
Read my networking overview. You fumbled on this one. You should have taken a more genuine interest in the associate and not been so direct.
Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead
Making Stronger Connections in Informational Interviews (Originally Posted: 08/18/2017)
I'm currently a junior at a non-target, and am working on networking with both alumni and non-alumni (mainly because there seem to be about five people from my school in IB). I've lucky enough to have some people reply to my cold emails that are willing to talk with me on the phone and offer some advice.
I would like to develop good relationships with the people that I do my informational interviews with, so that I can have someone who can go to bat for me in the recruiting process, and to make genuine connections with people in the industry. My problem is that I often have a hard time establishing good connections with my contacts in these phone conversations, and many of them feel too much like one-sided interrogations from me.
What kinds of questions can I ask to engage bankers on an appropriate personal level, without coming off as creepy? I usually try to find some kind of common interest between me and the other person, like shared hobbies or a similar background, but oftentimes this information is not listed in a bio or Linkedin, where it would be easier to find it.
While I realize that not every person I speak with is my "buddy," I want the informational interview to be sincere and worthwhile for both parties. Perhaps I'm socially retarded and missing out on something really obvious, but do you guys have suggestions for this issue?
Probably that you're just asking questions so it's not a conversation. In the end, it's just an informational chat. They won't really go to bat unless they really like you. And one way is just not ask question after question.
Sorry but it's rarely worthwhile for them since they're just looking for people to get their work done.
Informational Meetings (Originally Posted: 06/15/2009)
I'm trying to set up some informational interviews this summer but I work from 9 - 6 Monday through Friday. Are analysts willing to grab a coffee after 7 PM? How about weekends? How long does it usually take to set up an informational interview with Analysts/Associates because I know you guys have a tight schedule.
Either breakfast (8AM-9AM) or drinks on a Friday/Saturday night.
I try to get in the office around 8:30 AM and I'm under 21. Any other ideas?
I set up phone calls during work hours. Just go somewhere you know is quiet and you can get reception. Walk back in 30 mins later and pray that no one noticed.
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.
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Info Interview Advice (Originally Posted: 09/13/2016)
Info interview coming up within the next few days. I helped a customer at work...turns out he's a VP at a PE firm. He mentioned his firm strictly hires from BB. I'm a senior at non-target without a BB internship. To make things worse, I'm not sure what role in finance I want to pursue..
I need advice on how I should go about this interview..aside from the typical questions, how can I possibly benefit the most from this interview? Should I ask to see if he has connections in jobs I'm interested in or connections back on Street?
Bump?
Vice Chairman Informational Chat (Originally Posted: 08/21/2009)
Hi Folks,
I recently sent out an email to a vice chairman of a BB in Europe (I'm in the US) asking to chat and he kindly responded that he'd be available to chat sometime next month. I have networked with MDs, VPs, Associates, Analysts, etc. but I don't think I've ever talked to somebody as high ranking as this guy in my entire life. My question is how do you think I should approach this opportunity. To be perfectly honest, I just wanted to talk to him about what Europe is like, whether he likes it there, and how IB is there compared to back home. However, I really don't want to mess this up and wanted to make sure I leave a good impressions.
I know some of you might be thinking that I'm a "tool" who doesn't know how to talk to people effectively. I just want to make it clear that I'm very comfortable talking with people, but given the importance of this call, I really do need a 100% chance of success. I was also brought up in a lower and then middle class upbringing so I haven't really been at the country clubs socializing with the ultra wealthy. If there is anything that I should definitely do, or not do, please advise and share. Thanks!
Respect them and treat them like any other person.
Odds are he's a normal dude, very few "super wealthy" people have any interest in investment banking. Just talk to him about Europe (if he is originally from the US), ask about what advice he would give a young man/his own son, ask what he thinks contributed to his success. Pretty standard networking approach.
Informational meeting/networking help (Originally Posted: 06/17/2010)
i have a meeting with a MD from an IB N. American market risk special loans/restructuring group. Can someone give me a summary of what they do and what the role is like. also is there anything that would impress someone in this group (ie question to ask or some sort of current event to talk about) any help is appreciated and thanks in advance.
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.
Informational Phonecall with HR (Originally Posted: 10/11/2010)
Hey guys,
I've got an informational call lined up with HR at a BB in the next few days regarding 2011 IBD SA. During the summer I reached out to an alumnus who ended up passing on my resume to HR. What will the tone of the call likely be? What questions should I expect? Will she be directly interviewing me? What types of questions should I ask?
Thanks
I'd also like to know.
Informational = not an interview. Just expect a generic overview of the program, interview process, tasks assigned to SAs etc.
Informational Phone Conversation (Originally Posted: 02/10/2011)
This is my first year looking for a summer analyst position and I have had no luck so far. I have had two good accounting placements and have received exceptional performance reviews. Looking to break into finance/IB/equity research as that is where my interests are.
Thought I had an in at a large firm, but my contact tells me that all summer recruiting has been completed (I know, I'm a little late). However, he did give me the contact info for a 2nd year IB associate (a colleague of his) and suggested I give him a shout. We have organized a phone call - I am taking it as an informational interview.
What questions are appropriate to ask? What should be avoided? Is it wrong to ask him to take a glance at my resume? Do you think he has any influence on hiring?
