titile says it all, I am recruiting for SA23 and I have struggled a lot with connecting with people. i don't think i am arrogant or mean at all, I am just an introvert. It's really hard for me to connect with people over call in like 20 mins and I don't watch sports, am not a frat kid(i wish I was at this point) and I really don't know how to connect with them?
I would really appreciate help or advice!
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My best advice for introverts is to get the other person to start talking about themselves. Have 2 thought out questions that get them going about their careers or whatever. 30 min later they have the feeling it was a great convo but really all you’ve been doing is listening and chiming in. People love to hear themselves talk.
This is really solid advice. I was very similar to OP, non-frat star who didnt watch sports (I was a little awkward and closed off). I ended up going through about 50-100 informational interviews. Many flopped and it was hard to really create the connection, but hopefully you can connect on something (good sense of humor, similar major, maybe you guys even vacation in the same areas). I would recommend asking them about themselves, but in a way that is interesting to you. Maybe something along the lines of, "Oh you went to school in Colorado, I love it out there. Do you head back for ski trips?" Sometimes I just straight up ask them what they do for fun. Many people work a lot so dont be surprised if they say generic and boring shit like "hang out with friends" and "watch [insert relevant sports team here]", but just keep at it.
Informational interviews suck if you dont establish a connection, so after you hit your generic questions try to get to know the interviewee asap. That way if you hit it off, you have more time to establish a connection without crossing the 30 min threshold, and if you dont, you can wrap the call early.
Yeah I agree. People in finance love nothing more than chatting aboht themselves. Learn to ask good questions and how to lead a conversation.
You do 10% talking, they do 90%. Win win.
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