Searched the forums and couldn't find anything on this. If you're trying to network your way into an internship or just trying to learn more about the industry, what level banker is it good to network with? What level banker's word has enough clout to help you get an internship?
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To get an internship right away - need a family member connection or your dad is a client.
If you want to get an interview? You can connect with anyone in the firm from the analyst to the MD. If you have good success connecting with the MD then ur chances are high, especially in boutiques.
For BBs recruiting is more formalized so everyone's word plays a factor so do well in all your interviews.
Ya true. Analyst can probably only help you pull your résumé but that is more than enough to get an interview and that's what kids on these sites should aim for and stop dreaming that you can get a job right away cause u had a 5 min convo with an MD.
Anything above an analyst. Associates and VPs are the easiest to reach to. MDs might be harder to reach to but they have the most to say when it comes to internships. Try all alumni from your school via LinkedIn.
Anyone and everyone is fair game in the process. You never know who's in charge of what or whose opinion is more valuable than others. Sure it might be an analyst, but if he or she does awesome work and is a 'star' then they might have the ear of an Associate or VP that values their opinion in some cases. Conversely, you could get to talk to the head of an entire coverage group, but they're not 'on the ground' w/ the ones running the recruiting process your reference could get lost in the sauce. Every single contact you make is useful whether they can directly impact your recruiting process or not. You can pick up 'soundbites' that are unique to the bank, get some cultural insight, or at least be able to drop a name later in the process. No sense in targeting, talk to everyone.
This. Some firms, especially boutiques hav 1 or no associates so dont be surprised that the analyst might be running the recruiting and hav alot of say. So talk to everyone
Analysts really can't do much. I recently spoke to an alum who's an analyst for GSAM and she flat out told me that she couldn't do anything to help me get an interview other than mention my name in passing to an MD or someone.
I've gotten all my interviews through cold e-mailing VPs+.
I've heard of people cold emailing people about positions, but what all do you say other than abruptly coming out and saying hey I'm looking for a job, do you have any?
I've tried that approach (different wording of course) and if I ever get a reply it's always a standard generic we aren't hiring right now even if I went to their careers site and saw that they were.
Yes, just as everyone has already said.. The higher up the more pull they have but the less likely they will have time for you.
Depends on the firm, analysts have a lot of power at some boutiques. Can't hurt to talk to as many people as you can.
There seem to be a few people who are discounting how much pull an analyst can have in the recruiting process (both BBs and boutiques).
Obviously, if you somehow become BFFs with some MD you cold-called, that's great, but also rather unlikely. Granted, most analysts will not have much influence, but you should target the ones who you meet at company presentations, especially the analysts who seem to have more recruiting responsibility (e.g. on Q&A panels / present at multiple company events / etc.)
Those analysts will have the ear of HR / grad recruitment, and may also be involved in other stages of the process such as CV screening / preparation of case study materials / first round interviews. Thus, they can be fairly valuable to your recruiting efforts.
Lastly, analysts may be easier to reach out to, given that they were recently in the same position as you.
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