Networking with old friends

I entered college late due to working for a few years before enrolling. I have a couple of friends from middle school (not very close, following each other on instagram and linkedin) who I havent spoken with since then except for like one line of insta dm. They are at places that I want to be in. Any advice on ways to reach out to them without sounding awkward and only reaching out to them for help/referral? Would it be weird to reach out via Instagram DM? (we view each other's story all the time)

3 Comments
 

Do you have any mutuals who you chat with regularly? Getting one of them to raise it might be cleanest.

If not, I'd probably just DM on LinkedIn -- more personal than email, but still acknowledges professional context. You should definitely be more casual than your typical outreach since you all know each other, talk at the same level as you would to a friend

 

Sed quisquam eveniet sed doloribus nihil eius. Adipisci facilis ut illo totam dolor. Laborum voluptatem praesentium autem molestiae.

Minima quo eaque adipisci neque corporis natus ut. Autem pariatur nihil eum quibusdam reprehenderit sint reprehenderit. In voluptates molestiae corporis quidem qui quia vitae.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 11 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • 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

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...”