How to Use Investment Banking Informational Interviews to Break In
I’ve referenced informational interviews many times, but have never given a step-by-step tutorial – or even said what exactly an informational interview is.
So let’s change that.
There’s more detail within Breaking Into Wall Street, but I wanted to put this guide out there to answer the most common questions on informational interviews – and show you how to use them to break into investment banking.
Why Informational Interviews?
A banker is looking through a stack of 200 resumes.
It’s 3 AM and he’s also working on a last-minute pitch book for his crazy MD who only sleeps 2 hours a night.
At 3:23 AM his eyes begin to close and everyone’s resume starts looking the same…
PWM internship, 3.7 GPA from target school… F500 internship, 3.5 GPA from non-target school…
As he’s dozing off, he comes across your resume.
He sees your name written at the top and remembers meeting you at an information session a few months ago, then meeting up with you 2 weeks ago and how you got into a discussion about the World Cup.
Rather than reading the rest of your resume and analyzing your experience, he says, “You’re cool” and puts you in the “interview” pile.
That’s why you do informational interviews.
Predictably Irrational?
In case you think the story above is an anomaly, think again: the interview selection process is not rational at all.
The good news, though, is that it’s predictably irrational – or at least easier to predict than the stock market or the next trending topic on Twitter.
And unlike other events, with informational interviews you can easily tip the scales in your favor with a small amount of effort.
If you know people at the office you’re applying to, you stand a 10x better chance of getting interviews there.
Do Informational Interviews Really Work?
I’ve seen a couple common objections, so let’s address them head-on:
- Objection #1: Even if I meet someone, how do I know that he’ll actually see my resume and select me for an interview?
- Objection #2: Won’t the bankers I approach think I’m using them?
- Objection #3: Does this work at all levels? What if I’m applying for Associate positions?
- Objection #4: I’m outside the US – I heard networking doesn’t work as well in other countries.
For objection #1, I’ll admit it: there are no guarantees that the same exact bankers you meet will review your resume and make an interview / no interview decision.
To get an idea of specific numbers and what it will take to get noticed, check out this interview with an engineer who broke into investment banking via informational interviews.
Also note that even if your contact doesn’t pick you for an interview directly, he can tell other bankers about you, get you referrals, and help in other ways.
On objection #2, yes, bankers will think that you’re contacting them to win interviews at their firm…
…and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Bankers don’t do this for love – they won’t care that you’re “using” them if hiring you means less work for them.
On objection #3, informational interviews work at both the Analyst and Associate levels – you almost have to do them at the Associate level because your competition certainly will be.
Outside the US
This objection has more truth to it than the others – networking into finance and going around the formal processes is not as common in regions like the UK and Australia.
Banks there are more focused on traditional recruiting – interviews, online tests, assessment centers and case studies, and so on.
But it’s not that networking “doesn’t work” – it just doesn’t work as well.
You may not want to spend as much time on networking in other countries, but you still need to do more than earn high grades and hope that’s enough to get you in.
The ROI
The bottom-line is that there are no guarantees that any strategy will “work,” but it’s hard to beat the ROI of informational interviews:
- Informational Interviews: 10-20 hours of work might result in multiple interviews.
- CFA: 500 hours of study will result in… an additional bullet point on your resume.
- Cold-calling: 10-20 hours of calling boutiques… may result in nothing or maybe a few potential leads.
So think like a banker and invest in the area with the highest ROI.
What is an Informational Interview?
Wow, we made it all the way here without even defining what an informational interview is.
First, you find the contact information of a banker from your alumni database, from a referral, from student or professional groups, and so on.
Next, you email the person, introduce yourself, say where you found them, and ask if they can chat for 10-15 minutes on the phone or in-person.
If they don’t get back to you, try a few more times.
Then, go in and ask the questions you have about them, make a good impression, stay in touch afterward, and then ask for explicit help with recruiting when the time comes.
When to Set Them Up
You should begin 3-6 months in advance of recruiting – that gives you time to get to know them without feeling pressured to follow-up 24/7.