I realize that I am a little late in the process but am not giving up hope on a summer analyst internship. Any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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.
I got an informational interview tomorrow (Originally Posted: 05/03/2012)
He's a top analyst here in Toronto
I got the following ready tomorrow:
What else should I prepare?
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.
2nd Informational interview? (Originally Posted: 07/16/2012)
Hey guys.. wanted to run this by you and see what you think. So, I contacted an alum about two months ago. We had an informational interview and it went pretty well. He told me to send him my resume, I did and didn't hear from him since. I emailed him this morning just to "check in", and I got a pretty quick response:
"Ah, good to hear. Mkts are crazy. Some good some bad. We can chat later this week if you want. Afternoons are better for me. Say after 2 pm "
What does this mean exactly, is it another info interview or what?
Thanks
Hmmm maybe it's about what to do with your resume? Did you talk specifics in your first interview?
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
y are u freaking out? i dont get it.
It means: you can chat later if you want. afternoons are better for him, say 2pm?
Informational Interviews: Round 2 (Originally Posted: 09/10/2012)
Hey monkeys,
I networked pretty aggressively over the summer, and as a result, have a nice list of contacts that I'd like to stay in touch with as summer analyst recruiting season approaches.
The problem for me is following up: I don't want to follow up without a reason, but I really don't have any questions that I can use as an excuse to get in touch with them.
Take Moelis for example; I've spoken with a few analysts and a few associates at the firm, yet I've learned so much about them on WSO and other sources that I just don't know what follow-up questions I could possibly pose to them.
The last thing I want to do is to reach out to an associate that I had a nice conversation with, and ruin it by asking a stupid question that makes me seem either like an idiot, or like someone who hasn't bothered to do their research before calling.
Surely some of you are going through the same process right now -- any thoughts on the matter?
Any light that could be shed would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance, AFL
plan a trip and meet them in person. that will give you an excuse to talk to them
Informational w/ MD Research (Originally Posted: 01/09/2013)
So I have an informational interview with an Research MD at a local boutique this week. I had originally cold-emailed about possible internship opportunities at the firm and got a response that they weren't looking to hire. I then offered to work unpaid as a sort of trial period and got a reply to give him a call.
I thought the phone conversation would be more of an elevator pitch type deal so that's what I approached it as but I think he had not really glanced at my resume or knew much about my background. I'm a recent grad with a research internship and some work experience at a no name boutique but have no job at the moment. He told me they didn't really have any openings but would be willing to give me advice/speak about my career goals.
How should I approach this? Should I still be trying to pitch myself or just focus on building relationships/asking for referrals?
Thanks in advance.
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.
informational phone calls are awkard, any help (ASAP) (Originally Posted: 02/26/2013)
any tips?
when i meet people in person, things go great
over the phone, its really awkward any tips?
p.s. its starts the awkwardness at the beginning
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.
What to do now - Informational interview today (Originally Posted: 04/17/2013)
So I had an informational interview today, and he referred me to the The Head of Campus Recruiting for the US at his bank.
Should I just e-mail my resume to this person, should I e-mail them for an informational interview? Any advice about this would help!
Thanks for your help in advance!
Send an email titled "Referred by [so and so]" in which you briefly give your elevator pitch and ask to chat on the phone about the position/bank/recruiting process.
informational interview turned interview? (Originally Posted: 10/02/2013)
Does this happen often? I recently contacted a portfolio management associate at a bank and we scheduled a time to talk. When she called me, we ended up being on a conference call and I ended up being straight up interviewed on the phone the position. I was completely not prepared and fumbled. A week later another one of their analysts contacted me asking me to be interviewed (actually asking to be scheduled), but then she took back the email and said she just found out I had already been "screened". Is this normal? Any way I can ask for another chance after that unexpected phone interview?
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
what do you mean by "they already made their decision"?
I've had this happen to me.
As mentioned above, always be in the mindset that you're constantly being interviewed. The best thing to do is to study up.
Yes, you should be ready to be interviewed at any informational interview.
Informational Interview - Meet with a professional (Originally Posted: 11/26/2013)
I have a class assignment in which I have to meet with a professional from the industry I aspire to work in to conduct an informational interview. I was wondering if anybody on here would be willing to help me out? I wish to sit down for around 20-30 minutes and ask a number of questions. I will be in New York this week so any NY monkeys willing to help out that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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.
>class assignment yeah, right
Good luck finding someone ;P
Informational Interview Research (Originally Posted: 09/22/2014)
Hi guys,
I was able to schedule an informational interview on the phone. This is my first of such and I know that I'm supposed to prepare by researching the firm and the current or recent deals. But could somebody shed light on what about the firm and the recent deals I'm supposed to research?
Also, any tips on informational interviews in generally would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
bump
Analyst reaching out for informational discussion (Originally Posted: 12/16/2014)
applied to a SA opportunity via my school's recruiting portal. From the opportunity description it looks like they aren't doing on campus interviews.
An analyst from the firm reached out to me for a very brief informational phone discussion. They never called it an interview. The conversation was extremely short and they didn't ask too many questions. Next steps regarding process were somewhat unclear, but the analyst implied I might be speaking with more senior people later on.
Have any you guys ever experienced anything like this? Was this some sort of pre-interview screening?
It's a phone screen to make sure you're somewhat competent. Good luck.
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