Creepy Networking?

Here's the situation:

You are an intern in NYC or London or other city, and would greatly benefit from networking.
You are on the subway, or in line for coffee, or riding in the elevator.
You notice the person next to you has an Evercore bby background, Blackstone bag, or KKR umbrella.

Do you strike up conversation? Or ignore in fear of being creepy?

 

If someone did that to me, I'd be fine with conversation, even if it was "tell me about what you do", but would find it creepy if I was asked for business card or contact details (what's this guy trying to sell to me or scam me for?)

Only exception would be if the person who approached me had volunteered some information themselves that indicated they were in the industry, first handed over a card from a credible organisation themselves.

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.
 
Best Response

if someone is carrying branded stuff, they don't mind being asked, but don't assume they work there. first clarify. for example, let's say we do business with BlackRock, and I wear a golf shirt with BlackRock, I don't want someone to say "how's life at BlackRock?" I'd prefer them to say "I noticed your shirt says BlackRock, what do you do for a living?" to which I'd reply "oh, I'm not with them, they gave it to me at ABC, I'm with [firm name] and I do X."

just like I said in the thread about being next to someone on a plane who's reading stuff with BB names on it (same applies here), it's all about being calm and direct. so you don't have to hunt for the thread, here's the verbiage:

"I'd say something like: I couldn't help but noticing what you were reading had names like JPM bac bcs etc, what do you do? if it's something you're interested in, ask if they're local. if yes, ask for a meeting over coffee, if no, ask if you can have their card & call them if you're ever in their area."

do NOT say "I'm a finance major at oxbridge I'm really into investment banking and I would very much like an informational interview with you may I please have your card so I can cold email you?!?!?!?!"

 

Does age difference matter? Last year I was in a plane with a commercial banker, he looked around 60 or late 50s, would it be weird if as an undergrad I ask for a coffee to inquire more about the subject.

 

not weird. if they're successful and humble and you follow through, they should appreciate it. they likely had some senior guys help them out or at least give them a shot, so if you show some effort and persistence, it will pay off.

one thing to keep in mind that isn't stated enough, many of these guys will (either intentionally or subconsciously) test you. by that I mean they will deliberately ignore you to see how persistent you are. very few people can call/email someone 10 weeks in a row (not every day, once a week) and not get discouraged. that's probably an exaggeration, but it takes persistence to stand out.

anyone can make one call or send one cold email, but are you going to hound me? if it's subconscious, they'll say "well shit I need to meet with this kid just so he shuts up!" and if it's intentional, it's likely because they had to do exactly what you're doing and they respect it. when I'm at an alumni function and undergrads at my fraternity want to talk business, I stop them, give them my card, and say "email me what you want, we'll set up a call, and I'll help you out." rarely do I get any substantial follow through, but the ones who do follow through I help, because they live up to their promise. the senior guy won't want to stick his neck out for someone who's going to make him look bad, so you need to be persistent.

that was a bit of a tangent to say age doesn't matter. in fact, it may even be to your advantage if you're close to his children's ages, he may see a little bit of "the son he never had" in you.

 

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