So if you’re a summer intern preparing for full-time recruiting, start just before your internship or as your internship is beginning.
You can start earlier, but setting up interviews too far in advance – say, 2 years before you recruit – is not a good idea because:
- It’s harder to stay in touch over that length of time and people may forget who you are.
- Finance has extremely high turnover and hardly anyone sticks around for 2 years in the same group at the same bank.
At the MBA-level, you should start before you even arrive at school – just conduct your interviews over the phone in your spare time if necessary.
Your competition is also thinking about networking, so starting even further in advance may be helpful – alumni at top schools get contacted by lots of students.
How to Set Up Informational Interviews
So you’ve found contact information for 5 alumni and you have 4 months until recruiting begins. What now?
Send a 5-sentence email to your contacts that proposes specific dates and times to speak:
- Sentence 1: Who you are
- Sentence 2: How you found them
- Sentence 3: What you want to ask them about
- Sentence 4: Propose 3-4 dates and times (and places if you want to meet in-person) to speak with them
- Sentence 5: Thank them for their help in advance
Do not attach your resume / CV, as that annoys bankers by creating extra work.
Resist the urge to write your life story – normal people don’t even have time for that, and bankers certainly don’t.
Think, “Can he/she read this on a Blackberry without scrolling?”
Phone vs. In-Person
Should you go for informational interviews on the phone? Or in-person?
In-person is the way to go if you’re local or you can make a weekend trip to consolidate your visits; the phone is better if you’re new and want to “warm up.”
Overall, in-person is more effective for all the reasons that meeting your friends in-person is more fun than calling them: the subtleties and non-verbal communication that you don’t get on the phone.
Plus, in-person meetings sometimes lead to in-person tours of the office and meeting even more bankers there.
Questions to Ask and Questions Not to Ask
So now you’re set to speak with a banker at JP Morgan next Tuesday at 2 PM – what questions do you ask?
First, do a few minutes of research on him beforehand (Google and LinkedIn are fine, Capital IQ / Bloomberg are better if you have access) and figure out where he went to school and where he worked (geography / company / group) before.
Once you’ve done that, you can plan out the questions you want to ask.
Personal questions work the best – though if you’re networking with traders, you should make your discussion more markets-focused.
Good Questions:
- Can you tell me about how you got started at [Bank Name]?
- I noticed that you studied abroad in [Place Name] according to our alumni database – what was that like?
- I saw that you worked in [Industry 1] before switching to [Industry 2] – can you tell me how you did that?
- I noticed that your group was involved with [Announced Deal Name] – did you work on that?
People, and especially bankers, love to talk about themselves, so the questions above are much better than the “What does an investment banker do?” / “How do you break in?” variety.
Bad questions consist of anything that you can find out in 5 seconds elsewhere or “questions” that are really attempts to brag about yourself.
Bad Questions:
- What’s it like being an investment banker?
- How many hours per week do you work?
- Where can I read more about the industry?
- By the way, I have a 4.0 GPA in my Finance classes – do you think I should mention that on my resume?
Your new banker friend could also test you by asking technical or fit questions in the beginning, just like in a normal interview – so be prepared with your story and accounting/finance knowledge.
As your 10 – 15 minutes are drawing to a close and you’ve asked your questions, make a mini-request.
People are just like dogs: we need to be trained.
If you don’t ask for something small – a suggestion to meet on a weekend trip in the future, a referral, or even if it’s OK to send follow-up questions – the banker will assume you just want to be “friends.”
As with dating, you need to avoid the “friend zone” from the very beginning.
NOTE: Please do not do this if you email me – I’m already inundated with emails and requests, and sorry, but I do not make introductions.
Banker Having a Bad Hair Day?
Don’t expect that everyone will respond favorably – they won’t.
The banker might be having a bad hair day, might have just lost a client, might have broken up with his significant other, or might be suffering from dozens of other calamities.
You can’t take it personally because this has nothing to do with you 99% of the time.
Put the ones who don’t want to speak with you lower on your priority list and focus on the ones who seem more helpful.
