Coffee chat with MD family friend - advice?

Hi there,

Curious if anyone else had similar experiences. Have been looking to change roles into IB for some time already but haven't had much luck with recruiting given that I have no relevant experience (Don't have SA experience and currently a FT investment analyst (sales role which does not do valuation/modeling) in a BB PB ) .

I bumped into a long time family friend recently and found out that he was working in the same area as I was. Turns out he's an MD in one of the product groups at a MM. We agreed to meet next week for a coffee chat to catch up. How should I balance between asking for career advice vs leveraging a role in the future? Don't really want to be seen as just meeting him to leverage a role (Also he mentioned that hiring is currently frozen due to current pandemic).

My thoughts are: 1. Catching up and find out how he's doing (Ask about family etc) 2. Talk about my career aspirations and ask for advice on how to break into the industry (Need to explain why I'm not satisfied in my current role) 3. Tell him how I am trying to improve my skills to break into the industry (CFA/Modeling courses) 4. End off with thanks for the advice 5. Follow up with any updates in the future.

Any other thoughts?

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I do coffee chats all the time. My advice is do not go in expecting ANYTHING! Go in to get to know him on a personal level (coffee is more informal already). Ask him about his background, how he got into the industry, what he does, any advice he would give you as a young professional, etc.

If you go in expecting a job or for him to look over your resume, you are wasting his and your time. Be natural and get to know him personally. The personal relationship will help you out way more than the short term goal of a new job prospect.

Also, if you really want to stand out, send a cursive written thank you note in the mail. I am in my twenties and meet with a lot of people, trust me it works.

 

Ut minus mollitia quam id et cum. Amet ipsum qui et culpa ea qui sint. Pariatur quibusdam nihil deserunt. Exercitationem ad deleniti quo repudiandae. Molestiae est fugiat molestiae. Vel et beatae optio molestiae.

Provident hic et qui consequatur doloremque velit fugit. Debitis provident iure odio consequatur vel repudiandae. Quas velit harum eos.

Ea consequatur magni minima in non. Quia ad eos tempore quam blanditiis aliquid inventore eveniet. Corporis enim quas quod sit nihil perferendis.

Illo non cum possimus quibusdam alias nisi dolor et. Ipsa ut exercitationem illo tempora non iste est. Et quia eos aut consectetur deleniti autem nemo et. Corporis sapiente quo quos id et unde est. Qui quo ut voluptates nemo deleniti. Culpa molestiae deserunt perspiciatis facere aut aut. Aut qui esse quae consectetur assumenda esse.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (56) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”