Problem with networking?
Maybe this is just me and/or what I'm trying to get into (buyside fixed income research), but I feel like even if I cold network, no one would really want to refer me because they can't attest to my skills and thus don't want to risk their reputation. Or maybe I just don't know how to network effectively... What do you all think? Any advice?
Show them an investment idea. DONE.
At first thought, it’s difficult to understand the concept of a complete stranger referring you for a role, but if you (1) have a strong resume/background and (2) can effectively articulate your story, I bet you’ll find a lot more people willing to help than you might think. I always enter my networking conversations with the mindset of wanting to learn as much about the other person as possible while establishing a strong personal connection, likely through some shared experience, interest, etc. FYI these are a bit generic, but some good questions I’d typically ask include:
As alluded to above, if you can find any commonalities with the person in advance of your networking meeting (e.g., grew up in the same state, played the same sport), I would definitely hone in on that as well to help build rapport during your conversation. Remember, people want to work with people that they like.
One last comment, and full disclosure I have never done this personally, but a few friends of mine have had success sharing samples of their work product (non-confidential of course) during these conversations to help shore up any concerns around their capabilities.
Please feel free to pose any follow-up thoughts/questions, and best of luck!
Thanks so much for your response! I guess I've just been more skeptical and jaded lately because some of my referrals haven't led to any interviews, so it made me wonder if maybe I didn't actually get referred due to them not being able to speak to my skills. The sharing some non-confidential work would be a great idea for this, so I'm going to try it out.
Agreed on trying to connect with people. I usually try to treat the calls as less of an interview and more of trying to get to know them. But now I'm wondering if maybe I haven't sold my background enough? How often would you talk about your own skills and background during a short call?
Happy to help! I am sure that many people, myself included, can empathize with you here. Networking can certainly be a grind - it's often arduous and demotivating when you're constantly faced with ignored emails, calls that seemingly lead to nowhere, etc. They key is to stick with the process - it only takes one person to give you a shot!
You can't always predict how a call will materialize, but you could start with something along the lines of: "Thank you again for taking the time to chat today, I really appreciate it. I'd be happy to kick things off with a quick introduction of myself to help provide some context for today's conversation."
Hope this is helpful!
Yes this is definitely helpful! Hearing so many bad news or nothing at all in the case of ghosting, I appreciate hearing some encouraging words. Thank you again!
You got this. Let me try to explain. We actually need good people, and they are hard to find! So when a contact of mine talks to someone and they tell me they've got someone interesting, I do want to talk to them! But are you good? If you're a college kid, what you can offer is that you're interested, you're enthusiastic, you want to work hard and learn. If you're an experienced hire you might need to demonstrate more what you have to offer. They don't owe you anything, it's about what you can do for them. You see what I'm saying? But buy side fixed income research might not be the easiest entry point. If a role comes up, often it goes to someone internal, or someone experienced, perhaps from the sellside. But I don't know what's on your resume.
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