Informational Interview with VP
I have an informational interview with a VP of the energy group of an IB firm today and I would like to know if it is ok to ask him if he knows firms willing to hire people without IB background.
Background: I met him during a Wall St Prep Seminar and took his card. I contacted him a few days ago and he wanted to have breakfast with me but unfortunately I am in a different town, so we settle for a phone conversation instead. Do you think it is a problem that I am not in his city (I told him I was not in town because I am looking in another city as well). I have no prior IB experience but I have an MBA from GSU (Not sure if Tier 1 or 2 University) and 4 years of experience as Financial Analyst for Big Oil.
What is it that I absolutely need to convey to get a chance to be offered an interview or maybe some referrals?
Any advice would be appreciated.
I'd say 4 years of experience working for an oil company would be very relevant to an energy group in IB. You can do that, I would ask for contacts that would be able to help you reach your goals at the end of the convo. More than likely the convo will culminate in him probing you to see if there is a fit with you and his group.
Working as an analyst in O&G company is really relevant experience. Also having an MBA can help you quite a bit for O&G IB. You need to approach this as straight informational and try to find something to connect and relate on with him. The more that he likes you, the better opportunity you have. Its always good to ask for further introductions however you want to focus on building a relationship first so he will become possibly a mentor for you.
Some tips:
1) Open the conversation with a little small talk but you want to ask him about how he got into banking, why O&G, what he specializes in, and periodically asking his advice when hearing his story. The more you get him talking about himself, the better.
2) While he is going through his story, try to find some similarities in your life or similar likes/dislikes and you can always build a good relationship from that. Use things you both like to get him to not only remember you but like you as well.
3) Towards the end of the meeting, you want to ask his advice on how to move from "big oil" to IB and then ask "how you can best position yourself for an interview with his group".
4) At the end you can also ask if he has any friends or colleagues that he thinks you would benefit from meeting and speaking with. Lead with the fact that you "just want to learn more about O&G IB and are interested to learn more about people's experiences.
So basically you want to make sure you are asking about him and what he does. That way you convey how you are mainly interested in learning instead of just using him for a job.
Good luck.
To add to Pike's points, all of which are good.
Focus your conversation on his experience and how he got here. People love talking about their experiences, and this will naturally lead to your end goal of the next steps. Don't be too hung up on getting to the end of the conversation so that you can ask him for the next steps.
Also be confident - you're not a senior looking for a job. You're an experienced O&G professional looking for a career switch. Understanding the O&G sector takes a long time - MD knows it, and you know it, so use it to your advantage. Discuss current trends in the O&G sector, commodity prices, etc. Give him a reason to naturally invite you in for the next steps.
Thank you very much guys.After playing cat and mouse game with the VP for a few days I finally had a 40mn phone conversation with him today.He offered to send my cv to his firm M&A group and to foward my cv to some recruiters as well.He was very open and offered his help in my job search. Now I need some help to review my cv.I have posted another thread for that. Hope to get lots of constructive feedback. Thank in advance.
MEETING WITH A VP - informational interview (Originally Posted: 01/25/2011)
Hey guys, i need some advice please, I am meeting with a VP in IB tomorrow, its more like an informational interview, yet the vp clearly knows why i am there. so what would be the best way, or some things to say so i can transition from the vp talking about their experience so bringing up my skills and interest in a summer internship.
what would be some things you might say or do to make it sound sincere, yet also that I am hungry for this internship and willing to do anything to get it!
Thanks in advance for the help.
Listen: if the VP is sitting down with you for an info interview, he knows you are interested in an internship (or FT) position with the team. That said, you still need to be tactful and allow the conversation to take a natural course. As you find out about his background, mix in details on your background, it is an easy jump to your ideal plans for this upcoming summer. From there, you can ask him his thoughts on getting your foot in the door, both with his company and in general (so it's still more advise and not completely "drop my resume") - if the VP is feeling good about the convo, he'll probably extend the offer or let you know who you can reach out to.
Be natural, be yourself and don't be pushy - be interested - think of it like this: an interested guy has a good conversation with a girl and maybe gets the number; a pushy/needy/arrogant guy gets a drink in the face - don't get a drink thrown in your face.
Networking Question - informational interview with a vp (Originally Posted: 07/28/2014)
I had an informational interview with a vp at a firm in December of last year. At the conclusion of the conversation, he told me to contact him in the fall regarding internships for the summer of 2015. I would like to make contact with him in the near distant future, before inquiring about positioning myself for an interview as winter approaches. However, I am having a difficult time crafting an email to send to him. any suggestions?
Well he already told you to contact him, so basically he just wants you to send him a reminder so that he can refer your resume and answer any questions you have about the program. He clearly thinks you would make a decent candidate so I wouldn't worry about the exact wording. Just say you've been doing more research about his firm and are still very interested. Say you'd like to speak over the phone to catch up and learn more about it.
If you're ever in doubt, always put yourself in their shoes. Just say "Hi (name), I wanted to keep you updated on my process..."
something along the lines. Don't think too much.
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