How to make networking calls interesting?
Hey guys I'm currently a freshman at a SoCal target interested in breaking into asset management. I've started networking this semester looking for potential freshman/sophomore summer internships. Currently, I have made around 25 calls with alums but I always feel my calls are dry and boring. I was a pretty shy kid back in high school so I don't know too much about making conversations interesting. I just have questions about the company's culture, philosophy on risk management, and stuff like that. I tried to make it a bit engaging with questions asking their hobbies or their time back at my schools but I'm basically firing questions one after another with no transition whatsoever. Is that what networking calls suppose to be? or what do you guys say to make transitions or make the call interesting? any help would be greatly appreciated!
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You're going for AM so this is easier than you think. Learn as much about the markets whoever you're speaking with covers as you can and figure out what big structural issues you want to ask him/her about. That's what's made a lot of my calls incredibly interesting especially as I do more and more of them. You really learn from the different perspectives/ideas of people you talk to in a way that just isn't covered online, and then you can use what you learned on calls after.
I've finished calls with people where it just felt on both ends that we actually touched on incredibly important, fundamental issues, and that has elicited the best connections/responses from people. It shows a type of passion that seems to really come off well for me, and leads to people being happy to talk for 45 min-1hr. Also, you want to be able to come up with questions and thoughts on the spot based on what they're telling you. That's what really makes it feel like a conversation rather than you just rattling off questions. These types of calls frequently lead to people offering to refer you rather than you having to ask that question which eliminates part of the awkwardness. Probably the funniest thing that has happened on so far two calls is people asking if their answers are off the record. Obviously, don't forget the personal, non-work parts of the call as well.
Find as much info on them as possible on Linkedin, Online, etc, and use that to construct genuine and engaging questions about their background, their career path, and their hobbies.
This is huge. Find something in common, use that as the ice breaker, get them talking, then roll into the questions about the job. Also just accept that every call won’t be fantastic. Cast a wide net and you’ll find a few guys you can really ask questions and keep in contact with
This is huge. Find something in common, use that as the ice breaker, get them talking, then roll into the questions about the job. Also just accept that every call won’t be fantastic. Cast a wide net and you’ll find a few guys you can really ask questions and keep in contact with
Really important. Become an excellent, active listener. Most people have a list of questions and are so intent on asking their questions they don't really listen to the answers. Listening gets you engaged. It leads you into a deeper conversation. Ask open ended questions like "Can you tell me about how you started... or what I should be doing to X or... whatever" You can have your list of questions but most will just happen naturally in the conversation if you guide it and listen.
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