Cold Emailing for Boutique Internship Help
Hi everyone!
I am a sophomore at a target trying to secure a boutique role (ibd, ER, anything really). I had an internship at a small PE fund in my fall semester. I have been using a cold email template but have not gotten many positive responses. I think it may be because it's a bit impersonal and curt, but is it really necessary to customize the email when I'm cold-emailing 100+ firms? Any critique is appreciated, thank you so much in advance!
"Dear Mr/Mrs____,
I'm a second year student at ______ and am very keen on gaining practical experiences in the investment banking industry. This past summer I worked in ____ at ___, a global F500 company headquartered in ____. Additionally, I interned at a private equity firm this fall and am involved with the ________ club at my school.
I understand you receive many emails from students such as myself, so I appreciate your time. I would like to schedule a time to speak with you on the phone at your earliest convenience. I have attached my resume, which provides more information on my background.
Sincerely,"
Your template is good, but reads a little wordy. I have had a lot of success using this approach. Be very direct in your initial email. Also, try to direct things towards them. Make them feel obligated to reply. Best of luck!
Hello, my name is _________ and I am a junior at ___________ majoring in finance. I have taken interest in a career in Investment Banking and have begun to reach out those in the industry.
I understand you're very busy, but I’d really like an opportunity to talk to you about what you do. I am eager to learn as much as I can and I am particularly interested in your firm. Please let me know if you would be willing to connect.
I have attached my resume to provide background on myself.
Thank you in advance,
@VolFan05" Thanks for the advice! I have sent around forty emails with it now, but my response rate is still dismal. I can't help but feel a little discouraged. How many emails did it take for you to send before receiving some replies?
Is it a terrible idea to address lack of prior relevant internship experience in a cold email? With something like:
"attached is a copy of my resume. As you can see, I lack relevant work experience. I understand that this is a major barrier to getting this type of internship but I can assure you that I am highly motivated and more than prepared to put in the time to learn the skills that I will need"
I'm suggesting that I'm prepared to work to overcome that but I'm also pointing out the weakest part of my resume.
Can anyone else who have had success with cold-emailing pitch in? It has not been going very well for me so far :(
MPT I don't think it's a bad idea, but you could frame it a bit better. Don't use "as you can see" --> "Although I have not had direct prior experience with finance, xyz demonstrates blah blah blah"
I'd try to add some kind of unique point to each email. This will take time, but it could be worth it. Even something as simple as a question about a deal they've closed. You could mention you're interested in the xyz space and are excited to learn more. Something simple.
When I read emails and I know it's a completely cold (template) email, I'm less likely to remember to respond to it, tbh. Not necessarily intentionally, it just has a smaller chance of sticking in my head.
Also, use LinkedIn. Hope you're already doing this. Guarantee you're connected, somehow, to one of the guys at some of those 100+ banks. Use your network, including the parts of it you didn't know exist!
Good luck! I'm sure something will stick.
Sorry, but lots of problems with your template. Dear Mr./Mrs. is immature, your language is generally too formal and forced (e.g. second year student, keen on, headquartered in, earliest convenience, more information on my background). Completely cut the apologetic part about being a student and understanding that they get emails all the time.
If you take yourself seriously, others will to. You should be confident that a conversation is worth their time -- if they don't think it is, they won't be offended, they just won't bother responding. It may seem forward, gauche, and awkward at first, but I firmly believe less formal language gets the point across and makes you sound more genuine. One more thing, it's much more effective to tailor your email to the individual analyst/associate you're contacting rather than the bank (they're all quite similar! It's the people who are different).
Hello _____,
I came across your profile on LinkedIn, and I wanted to reach out and connect. I'm currently a sophomore at _____ interested in investment banking. I worked in private equity at _______ last summer, and [reason you want to work in banking].
Given you've also worked in private equity (you also came from a non-traditional background; you also ________), I would love to speak with you about your experience. Let me know if you have some time in the coming weeks for a quick conversation, and thanks in advance for your time.
Best,
Thank you all so much for the advice! I am going to shoot another fifty emails following your suggestions and update you all!
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