Call with MD at Middle-Market I-Bank
Through a stroke of luck I've been given the chance to speak to a MD at a middle-market i-bank, with the intention of introducing me to the firm and possibly to discuss a summer internship.
How best can I prepare for this conversation? I don't want to come in completely unprepared and waste his time. I also want to put my best foot forward since this is an opportunity that I'm really excited about. I'm only a sophomore so my chances are limited for when it comes to getting a full-time summer internship. Gonna give a little background to help you guys get a feel for where I'm at right now.
Strengths: Top-target school, in prestigious undergraduate finance club, cross-registered taking management course at prestigious business school, econ major (don't know if that's necessarily a strength but whatever), minority
Weaknesses: Sophomore, mediocre GPA (it's 3.15/4)
How best can I leverage and highlight my strengths in the interview and downplay my weaknesses?
Don't come off as too eager, just try to be personable and seem like you're genuinely interested in the industry and what he does.
Research the firm and his group if you know it to see what kinds of deals they've done recently.
Don't bring up GPA, I doubt he'll ask anyway. MDs are generally more interested in who you are as a person and don't really try to grill you on technicals. You should know the basics just in case, but definitely focus on reading up on the firm and his bio from Linkedin.
Some good questions to ask are about his background and how he got into banking, some recent deals he's been on, and if he has any advice on how to get in.
If he likes you / you pass the 'airport test', he might pass on your contact info to some of the other guys.
Not sure if you have previous finance internships, but if you don't and this firm is legit MM, they probably won't take you on as a sophomore summer. Doesn't really matter though because if you keep up the relationship you'll have a good chance of getting an interview next year for junior SA.
Most important thing is to stay cool and don't treat it as a big deal / don't come off as weird. Don't make him regret giving you his time.
Feel free to PM
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