Awkward Phone Call

So I have been scheduling a lot of informational phone interviews and coffee chats this summer with analysts through directors/VPs. Overall, they have been going very well.

However, the phone call I had today didn't go so well. Whenever I would ask questions, the responses I got were always very short. I made sure to ask open ended questions and to leave a lot of room for them to add detail, but almost every answer I got was no longer than a sentence.

After a few questions from my end, they asked me a couple of questions (why i-banking, why xyz division/group etc.) I thought I gave very well though out answers for these questions. However, in response I would just get "okay" or "uh huh."

I tried to relate to them, but it seemed that my attempts to make a similar connection/similar interest were either ignored or disregarded.

The call was initially scheduled for me to learn more about their experiences in a certain group. However, it seemed like they only talked about their experiences for less than 1-2 minutes.

Overall, the phone call really rubbed me the wrong way. But I am confused, since this is the first phone call I have had that seemed to not go well. All of the other calls I have had with the same firm went very well and I connected very well with all of them.

I guess, I am wondering if any of you have suggestions/advice on what to do. Is this just a one time thing/maybe I caught them on a bad day? Or do I need to take a step back and change the way I am networking? (I feel that with my previous success, changing anything isn't worthwhile for 1 bad phone call, but idk)

Have any of you had similar experiences/phone calls that just didn't go well?

7 Comments
 

dont worry about it, sometimes it just happens. remember that these people are working ridiculous hours, he could have just been not in the mood to talk to some random kid today because he had a million things to do. You cant win them all

"The Truth is like poetry -- and most people fucking hate poetry"
 

Veniam saepe voluptatem velit necessitatibus. Temporibus facilis explicabo beatae neque. Expedita doloremque asperiores quia at. Hic necessitatibus hic quaerat nemo. Natus maxime velit quia ipsum.

Provident cum nostrum debitis vel ullam est animi dolores. Voluptatem sint nostrum vero qui rem dignissimos. Quisquam dolor animi ipsa qui delectus quasi quibusdam doloribus. Quibusdam animi quisquam temporibus veritatis modi id beatae.

Omnis vero ea iste commodi dolor dolores. Voluptas error dignissimos eos odio officiis tempora debitis porro. Voluptatibus ullam qui quam dolores. Tenetur debitis impedit fugit. Et pariatur impedit consequatur sint voluptatibus.

Esse laudantium omnis id quam vitae ipsum quasi eveniet. Soluta dolorum non autem rerum maxime. Voluptas consectetur iste sed quod. Qui eum quasi quisquam enim sint qui. Molestiae sed dicta ut sunt.

Monkey see. Monkey Doo [Doo].

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”