Am I doing Coffee Chats wrong?

Hello everyone, I have been having a lot of phone calls with Bankers to no avail. I am usually unable to give them the "Tell me about yourself" spiel and demonstrate my interest in the Industry/IB. I thought I would share what I talk about during these calls and gain some feedback.

  • I start by asking them how they're doing/ how they are finding the quarantine to have some small talk.
  • After that, I express my intentions with the call by saying "I wanted to know what kind of deals your group commonly works on (eg. Do you see a lot of M&A or Capital raising)"
  • I ask related questions and about how their group is being affected by Covid-19. If I feel like we have covered enough about the Industry, I pivot saying "Thanks for that, I think I have a good understanding of your group's deals can you talk to me about your experience at the bank in terms of its culture." Up till this point would probably end up being ~15 out a 30-minute conversation.
  • I then follow up with more about their experience and their favourite part of the job etc.
  • Towards the last 5 minutes I ask how I can position myself better for recruitment (How much importance is given to your fit vs. technical knowledge, what skills/aptitudes are good to demonstrate in interviews).
  • As I say goodbye, and thank them for their time, I ask if they can connect me to a colleague whose experiences I could learn from. They say they will have to think about it and will let me know or they just give me a name to reach out to.

The conversations don't get personal, and I don't get the chance to show them my interest through which they can feel confident in connecting me to someone else. I would appreciate any advice on how I can make these conversations more personal and give myself a chance to express my passion. Thanks in advance!

2 Comments
 

Laboriosam sint facere molestiae dolore nisi esse facilis et. Eaque est dolores eveniet consectetur qui ex magni. Voluptatem ipsa maxime eaque cumque ullam omnis nemo. Voluptas cum dolorem amet quidem. Est a aliquam magnam molestias consequatur quidem asperiores. Qui minima officiis dolores eos et repudiandae placeat.

Voluptas eos voluptatem nostrum explicabo quae harum. Est laboriosam quibusdam ratione eos assumenda non numquam excepturi. Ex accusamus praesentium sint quae sit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”