Recruiting has turned networking into a full-time job and it still feels inefficient
I’m in the middle of recruiting right now and networking has honestly taken up more time and energy than interview prep ever did. I’ll spend hours on LinkedIn clicking through profiles, trying to decide who is actually worth reaching out to, then sit there rewriting the same email over and over so it doesn’t sound templated, only to send it off and never hear back.
After doing this hundreds of times, it starts to feel like the process itself is broken rather than me doing something wrong. The hardest part isn’t talking to people once they reply, it’s everything leading up to that point and everything after, like remembering who someone is, why you reached out and whether you ever followed up.
Out of pure frustration, I started thinking about building something that handles the parts everyone seems to hate:
- You upload your LinkedIn connections
- You pick the firms you’re targeting
- It shows you who you’re already connected to at each firm, ranked by how real the connection actually is
- You click a name and it drafts an outreach email that references your actual overlap instead of generic lines
- After a coffee chat, you drop in your notes and it writes a thank you email so you’re not rewriting the same thing again
I’m also thinking about adding email lookup because chasing down addresses feels like a separate mini job.
Before I go build this, I want to know if this frustration is shared or if I’m just overreacting. Have other people gone through recruiting, sent a huge number of emails, and still felt like networking is way more manual than it should be and would you actually use something like this or is this just part of the grind?
Networking during recruiting can indeed feel like a full-time job, and your frustrations are widely shared across the finance community. Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are some insights and advice:
Your Frustration is Valid: Many users on WSO have echoed similar sentiments about the inefficiency of networking. The manual effort of finding connections, crafting personalized emails, and tracking follow-ups can be overwhelming. It's not just you—this is a common pain point.
Automation Tools Could Be a Game-Changer: The tool you're envisioning addresses several key inefficiencies:
Networking is About Quality, Not Just Quantity: While volume matters, WSO threads emphasize the importance of meaningful connections. A tool like yours could help users focus on building genuine relationships rather than just sending out mass emails.
Existing Tools and Gaps: There are tools like LinkedIn Premium, CRM systems, and email automation platforms, but they don’t fully address the specific needs of finance recruiting. Your idea seems to fill a niche by combining these functionalities into a single, targeted solution.
Would People Use It?: Absolutely. Many WSO users have expressed frustration with the manual nature of networking. A tool that simplifies and personalizes the process would likely gain traction, especially among students and early-career professionals who are juggling networking with other responsibilities.
Networking is Still a Grind: Even with tools, networking will always require effort. However, by automating the repetitive and administrative tasks, you can free up time and energy to focus on the most important part—building authentic relationships.
If you decide to build this, consider testing it with a small group of users to refine the features and ensure it truly addresses their pain points. The finance community is always looking for ways to make the recruiting process more efficient, and your idea could be a valuable contribution.
Sources: Recruiting is straightforward?, Networking is over-rated/not-need for finding corporate jobs. My experience!, Black Jack's Recruiting Advice, How to Network and Tips on Networking, (Mis)adventures in PE fundraising (part 2)
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