Informational Calls: What to say?
Hey WSO,
I'm currently a freshman at a Canadian semi-target for TO IBD. I've been networking for a little over two months now, sending cold emails to alumni and just people in the industry as well. One thing I've noticed is that the first phone call I set up feels a bit forced. There's good chemistry and even if it feels like a straight-forward informational interview (where many times, I'll just hear stuff I've already read on WSO), I can get a good impression of the person on the other end of the call.
The one problem I keep running into is that I'm never really sure what to say at the end of the call, and that I don't know how to follow-up to keep those connections alive. I'm just a freshman, so I know that asking for an internship won't be much help, but then again how do I maintain the connection? And what should I ask for in terms of mentorship, or help from the people I'm reaching out to?
If my new connection hasn’t offered to push my resume by the end of the call, I ask for a referral (i.e. who else might you suggest reaching out to?). From my experience, most people will provide contact info for another alum or someone else at the firm, as long as you’ve made a good impression.
As for maintaining the relationship, update them periodically on your internship search or how your semester finished. Congratulate them if they recently received a promotion or closed a major deal. Wish them happy holidays if it’s that time of year and you have nothing noteworthy to share. Even better, offer to take them out for coffee or lunch if you happen to be in their area and have some time.
Ultimately, if they already spent time speaking about their experience and offering advice, they likely want you to succeed and would be happy to hear that they’ve helped in some way. Try to reciprocate when possible so they feel they’re getting something out of the connection, too.
Edit: originally didn’t answer all questions
ask to be referred to someone responsible for recruiting at your school, ask to see if the guy can push your resume to whomever is responsible for recruiting, ask for the recruiting timeline and if they can look at your resume (obviously frame it better), ask for general recruiting advice on how to break in. all these let the dude know you don't want to be "just friends"
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