2026 IBD Summer Analyst Recruiting Tips
Been getting lots of networking emails from students looking for SA positions. Just wanted to give a few tips that really make candidates stand out and some things to avoid. For context, I'm a first year analyst at a MM coverage group (think Houlihan/Blair/Harris Williams). Obviously this is just my opinion, but I'm sure a lot of bankers would agree with the below:
1.) Stop sending long networking emails that cannot be digested in 5 seconds
- Your emails should be extremely concise and easy for us to read. Don't send me an email that is long and gives a drawn out explanation of all your experiences and why you're interested in the group. We don't have time to read this. Here is an example of a great networking email that I received:
Hi Banker,
My name is Candidate and I am a Sophomore at University. This past summer I interned at Firm and gained exposure to Industry. I'd love to continue learning about the industry and connect about your experience at Bank.
Upcoming Availability:
11/21, xxxx
11/25, xxxx
11/26, xxxx
11/27, xxxx
Let me know what time works best for you. I look forward to speaking. Thanks!
Best,
Candidate
2.) Rehearse your answers and be very polished
- The more you practice out loud, even to yourself or your roomates, the more polished your story will sound. Try to eliminate stutters, talking really fast, rambling. This makes a massive difference when talking on the phone with bankers
3.) Know as much as you can about the bank
- Too many times kids are on the phone with us and saying they are really intrigued by IPOs, M&A, DCFs. Yes that is all great, but my group doesn't touch any capital markets or anything public, we just do private company M&A. So your answer pretty much makes no sense? In short, know what the person you're talking to does. And if you don't know, ask or do some research before hand
- Some good questions to ask yourself before you talk a banker:
- What do they actually do? If they're at a bulge bracket, they probably are doing a fair amount of capital markets mixed in with M&A
- Does this group outsource their M&A to another group? (think Wells Fargo, BofA)
- Does this group split up their coverage groups into more niche coverage groups? (ie. Healthcare broken up into Biotech, HCIT, Services)
- Don't say you're interested in something that that banker doesn't do, otherwise why are you even talking to them?
3.) Stop naming your resume weird. Should literally just be "Last Name, First Name.pdf"
Yes I know I rambled here but hopefully some of this was helpful. Would love to hear other bankers thoughts below
i understand why some bankers would prefer short and concise emails.
but from what I've heard, there's other bankers who would be more willing to respond to you if you actually spent the time personalizing your emails instead of copying and pasting the same email to 5 ppl
Just stick to the short one. More scalable. The biggest factor why someone responds to your email is just how busy we are when we saw it. Most ppl get that it is just part of the recruiting game and no one is tryna find a mentee in these calls.
Yeah stick to short. People who want a custom / lengthy email from a college student aren’t worth speaking to anyway.
Thank you for writing this. What if I don't have a finance internship during freshman summer? Can I substitute the prior experience with a finance project instead? Also, how many networking chats should I aim for per bank/location to get a first round?
“And I’m a part of X finance club on campus where I’ve become interested in the industry”
As to ur second question it purely comes down to the amount of alumni there are at the bank.
- two examples from my experience:
1) BB bank with 20+ alumni- ur only going to get pushed to super day if you’ve spoken with at least half and have a decent chat with someone senior
2) EB with like 2 alumni - just spoke to a VP and then got a first round
My point being- the more built out of a network there is at a bank the more u have to dedicate time to talking with everyone
U shld have 1-2 calls a day
Is there still a point in networking with a bank after you secure a first round there?
is it too late to begin networking now?
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