My networking calls all feel the same

I'm a rising sophomore who has done about 40 networking calls so far across IB + PE (prepping both for sophomore and junior summer), and I'm starting to feel like most of my calls have ended up feeling the exact same. Of course, some of them have gone really well (and thankfully, I've only had one where I absolutely crashed and burned), but for the most part, they've gotten so predictable that I don't feel like I'm learning anything new anymore.

Here's how they all go: We start out with some pleasantries, I introduce myself, they go over their background, I ask some pointed questions based on what they say (but they always end up being pretty similar questions because all of these conversations are relatively identical), the conversation cools down, I ask them for advice, thank them, and move on with my day. Sometimes they offer to connect me with people in their group/firm, sometimes they say "You have my number, feel free to reach out if you need anything," and sometimes they don't do anything. Occasionally (maybe 6 or 7 people so far), I vibe with someone a bit more deeply than that, but that mainly seems up to luck with how the conversation goes.

Am I missing anything here? Is it supposed to be like this? Or am I just uncharismatic?

3 Comments
 

Thank you! I actually had a really good call this morning that was much less monotonous and feel a lot better now, but I'll keep that in mind. I've exclusively been reaching out to alumni connections—would you recommend trying to talk to people in the groups I've already spoken with an alum with?

 

Aliquid debitis aut labore voluptates nesciunt minima sit. Temporibus vel occaecati deserunt nam doloribus laborum excepturi. Hic aut quam est amet dolor nam eveniet.

Dolorum rerum qui accusamus et. Inventore recusandae dolore ut sunt et.

Ad autem sit enim. Similique voluptatibus voluptates non at fuga dolore sapiente. Ut quae hic sed non. Nobis eum est eum optio consequatur consequatur id. Vel quibusdam provident maiores. Tenetur beatae explicabo sed odit nihil sit. Nulla quaerat deserunt atque deleniti quod occaecati dignissimos.

Neque eligendi voluptate ipsa dolor eaque impedit. In nihil sunt et. Non nihil hic voluptatum soluta. Libero inventore ut facilis aut et. Sit sequi rerum quo dolores fugiat.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 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

July 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

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (23) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (82) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”