Succeeding in this industry as a bit of an awkward guy
Hey guys,
Currently first-year analyst at an EB RX group. I am a very awkward person who is quite poor at public speaking...let's just say that I was dinged for every single interview I had for IBD based on fit alone, and I was taken a chance upon by my current EB because my alumni analysts/associates all pushed for me as the most technical guy from my target.
I am currently enjoying my role and tbh, don't mind staying in it past 2 years. Problem is like I mentioned I am a very awkward person...hearing my senior bankers talk on meetings just make me nervous I will never be like them and I will never have what it takes to get past being an analyst.
Thoughts? My reviews have all been stellar thus far, and none of my associates/VPs have brought this up, but I can't help but feel this is something that will hurt me down the line since nothing I am doing right now necessitates me to be client-facing.
- there are a lot of awkward people in banking, in general. You are not alone and I wouldn't worry too much
- you can learn to understand why your behavior is like this; adapt in certain situations, avoid triggers, develop coping methods, etc
Practice being social. I used to be very introverted, quiet, and a little awkward, but I try and make conversation with everyone I meet. Even if it’s just saying “Hi how are you?” to someone in the elevator...
You learn to talk to people through practice.
I was one of the kids that got hella bad anxiety when doing presentations or god forbid having to talk to strangers. One of the things I like a lot about having gone through ib recruiting has been the networking process for how much it challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and work on my weaknesses. I'm sure many of the MDs that you think are natural-born salesmen were also pimply nerds who couldn't talk without stuttering and, even still, I feel awkward as shit all the fuckin time but I've also seen myself improve a lot. In short, don't worry about it. Social skills are learned more often than they are naturally gifted.
I am naturally fairly socially awkward, and I actually took a campus job calling alumni for donations to work on this. I got way better and am now very good at professional small talk. Obviously too late for this exact response, but the point is find ways to force yourself to engage.
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