IBD SA Networking Prior to Group Placement

I go to a target and landed an IBD SA position at a large MM firm last semester. Group placement for the summer is fairly random (I can submit a couple preferences later in the spring), but I'm not sure yet if I'm leaning towards product or coverage.

I'm currently abroad but is there any merit to reaching out to connections I've already made to ask more about group dynamics/specifics? How many different analysts can I reach out to without being a pain? Not quite sure what the protocol is for this or if it'll be seen as a bother.

47 Comments
 

Hey there ! I've always heard mixed feelings regarding reaching out to analysts before the commencing date of the SA. There's people who really like it and there's people who hate it. I would definitely exclude reaching out to lots of analysts, keep the list the short and if possible just reach out to analysts to whom you've spoken to/networked with already.

 

Doesn't the bank sort of help do this for you? I know my bb has a Facebook group and emails and such that go around before training. I think doing anything on your own (especially this early) would be weird tbh, but that's just my opinion. I also wouldn't want to be the first and possibly only person in the group that does it. Low upside, high downside.

 
antifragilityDoesn't the bank sort of help do this for you? I know my bb has a Facebook group and emails and such that go around before training. I think doing anything on your own (especially this early) would be weird tbh, but that's just my opinion. I also wouldn't want to be the first and possibly only person in the group that does it. Low upside, high downside.
My firm hasn't organized anything of the sort as of yet, but it might be because it's still early in the process. What you mentioned is why I'm asking the question - I definitely don't want to be the only person doing this, and for it to be considered weird or annoying.
 
A Fellow Linguist
antifragilityDoesn't the bank sort of help do this for you? I know my bb has a Facebook group and emails and such that go around before training. I think doing anything on your own (especially this early) would be weird tbh, but that's just my opinion. I also wouldn't want to be the first and possibly only person in the group that does it. Low upside, high downside.
My firm hasn't organized anything of the sort as of yet, but it might be because it's still early in the process. What you mentioned is why I'm asking the question - I definitely don't want to be the only person doing this, and for it to be considered weird or annoying.

Yeah I haven't heard anything from my firm but an SA last year told me the bbs do this. I also got asked to fill out a survey and submit a picture and such when I accepted my offer, so I'm fairly sure they will contact you closer to training start date for things like this. Also depends on how small your group is/what your location is. Reaching out to other interns might make more sense at a smaller group or at a regional office than in NY.

 

Do it as early as possible, but don't come off as desperate. It's good to be ahead of the pack before analysts are innundated with cold emails, but make sure you present yourself well..

 

I'd just relax. The bank will probably set up something a month or so down the line once they've finalized the intern class, and you'll get plenty of chances to meet people. (And trust me, once you start during the summer you'll have more than enough time to get to know everyone...)

Exception is if you're networking for a specific group. That's the best way to get your top choice come Sell Day.

 

My SA was generalist so this isn't personal experience, but essentially from what my friends said and what I've read you'll have a sell day of sorts much closer to the internship where you'll network with groups and then rank your preference and groups will do the same I believe - basically a matching process. While others will know more I can only imagine networking in advance with peppe in groups you're especially interested in can only help your chances of getting a group you really want

 

In my case, we didn't have anything arranged but were just asked to put in our preferences online. I asked some people I had met during the interviews what their opinions were on the teams I was interested in, picked a favorite and asked HR to put me in contact with the staffer. Very straightforward though my experience was that very few people actually took the time to do this.

 

You may end up with a sell-day, which is when they bring all their candidates in and there's essentially a matchmaking process. You speak with people from a number of groups, they rank their favorite candidates, the candidates rank their favorite groups, and then decisions are made.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

You may end up with a sell-day, which is when they bring all their candidates in and there's essentially a matchmaking process. You speak with people from a number of groups, they rank their favorite candidates, the candidates rank their favorite groups, and then decisions are made.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

If I dislike it and get a full time offer, should I accept the offer and try to move around the bank or just go look elsewhere? It's not IBD and I don't know if my GPA is strong enough for anyone in IBD to get me, though I did some ibd interviews.

 

Network exactly the same way as before, only this time around it will be much easier given people know you aren't basically trying to harass them for a job as you already have a sa lined up. In most cases they'll be more receptive to speaking to you

 

As MD8 said, if you're in a group already, there isn't much to do except maybe get in touch just before the internship and ask if there is anything you can do to prepare for their group or ask them to send you an old pitch book just to familiarise yourself with the nuances each group has as a far as formatting and layout is concerned.

If you're pooled, might be worth reaching out to your contacts for a phone call/coffee before you start to get their view on different groups.

It's likely that they'll give you a buddy or mentor. I wouldn't necessarily wait till you're through with training week to get in touch. I reached out to my mentor for a coffee during training week to ask about things such as staffing, the review process, offers etc. Did the same thing for my buddy. Except he told me to forget the coffee and said to come in for a quick chat. He then recommended I find my cubicle, log in, set emails up and sort out IT issues, find a headset (you might find yourself typing up investor calls), map the closest printers and find the printing room. In hindsight, this was probably the best piece of advice because on the first day, when people are eager to staff you, it helped to have my shit together. Again, this is rare and it by no means has any bearing on the offer process but it was just my buddy being proactive.

 

Once you get the SA offer, you're on an even playing field WRT full-time offers. That being said, you're at a disadvantage when it comes to group selection coming from a non-target. You'll have a sell-day where you meet with all the groups for a little bit, and then they'll rank you and you'll rank them. Some groups are definitely more difficult to land in, with advantages going to kids who've networked and have alums from their schools in the groups.

 

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