Networking with global Ibanking head at top BB

After a lucky break, I have a phone call scheduled in a week from now with a global head of investment banking at a top BB. I ran into him on accident and after talking for a bit he was very insistent that I get in touch with him in the future, and now a talk is scheduled.

Previous posts have not been very helpful, and I accept the fact that I am a finance neophyte, so I would like to reach out and hear advice from people who know a bit more about it than I do.

I am a non traditional student that is now attending a target, and am looking for investment banking sophomore internships. My question has a couple components.

1. What should I make sure I am brushed up or more familiar with before talking with him? I understand the basic stuff about how markets are doing, things the firm has worked on. What is something I could research more that might make this person pause and say "hmm, maybe I would like this guy to work here."

2. I seriously doubt this individual will be involved in my interview process in the near future. If I do have another positive interaction with him, what is the best way to be able to leverage this relationships in an interview setting?

 

As soon as you get on the phone, try to move the conversation towards walking him through your 2-min long story and why you want to be in this business. At some point, and be a bit aggressive about this: put forth what distinguishes you as in what you bring on table other kids do not. Impressing this guy would surely land you interviews--though make sure to ask him who should you be talking to at his bank if he were you. Listen, at the end of day, this guy is in management. One of his main jobs is to manage people. So keep that in mind. And be sure to keep the conversation cool, a bit casual, but confident, and relaxed. And remember, your goal is to come off as personable, so that he can relate his experiences with yours. Good job in getting in a target as a non-traditional student and making this guy to talk to you! Good luck and let us know how it goes.

"I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
 
Best Response

Uhhh I 100% disagree with that guy. No one wants a hard-sell from an undergrad. Its evident you want a job as you are networking.

The big points to hit immediately upfront are...

  1. How grateful you are for him taking the time since hes busy
  2. Advice
  3. Advice
  4. Advice

The dude is a Head of the group, you likely aren't the first kid he has talked to in his career. The fact that he is helping you out means he is a good guy and is paying it forwards to the next generation.

Advice, Ask about his experience, Say you are really interested in his bank because of X (don't ramble, just show you are intelligent and know something), and again ask for advice.

More likely than not he will say one of two things:

  1. What can I do to help you/What do you need from me
  2. Let me put send your resume over to HR

These phone calls are 100% personality and fit. Don't rehearse or hard-sell as it will turn someone off. Just get on the phone and be a normal genuine person.

 

make sure you give him enough time to talk about himself. Really makes them think your interested. Then ask for advice, what areas of business you should look at , what steps you should take etc.

 

I also had a phone call with a person who was global head of IB at a bank and I would agree with the asking for advice rather than hard selling version of a call. You really have very little (if anything) to tell this person that he doesn't already know etc so the call should be (in my opinion) a few intelligent questions (read: not the same stuff you'd ask an analyst, like why this bank etc) and mostly him talking. Ideally you want a second call or an in-person meeting if you can get it - in the ideal scenario, this guy becomes a permanent part of your network/a mentor to you. My opinion anyway, and easier said than done for sure.

 

The guy has likely heard thousands of sales pitches before. Any "hire me" sales pitch you have is unlikely to offer him anything he hasn't heard many times before.

Per @DaBBzMan's advice, ask him for advice. Use active listening skills to listen to his responses, follow up with questions on what he's said, demonstrate that you're listening to and understanding his advice rather than waiting for a chance to unleash the next pre-rehearsed lines you have in your notes.

The kids who can do active listening in interviews come across much better than the kids who have polished up a pitch before they've even entered the room and worked out the personality of the sort of person they are speaking with.

Most kids I see in interviews can't do this. Rather than listening to and answering my questions, they deploy whatever pre-prepared answer they have which is closest to the question.

Don't be over keen. Per an old thread, take a dump before the call or some other bodily act to relieve your tension.

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

Sorry, guys I have to disagree, and @"SSits", I respect your postings a lot, but I'm going to take a different view.

If a kid from school emails me, and we speak, I know they've got one thing in mind (and it isn't my advice, which is really valuable in a specific, but not a generic situation). They want to get their foot in the door. So their pitch / story is really what matters.

If I took the call, I want to help. But what I need is a few key bullet points that I can use in an email I forward to HR / recruiting captain to make sure they get the interview. So rather than someone asking me for my advice, which I know is insincere, I'd rather they start on their elevator pitch.

If I like it, I will pass them on, and definitely get them an interview. When they call me after the interview which goes well, I will have a more substantive discussion around next steps.

So for the OP, I'd be blunt about why I'm calling, and what I'm looking for, and why I'm special, and take it from there, but don't start with "I just wanted your advice"

 
mergersandacquisitions78:

Sorry, guys I have to disagree, and @SSits, I respect your postings a lot, but I'm going to take a different view.

Thanks for the respect and I'm cool to agree to disagree. I'm taking a blind guess at the personality and outlook of the banker and your approach could well work better.

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

Thank you very much for the advice. Your points makes a lot of sense. I do believe that I have a very interesting pitch, which is why they were so insistent that I get in touch with them again in the future. A lot of skills from my previous career, although completely different from finance, are very applicable to finance. I believe will give me a great advantage over other summer candidates.

 

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