Networking in London
What are the opinions on networking in London? Seems as though the general response to cold emailing for a coffee chat is not well received. Someone even threatened to report me to HR for literally just sending a cold email. Is networking even worth it in the UK or is it just a waste of time?
From my experience I'd say yes it's worthwhile but with some nuance.
Cold emailing/networking with no prior introduction certainly less so from my own experience, however if there is an intro/that person is alumni of your uni etc, I've found people are generally pretty happy to.
Other major point is the impact/result. Again from my experience, despite having built up pretty robust networks across BBs at very senior level it didn't help that much in internship processes. Lateral processes further down the line certainly more so, but just worth bearing in mind recruitment is largely HR driven at entry level (versus US where has far more influence)
Interested to hear thoughts/others' experiences
Yeah i’ve been targeting uni alums but the only response I’ve had wasn’t particularly nice. Heard for the EBs it may be worth it. Generally if it helps to reduce the luck a bit then i’ll do it but so far it only seems to be detrimental 😭
Obviously unfortunate scenario but I would caution reading too much into that on such a small sample size. Typically people are willing to try help where they can & pay it back, given they've likely been in the same boat many years ago.
Be mindful though that these people often get tons of outreach. No response isn't personal to you, but give yourself the best chance by being polite, to the point and unique/interesting where possible.
Gl!
Ngl If you're generally getting a very negative response rather than no response at all, there must be something in your message. Most of my peers would only respond to a cold email on whim if we want to help (it does not actually directly help your chances that much whether we talk to you or not, but may contribute to better knowledge levels or something). If we don't want to talk to you, we'll just ignore you. Unless you outright offended me, I'm not going out of my way to report you to HR lol. There's nothing against students reaching out.
That said, even if I did connect with you, absolutely no way am I doing it in person just from a logistical standpoint. Nobody has time for that.
Unsure what it could be in my email considering it is just a simple email asking for a call/coffee chat with a bit of fluff. Hardly asking them to give me a job or something
What is your email template..?
Yeah I don't mean to say you're intentionally doing anything. But if this is a consistent response (and not just 1-2 individuals) then yknow, it must be *something* causing that reaction.
it depends... the weirdest situation I encountered as a lateral applicant was applying to a certain bank and then sending a cold email to team member two days later... that was a polite email asking to connect to learn more about a group which is small and I initially had problems with finding any members. Anyway, that person apparently reported me to HR as two hours (!) later I got rejected from that position and kind of blocked in their system. The person I sent a cold email to was a woman if that matters
it depends... the weirdest situation I encountered as a lateral applicant was applying to a certain bank and then sending a cold email to team member two days later... that was a polite email asking to connect to learn more about a group which is small and I initially had problems with finding any members. Anyway, that person apparently reported me to HR as two hours (!) later I got rejected from that position and kind of blocked in their system. The person I sent a cold email to was a woman if that matters
Networking in the sense of getting interview from having a call with someone has proven pretty ineffective unless we are talking 30 people boutiques, kinda makes sense tbh because why would anyone recommand someone they don't know (30 min chat does not qualify as knowing). RTH/LAZ are a bit of an exception as they are nepo-heavy and it is known that most of the non-diversity spots are taken (arguably less true for London than Europe).
On average, and from discussions I had with peers who were full networking to get their internship, sending email is weirdly more effective to get interviews than taking the time to call.
The most efficient thing outside of just applying on the website is actual networking event organised by the student unions from your uni or others. For example, GBL recruits almost all of their interns from their annual networking dinner. But you obviously have to qualify.
Don't underestimate firms less known by students because some are actually very strong names within the industry (think Zaoui, Fenchurch, Robey Warshaw, etc.)
If you are not from the UK, I would advise aiming for people from your country rather than alumni. I think "networking call" in the UK/Europe should be mostly targetted at getting info about the firm and the process rather than getting your CV passed through so contacting current/former interns can be a good use of time as they are usually more free and reachable.
Caveat if you have highly relevant experience with great exposure/you are targeting to a very specific place and are able to highlight what makes them different, then email directly to mid-senior / senior to ask directly about internship opportunities has been efficient from my experience.
The fact that you got threatened for sending email might be because some banks specifically ask not to contact the team (Centerview for example, I think Greenhill too). If you tried with these banks, then it's on you.
Really helpful thank you! I'm getting the general vibe from people that it's a bit of a waste of time then?
Dicta quis fugit aliquid architecto suscipit occaecati veritatis. Enim qui cum sit maiores quasi sed. Nihil tenetur assumenda facilis modi. Magnam quisquam error praesentium dignissimos. Excepturi ut fugiat suscipit sunt debitis illum ad.
Aliquam expedita quo non omnis. Dolore non perferendis aut ex. Porro occaecati et sint consequatur. Molestias qui aperiam repellendus et qui est aut. Quia eos dolor et et inventore maiores. Deserunt voluptatem recusandae explicabo optio id sit.
Pariatur illum vel accusamus ut. Sunt quasi saepe a vitae omnis aut. Suscipit et omnis eveniet. Error illum non aut. Dolor suscipit praesentium corporis sed repudiandae fugiat. Mollitia ut qui non. Ipsa quis deleniti laborum recusandae.
Fugit rem unde eaque inventore aperiam provident vero delectus. Voluptatem accusamus reiciendis soluta in iusto et esse. Labore repellendus dolorum fuga hic ducimus.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...