Networking Conundrum
Hi, so Ive got a kind of interesting networking situation. A family friend and I were drinking one night when the subject of my future plans came up. I talked a bit about how I would like to get a job in finance and that PE was interesting to me. He suggested that I reach out to his friend who is an MD at a MF. My friend told me that he would reach out to the MD and tell him that he told me to contact him, and that I would at least get a courteous reply due his friendship and the MD's background.
I know it sounds like a great opportunity, but I am just starting school in the fall at a non target after serving a number of years in the military. As a result, this is a networking situation that wouldn't directly pay off for quite a few years. How should I approach the situation in the email? I am kind of at a loss for how to handle it.
Thanks.
What...
Networking situations that won't pay off for a while (eg a number of years) are the best....in that scenario, you get to build a genuine relationship with the person over time and without any time pressure, so a) you can make a friend of the person and b) they get to know you over time and are more inclined to sincerely go to bat for you when the time comes.
Exactly. The best networking is done when neither party is in need of anything at that moment. Also, Wall Street is very interconnected. An MD at a MF will know plenty of people across the street and if he really likes you, he may even be able to put you in touch with others.
As for the email, just mention being interested in finance and thus you're interested in meeting him to learn about his background, etc.
Like the others have said, this is the best kind of networking because you're not making an ask, yet. Try hard to meet this guy in person and keep in touch. Lay out your possible career goals and ask his advice. Try to parlay it into a summer internship at an IB or his fund and network through him to build up your personal network. And through him try to find other former military guys higher up in the business, and they don't have to all be MD"s because remember a VP now could possibly be a principal or higher in 4 years. Ex-military folks tend to want to help each other out more than any other group I've come across so if you can become friendly with a few it'll help you out big time in a few years when you're looking for internships and eventually full time jobs especially because you're at a non-target school.
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