Response Rate for non-alumni has been close to 0 for me (1/50 responses). I've been trying to tailor emails by talking about similar interests or backgrounds but it hasn't been working well. Curious to know how others have gotten non-alumn to respond.
| +433 | Is UBS really that bad? | 77 | 9h |
| +265 | Investment Banking is Divine | 40 | 2d |
| +219 | Another $115bn Mega deal for these banks. Congrats! | 46 | 16h |
| +216 | US 2027 SA IB worried about background check | 53 | 2d |
| +75 | Useless associates | 15 | 28m |
| +73 | Which Offer to Accept: UBS Analyst Role or Part Time Cashier at the Local Taco Bell | 19 | 2m |
| +61 | Roku-Fox Deal - UBS Misses Out on yet another deals after years chasing this deal | 10 | 3h |
| +52 | Differences in Restructuring Teams? | 24 | 12h |
| +44 | FIG Pigeonholes you - is it true? | 15 | 1h |
| +41 | Is Houston SA 28 recruiting already over? | 34 | 2d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
I’ve had the exact opposite. I had tailored emails for alumni and other connections with 0% response rate. I made a very basic/boiler plate email for cold emails and have had a decent response rate. My cold email is 3-4 sentences, direct and to the point.
Thanks for the reply, that's an interesting take and I'll try that out to see how it works, appreciate it.
When I ran out of alumni, I started contacting people with the same first name as me. I had a noticeably higher hit-rate when doing this.
The trick here is to not mention that you have the same name since it would be a little weird in your intro.
It's all about the reason for the outreach.
I'm at a HF and I get non-alum random emails via linkedin often. When I get a cut and paste email from a college kid or junior analyst 'asking for generic advice' I just push them off. When it's super generic I feel like I won't have anything to add and it will be a waste of time on both sides. If I was at a bank it would probably be different, but we barely hire MBAs let alone pre-MBAs.
When it's a specific outreach, I reply. This includes ppl w/ a few years of IB who have specific buyside questions. I've also had ppl on WSO send me messages for advice and they have been total class acts with detailed good questions (What do you think about this fund? This grad school?, etc...). You'd be amazed how small the HF world is, even small funds. I'm always happy to help where I can.
It's just the random emails from sophomores on Linkedin for generic advice to move their career forward that I just don't get.
Blanditiis nesciunt reprehenderit eum vero et deleniti. Quae architecto qui natus et voluptatibus voluptas facere. Illo porro esse quasi sit ut molestiae enim. Et ipsa possimus eos. Consectetur qui aspernatur sit blanditiis.
Sit labore dolorem nostrum nihil tempora similique. Id id nam tempore esse. Ipsam quia qui voluptates dolorem quos. Dolores quod rerum dolorem in incidunt.
Exercitationem dolores animi tempora aut rerum qui. Voluptas et commodi a eos. Quis doloremque provident incidunt. Necessitatibus numquam aut repellendus et. Est doloribus rerum qui officiis sunt similique.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...