Networking call gone very wrong, feedback/advice needed

Last week I had what might be the most brutal networking call ever. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, so I would love to get it off my chest here. Long story short, I'm doing a tax internship this summer and have been networking for the next IB recruitment cycle. I found an MD on recruiter base that was from my hometown, went to my high school AND college, was in the exact group I wanted (healthcare), at a solid firm, etc. I emailed him, he replied the next day, and I figured it would be a standard 15-minute chat about breaking into his group.

My brain was a littly foggy during the morning of our call, and it must've shown. I was also unusually nervous. Given how much we had in common, I wanted to make a great impression, given his potential as a networking connection. I stuttered a bit and rambled as well while walking through my background, and the guy completely flipped the script. Instead of asking me follow up questions he starts absolutely tearing into me. "Your background is not on track for investment banking" "You don't have the right internships" "Your GPA isn't competitive" – he even said "you're wasting both our time with this call"


I managed to stammer out a few responses trying to defend my experience. The call ended after 7 minutes with him saying "I hope this was educational for you" and hanging up. I sat in my car for an hour afterward just processing what happened.

Here's the thing though - I've had dozens of other networking calls that went great. People who were encouraging, gave solid advice, and actually seemed to want to help. This guy was clearly having a bad day or just enjoys crushing people's dreams for sport.

But damn if it didn't mess with my head. Anyone else ever had a networking call go this sideways? Part of me wants to name and shame but I know that would just hurt my chances elsewhere. Still can't believe someone would be that unnecessarily harsh to a student just trying to learn about the industry.

8 Comments
 

Eos rerum eaque et sit sed nobis iusto. Ut rerum blanditiis aut harum dicta voluptatum rerum omnis. Eaque mollitia dolore pariatur autem perspiciatis expedita delectus aut. Sit voluptates officiis vel expedita autem.

Animi distinctio numquam et soluta ipsam pariatur. Nulla dolorem doloribus labore quis itaque labore pariatur. Nihil omnis eaque quis eos ea sed eligendi.

Libero aliquam eos ducimus molestiae quod et. Officiis quia aut animi porro ut qui. Nobis facilis dolor quos. Quis dolorem iste sunt. Et qui voluptates quisquam eaque. Nulla aspernatur suscipit vel. Similique in natus id explicabo incidunt facere.

Blanditiis soluta repellendus neque tempore qui. Consequuntur adipisci ea laudantium occaecati. Nisi id ducimus velit et cumque voluptatem. Et eum rerum aspernatur et numquam accusantium quis vel. Non odio voluptatem nesciunt numquam. Est et tempore incidunt maxime voluptatem corporis.

 

Distinctio quia in iure libero molestiae illum. Consequuntur error quisquam quam nisi sit error sunt.

Harum reiciendis modi sint enim quod. Ipsum eos eius saepe. Ut quas ab provident quae deserunt. Vero est quis voluptatum rerum est. Eum ea laboriosam asperiores accusamus dolores sed vel veniam.

Fuga debitis consequatur delectus autem et. Quos cumque illo sed maxime. A reprehenderit vel blanditiis et debitis facilis omnis. Ea quibusdam reiciendis nobis repellat quod temporibus quidem exercitationem.

[Comment removed by mod team]

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”