How to Email Alums Asking for a Summer Internship
I am a sophomore at midwestern target (think UChicago, Northwestern, Michigan) and I am trying to find an internship for this summer. I have had experience working for a media/research firm covering a small segment of the IB industry, I am in charge of the school's finance club, and I am set to begin working at Goldman Sachs Asset Management this spring, however I have gotten absolutely no where in my search for a summer job.
Its getting pretty late in the season and I am starting to get worried, so I thought I would email alums working at boutiques banks, HF's, and PE groups in NYC. All I really care about getting this summer is strong work (preferably technical) experience, and I would like to extend my network, making money isn't my main priority. Heres my problem, how do I send this email without A. coming off like a dick by directly asking for a job and B. without sounding overly desperate by offering my services for free.
Right now I have put together a template where I quickly run through my career goals, highlight the fact that I will be working with GSAM this spring and mention that I have strong involvement on campus. But where should I go from there? How would you like someone in my position to approach you?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
obviously you go to michigan because a simple game of "which one of these things is not like the other" will narrow that list of schools down real fast.
this topic has been beaten to death on this forum. a simple search would turn up the answers you are seeking.
bottom line, don't be a tool. send an email and ask grads for their advice about making the transition into ______ (whatever you want to do). they know why you're really reaching out and if you don't come off as a complete dip shit (which is unlikely) then they will propell you through the process at their firm.
Ross or regular Umich?
I actually don't go to Michigan, I don't even know why I included it in there. But after disclosing that, its probably not hard to figure out where I go.
Also, I've been reading this site for months and just now made the account because I couldn't find good enough answers to this question.
I think I have the don't be a tool part down though, and I will work on incorporating that advice into the email, thanks.
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What if there are a lot of alums out there? Should you spam them all?
Only if you're prepared to handle replying to all of them. If you contact an alum and they ask to chat, you better be able to do so within 48 hours or they'll assume you're not serious. If you email 200 alums, you better set up a database to track correspondence.
The OP obviously goes to Northwestern, as no self respecting Chicago kid would compare his school to Northwestern or Michigan
As to how to approach them, go with something like:
Hi John,
I'm an undergraduate at Northwestern, and found your information on our alumni database. I am interested in beginning a career in financial services, and noticed you work for Merrill Lynch. I was hoping I could talk with you for a couple minutes about how you got in to the field, and how you would suggest a current student go about doing so, particularly in this economic climate. I was lucky enough to secure a spring internship with Goldman Sachs, and am now starting my search for a summer internship. At this point I am focused on getting as much experience as possible, so was hoping you might be able to give me some advice on where you would suggest I look for interesting opportunities to gain more experience in the industry. Thank you, I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Best regards, Tom
I've found the word "experience" is a good code word for making the thought of unpaid work (for credit, unpaid is illegal) salient. Obviously modify to fit your circumstance, but keep it simple, to the point, and flattering. Don't pretend to find their work fascinating if you don't; if they work in PWM and you want to go IBD, they'll recognize you don't have any interest in their job, but if you are upfront about what you do want they may pass you on to contacts who will help you.
If you wanted to build a relationship earlier (before you actually need a summer job), how should you begin?
don't write more than 3 or 4 sentences. when a banker gets an email that is longer than 1 blackberry screen then they close it and intend to read it later. but it gets burried under other emails and gets forgotten.
if you write a short email they can read quickly then you will get a response telling you to call them sometime. that's what you want.
don't write a novel which is what it sounds like you're about to do, talking about your background and all that crap. they don't care.
its this easy: "i'm person X, i am a current student at Y, and I am interseted in making the transition into banking. I would like to speak to you for a few minutes one day to see if you have any advice based on your experiences."
actually... now that i read the previous responses more carefully... drexelalum's email is perfect... use it.
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