Continue to network after securing an SA 2021?

Honestly very bored at home and am not getting much social interaction aside from talking to family. I thought it'd be a good idea to reach out to investment bankers and other finance professionals to see if I could 1) maintain my social skills 2) develop connections while im still in college and 3) gain any tips and insight into others' careers.

For investment bankers in this forum, how would you perceive an incoming IB SA at your firm if you heard they were doing this?

17 Comments
 

Good idea in theory, but in practice networking at the college level is basically only used for recruiting. Anyone who you reach out to will assume you're looking for a FT seat even if you don't explicitly say so.

I'd look into other (covid-friendly) hobbies or even move somewhere fun for the spring semester. You have your whole life to talk finance, don't worry about it at this stage

 

As someone who is looking to network for SA 2022 recruiting, what differentiates someone you talk to that you think would be a good candidate and you vouch for vs someone you talk to and don't help?

For context, I have a boutique internship and a lower MM firm offer for this summer and usually mention this in the call to show interest in IB but transition to personal questions about them or their personal experience at said firm. I feel like  building genuine relationships with people is better than just the usual using them for recruiting. Any advice?

 
Most Helpful

You're on the right track.

I push outstanding candidates with the right quality of resume (even if you don't have direct experience, involvement at school can make up for this - bonus points if you have something interesting on there like a unique hobby or interest) and ease of talking to. Networking calls are good practice at getting comfortable talking to strangers on the phone. If you know you come off as nervous, get some friends to mock interview you to get better. 

Have differentiated questions is one way to stand out, admittedly this can be difficult, but a few examples. I'd rather talk about the typical deal team structure at my bank and the roles/interactions you would have as a junior, how staffing works (client or project based? what would a typical analyst's staffings look like?), formal/informal mentorship and learning opportunities, my thoughts on a recent deal or industry trend, or my hobbies outside of work. The more specific you can be in your questions the better. Have at least 8-10 detailed questions you can pull as needed to keep the conversation going. This is way better than the generic "How is the culture at firm XYZ, What made you choose X bank" that a lot of people lean on.

 

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