Networking is over-rated/not-need for finding corporate jobs. My experience!

In my experience, networking is totally over-rated when you are looking for jobs.

I got my first job out of college through OCR, but the next two, including my current one, I simply got through applying online on the company's website.

I did network, but it didn't really lead to much. (Perhaps because I went to a no name school and didnt really have much of a network. Maybe the case is different if you went to a better school).

 
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Depends on where you aim. I.e. I’ve never gotten a job or interview through networking, and these include buyside and sellside roles from BB to boutique.

On the other hand, my girlfriend has gotten the vast majority of her jobs (internships only so far) by networking. She’s in law school and got a warm introduction to a vc law firm by one of their clients, so that’s pretty much guaranteed an interview considering the introduction call they’ve done already.

My guess is that at the ultra competitive levels, networking matters. And people want to and will bat for applicants that show the right qualities. My girlfriend had a 3.95 at a semi-target in undergrad and interned at a law firm before starting law school. She has a good story and the numbers to back it up. I on the other hand wanted to coast through college and get a decent enough gpa to let my resume pass the screen and my interviewing/work experience get me the job. That and I was lazy as hell in college.

The fact is that there are plenty of finance and investment jobs. And some but not all are super competitive and require networking. But how many people are actually networking with the hiring managers? And getting them to pull for you? Most analysts and associates that are willing to talk to you, don’t have that much power.

 

She will. Big law pays 200k I think. Her prorated intern pay + potential return bonus at the law firm is on par with my current all in comp. Maybe she’s like 5k or so less depending on the performance part of my bonus. But her Cost of living is higher, so if you factor that in, her prorated intern pay is probably like 15-20k less than mine. Still dam good money though for an intern. I’m an equity research associate and wouldn’t trade it for a job as a lawyer, even if it paid more.

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