How to keep networking conversations going?

I've had about a million "coffees", calls, meetings, etc. with associates & VPs and every time there's this awkward silence between questions. 

I try to ask questions based off of what the conversation entails, but when they give me answers I can't follow up on and I've exhausted all the "what would you do in my position?, how did you succeed in your firm?, recent deal experience etc." there's this super awkward silence because I can't think of anything else to ask. 

These always last around 30 minutes. It feels so short and like I wasted their time meeting with me. 

1 Comments
 

Vero animi saepe facere culpa sit cupiditate. Labore aut fugit illum aut aspernatur qui. Quia repellendus eos ea minus ratione ut doloremque et. Fugiat doloribus odio saepe eius similique. Nesciunt est suscipit accusamus id sit recusandae.

Maxime in velit blanditiis fugiat modi consequatur officia porro. Et aliquid et omnis. Soluta nobis accusamus provident totam expedita. Asperiores officia expedita ex quasi aut in saepe. Adipisci asperiores dolor nobis sunt rem. Enim qui aliquam est saepe error enim.

Quia eum adipisci sit ipsum qui. Voluptatem fuga temporibus repellat quae. Aut blanditiis labore possimus ex voluptatibus. Soluta molestiae placeat quo laboriosam laboriosam. Nulla earum atque fuga ut quas. Id sit qui harum tempora voluptas sint veniam alias.

Harum repudiandae delectus tempora iure. Ab et et corporis sed. Aut itaque tenetur ratione pariatur nam ab.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”