I'm traveling to a city about 5 hours from where I'm located for networking purposes. 6 investment bankers have agreed to meet with me on Thursday and Friday for informational interviews. Logistically, the trip is gonna suck. I don't exactly have the finances for this trip, so I'm sleeping in my car for the weekend. As of now, I'm planning to shower at rest stops or something similar. To me, its worth it though.
Regardless of what they relate to, do you have any tips for the trip? Whether its related to the actual coffee meetings or the trip itself, any tips are appreciated. This is my first trip like this.
Dress right: usually a full suit + tie, but you could maybe lose the tie if you've already met with someone or have had a strong relationship for a while
Be on time: make sure to leave enough time between appointments to get to the next one a good 5-10 minutes early, just in case. I usually send a brief email a couple minutes before the scheduled time, but you have to be careful not to seem too pushy.
They'll probably offer to get you something, so don't order anything crazy. I always just get a black coffee or tea.
Might sound dumb, but take every chance you can to take a piss. If you're going to be having 5 or 6 coffees in a day, you're going to have to piss a ton. There's nothing worse than being stuck on the subway with 5 minutes until your next appointment with a senior banker, and still feeling like your bladder is about to explode.
Don't get too informal. Some bankers are just super chill, so it's tempting to mirror that. Definitely relax, especially if it's a good conversation, but be professional just like you would in a real interview.
Good luck!
Thank you for the tips, especially the "dress right" tip. I haven't met any of these bankers before, and I was planning to wear business casual.
Two specific questions:
Does geographic location make any difference? For instance, do Chicago bankers dress more formally than Atlanta and Los Angeles bankers?
I plan to directly ask for a summer analyst position at the end of the informational interview. Is there a best practices procedure for this? What is the best way to word this question?
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