I have been networking for some months now. Many of my contacts have been very nice and patient, and we typically have very good conversation that covers a lot of background/goals and other related stuff. Early on, my goal was to soak up as much knowledge about what I 'thought' I wanted to do, which is investment banking.
After all of these discussions, I got where I needed to be and now have a very good idea of what I would be doing, and how to succeed. The issue is that I often look up at the clock during one of these talks and realize that the conversation had been going on for 45 minutes and sometimes even an hour. Recently, my goal has shifted towards seeking the right opportunity and trying to land it. One of these more recent talks led to another good connection and it only took ~15 minutes.
But, can an informational interview/networking coffee go on too long? The 'proper' time is stated to be 15 minutes or so according to some sources that I've seen on the subject. Does it go against my viability as a potential candidate when looking to reach back out for opportunities later on down the road if those initial talks go on for much longer?
Thanks!
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So you're saying I should ask more 'intimate' questions--like, "so, what do you think about that?"
I've never heard of there being a standard time limit for networking talks. From my experience, shorter talks are generally indicative of less productive meetings. If someone doesn't know you very well or doesn't seem very interested in talking about their job, they are less likely to help you get a job. On the other hand, longer meetings give a better chance of connecting well with that person.
I've had networking talks run the gamut from 15 minutes to an hour-and-a-half (granted, these were across a wide variety of industries.) Typically, longer talks led to better opportunities.
I should also note that it's generally not a good idea to directly ask for an internship unless the topic is brought up by the person you're talking to or you have a prior connection with this person.
Thanks. Some sources claim these talks range between 15 and 30 minutes. I'm not sure if that's out of politeness for the analyst/banker. I wasn't aware of this until after all of these informational talks.
My thinking now is that I am better directed with the knowledge to be more pointed in gaining an actual opportunity. Also, I'm pass the internship stage, more so looking to 'lateral' into banking.
I feel like you need to gage it. If the conversation is going nowhere fast, maybe the guy is busy. You don't want him to feel like every time you reach out you expect a long convo.
I would also add that some of the more productive talks I and my friends have had consisted more about life than banking. For people who work ~90hrs a week, sometimes they would rather use that 15-30 minute break to talk about something else. If the convo flows into skiing out west, no reason to force it back to IB bs.
I find it challenging talking on the phone to close friends and family for anywhere near 45 minutes; I am genuinely unsure of how one would pull this off in a non-interview format, where it's just supposed to be a natural flow of conversation. I'm not knocking it -- if it works for you then cool, maybe I'm just a phone robot..
Most of my conversations are between 15-30 minutes. However, I have had professionals talk for an hour about themselves. Just be charismatic and judge accordingly.
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