This summer I will be working as an analyst for a hedge fun in Stamford, and would like to do some networking as well during my time on the east coast. I am a finance major at a Big Ten school with a 3.6ish GPA, and am a varsity student athlete as well. I am most interested in prop trading but think I would do well in IBD also.
I am in search of some advice on the how to best take advantage of my opportunity and to network to put myself in a solid position to get a full time offer come fall semester. I will be pretty busy during the week, but should have a good amount of free time on the weekends to go into NYC. Thanks in advance.
I'm recruiting for next summer too so not some wise old guy. But the way to go is just look for alum at every bank and reach out to them. I'm doing the same thing on LinkedIn. You being a varsity athlete definitely should help you out in getting some people interested.
How do you start conversations with alums usually? On LinkedIn i think it seems too much like I am trying to use them for something.
From my experience, try not to use LinkedIn for the messaging. Use LinkedIn to find the person's name and company, then permutate out the email using that (you can find company email structure online). Email is more professional and you have a higher chance of someone actually responding to it. Just simply be frank and ask for career advice or just to grab some coffee, just not too forceful. Also do not forget to follow up once or twice in the next 2 weeks to 1 month if there is no response (people are busy).
There are many different ways to network, but this is the way that worked best for me and many others that I know.
You really can't do any networking on weekends, since bankers will either be working or (if they're not working) enjoying their free time away from work. If you're going to be working full time in Stamford, then your best bet is going to be setting up networking phone calls first thing in the morning, in the evenings, or during any downtime you might have. If you're in New York for a few days before or after your internship, you can use this time to set up in-person meetings (on weekdays).
I echo what pumpkinNYC shared but you also need to keep in mind that you don't want the firm your interning for to catch wind that you're trying to network around. You need them to think that you are 100% on board. So be paranoid about them listening to you if you are calling people in the office (you shouldn't) and don't email from your company account.
The yachting scene is the venue for networking in the Stamford/Greenwich area. Make friends ASAP with someone who has a boat. Indian Harbor Yacht Club, to name one, is a very good club and a paradise for finance networking. It's also a hangout for plenty of bored wives who might enjoy meeting a Big 10 varsity athlete.
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