Signs that a Networking Call is Going Well

I literally can never tell when networking calls are going well. I always think they're terrible but I always receive such nice responses to my thank you emails. e.g.

"Don’t hesitate to text me or set up another call if you have any other questions."

"Let me know when you're making the trip to NYC so we can grab a coffee" 


ya'll, I'm so confused. Are they just distracted? What are obvious signs the call is going well? 


LOL i feel like i need to include this piece of info. i created a throwaway to ask q's. I'm a 22 y/o girl in consulting. I'm not a traditional candidate and i'm usually the same age as the bankers i'm talking to. i'm tryna switch into banking and i can not apply thru the normal cycle. 

 

Coming from a prospect... 

- They give you names of people you should get in touch with, without you even asking. 
- They are not eager to get off the phone (I.e. they just keep talking and keep giving you advice, you haven’t said much) 

- You find that you’re not really talking about finance. You’re just connecting with them. They sound like they have a genuine smile on their face. 

- They ask you specific questions and seem to care about the answer. “Are you in X club and have you talked with X yet?” 
- They say, “What can I do to help you//how can I act as a resource to you?” Which is different from “Always happy to act as a resource for people from our school” 

The above is generally from best to worst signs. I’ve found my worst calls are the ones I’m least prepared for, and don’t even feel like following up myself. Everyone is an angel on follow up texts/emails, so don’t read into those. 

 

No one has been actively eager to get off the phone with me. I'm always the one that ends it out of respect for their time. It always ends up being around the hour mark, which I know is a good sign. I offer to hang up and they're like "no, we can continue chatting" But like, they never sound happy when speaking to me. I'm getting such mixed signals. 

can someone tell me what this means lol. please be extremely honest

 

Coming from someone on the other end, if you are chatting with me and we are NOT talking about finance but rather your interests, my interests, whatever, that is a good sign in my book. That means I've most likely OK'd you at least, and find you a chill enough person to actually see myself working with and helping out.

Dayman?
 
Most Helpful

coverage analyst at BB.

I take every networking call that comes my way - it's my way of giving back. I would say 90% of the calls I take, I end the call thinking the kid is a fuckin idiot who thinks racking up networking calls = success. You can tell when the kid keeps asking to get connected with another person either throughout or at the end of the call to "learn more about the group?" What the fuck do you have more to learn? You just asked me all the questions you had in 30 minutes and you couldn't think of any more when I asked. 

Do not ask your stupid cookie cutter questions: "what is the culture like?" "what are your hobbies?" The culture is me getting virtually pegged by my autistic MD and my hobbies include browsing ubereats and passing out. Go fuck yourself.

Ask me which verticals my group specializes in, the senior banker to junior ratio, product strengths, opportunities for cross staffing, etc. - literally anything that is mildly related to my group that you wouldn't be able to find online. It shows you know what banking is and that you're interested in what I'm actually doing as opposed to just networking for the sake of networking. And please for the love of god, know what the fuck you're getting into. If I ask you what got you interested in IB or "what is IB," please have a coherent answer. Don't try to shit out a story that you concocted by trying to string together random moments of your life that somehow aligned towards banking.

My favorite response, "honestly, I didn't know much coming into college, but a lot of upperclassmen do it and I talked to them and it seems like something I would be interested in - and to learn more, I took on X, Y, and Z internships/clubs/orgs."

 

Thank you for taking all the calls, it is very nice of you. Can I ask you a quick follow-up: what's wrong with asking politely for a referral, getting on the phone with someone with a cold email is very hard, and if you think I am smart enough referring can be useful to get an additional perspective. 

Thanks for your comment tho, helpful

 

because you are probably not as smart as you think you are and it's not like people are dying to talk to you. Most people do these calls to get a break from the day and feel good about themselves. You are trying to rack up calls for the sake of racking them up. If you flub the call by stuttering and asking stupid questions and you ask me to talk to more people, then I'm going to say "sure just follow up with me in a week" and then I will ghost you. If you want to talk to someone else after you talk to me, you should have a reason to (ie: you asked a question that I wasn't able to answer or you are curious on a certain vertical that I don't have experience in). 

this is just me - everyone is different.

 

what if i have a stuttering problem due to an accent?

 

Do not listen to this idiot....Jesus Christ what an asshole. I’m an analyst, the whole point of networking calls is so we can give you a bit of guidance when you’re early in your career and trying to figure things out. I try to be as helpful as possible, just don’t be a dick and bring up “models and bottles” or something and you’ll be fine. My parents were poor, I know the struggle, just keep your head up and keep grinding 

 

i am poor too never seen above 50k, i was wondering does it actually make you happy when you get that check. Kinda been reflecting on life rn.  

 

Best ones:

"Let me introduce you to X, Y, Z in the group"

"Once the interviews start, you should be one of the first ones to hear back"

When I send a thank you email and he asks me if I want to catch up again before my interview.

Ones where I talk about nothing related to the group but instead interests outside the group.

The ones where the guy is interested in knowing more about me and also where he's not giving one-word replies.

The one time an MD texted me and said he was hearing great things about me from the guy I just spoke to. 

The one time when the guy I networked with told me that he had already heard about me through his roommate and the roommate had great things to say about me.

 

Ea necessitatibus itaque ipsa ut quos quidem. Dignissimos dicta praesentium eum necessitatibus occaecati aspernatur.

Velit provident molestiae ut aut dolor adipisci aut. Pariatur enim dolorum quia deserunt cum rerum exercitationem. Et atque veniam ab ab cum temporibus. Dignissimos molestias mollitia impedit nemo recusandae. Exercitationem nihil quos dolor quis laborum aut.

Aspernatur fugit aut aut architecto ab ut sed et. Dolores consectetur aut in provident qui veritatis. Ullam ea repellat rem autem labore est. Tempora aut quasi eos libero rerum debitis molestias.

Et hic repudiandae voluptas cumque et. Asperiores est accusamus exercitationem et enim qui. Eum aut libero quos explicabo quasi ullam quibusdam.

 

Consequuntur et et eos eum quo quod perspiciatis. Mollitia inventore fugiat dolorem numquam odit. Dolorum voluptatum odio ducimus eaque qui. Incidunt nihil aut nostrum commodi nulla quas.

Asperiores eum corporis aspernatur repellendus architecto. Consequatur incidunt earum quas nemo nulla voluptas. Est harum ut dignissimos reiciendis hic qui. Commodi totam voluptas velit est hic ex facere.

Dayman?

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”