What to ask in an informational interview as a freshman?

Through following the advice I found on this site (and several dead ends), I was able to land an informational interview at a BB. This interview is with an SVP at a group I'm very interested in. Are there any questions that would be good for a freshman in particular, and to that same end, are there any I should avoid at this stage (exit opps obviously)? Thanks!

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First, it would be helpful to 1) understand what you are pursuing/interested in 2) which division the SVP is in.

Having said this, assuming your goal is to get into IBD and the SVP is part of that, ask him questions relevant to the firm (e.g., culture, environment, team, deal flow). You could also ask more vanila questions like what makes a good analyst, how you best position yourself to get into the firm/field. You might wanna close with requesting for other contacts within his/her team that you can reach out to get a better feel for the firm/team.

IF the SVP is not part of the division that you would be interested in, ask more broad questions (some of which I suggested are broad as well) and eventually you want to transition in to expressing how you'd love to connect with other members of the firm in other divisions for the sake of learning.

That's my two cents coming from a non-target and reached out for multiple coffee/phone chats. Hope this helps.

 

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