What to Do After the Interview
The biggest mistake you can make: following up repeatedly for no reason.
Sure, it’s good to stay on bankers’ radar every 2-3 months if you’re networking far in advance, but don’t go crazy sending 2 articles every every day because that will annoy them.
You should follow-up with specific questions, requests for referrals, or to ask for help getting an interview.
Some networking “experts” advise you to constantly ping everyone you know, but that is a mistake because:
- Bankers are 10x busier than the average person.
- You’re on a short time frame – months rather than years.
And yes, when it’s recruiting season you really can just say:
“With recruiting approaching, I wanted to see how I could best position myself for an interview at your firm.”
What Now?
First, go to your alumni database, or ask your friends, family, or organizations you’re in for bankers’ contact information.
Email 5 of them to set up informational interviews, use the guidelines above, get referrals from those 5 to expand your list, and keep doing that until you’ve met a few dozen bankers.
Then when recruiting begins, ask for their help directly and persist if you don’t hear back.
When you’re done, post a comment below telling us how many interviews and offers you’ve won via networking.
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I am in bit of a limbo here. I saw a job posting for an analyst position at a bank at my school career centre. I requested the person who is hiring for an informational interview (as my gpa is pretty bad). He said he is busy and asked me to get back to him in a month and I said ok. But the job posting expires in a week. What should I do? Do I still send in my app? The app goes directly to him and not to HR. Will he think I was trying to “use him” to get an interview?
Just contact him again and ask him for his suggestions. No, I don’t think he will think the above. I presume he knows why you were in contact with him in the first place.
I asked him for an info interview to learn more about banking in his sector. I planned to ask him about the job interview in the way mentioned in the article. Hmm I guess I will just send in my app.
Just send it in and contact him now!
So, I’m in a bit of a bind; as a graduating undergrad Senior, I’m open to many possibilities in finance. I’ve done lots of research (a lot of it right here) and my ideal group would be Restructuring/Distressed M&A. However, many of the alumni I meet are not in these groups. Moreover, I’m definitely open to other possibilities: wealth management, is one idea. For example, I have informational interviews with two BB traders tomorrow. Trading isn’t my first choice, but it’s something I think I could be good at and would like to learn about. How do I present the fact that I’m open to possibilities while still seeming focused?
Direct the questions to them. Tell them you are interested in trading because [fill in the blanks]. You can appear to stay focused by asking them lots of questions in trading. Try to figure out whether you’d be a good fit with trading or not too. And don’t tell them trading isn’t your first choice..
I have an informational interview coming up with a BB banker I found through my alumni network who is working in LA. I am ideally looking for a position in NY. How would you suggest I go about trying to get NY contacts through this contact? Is it out of line to ask for referrals and try to steer them towards NY?
Thanks
No, not out of line. Try to ask him/her after you have build a rapport with him/her though. Be genuine and nice and truly thank them for their time.
I networked a good amount senior year and landed a job in the IBD division of an int’l bank. I ended up in the DCM group and, after ~1yr here, would now like to get back in touch with my contacts at other banks to try to lateral onto an M&A/industry coverage team. Any advice? Should I jump right in and explain the situation in an email? Or ask if they have 10 mins to chat to catch up over the phone?
Appreciate any advice on the matter. Thanks
I’d call them up and catch up over the phone discretely. Words can get around so I’d be slightly vigilant. I’d also rehearse my pitch before approaching the people (Why do you want to switch? What are you looking to do? etc)
Hey guys,
This may be a silly question but how many people should I aim to network with to be successful but not overdo it? I’ve been speaking with bankers in the firms but I’m not sure how many to target in how many groups.
Thanks for your help!
I was wondering if it is a good idea to set up informational interview with random IB professionals added over Linkedin.
Hi,
I am currently entering my 3rd year at a semi-target in Toronto and am planning on working in Toronto upon graduation. I have been conducting informational interviews this summer, but have found my university’s alumni network to be pretty dry in the field (my university focuses on Big 4 recruiting).
I was wondering whether it would be advisable to try and set up an informational interview with an alumni that attended a competing university. I feel a bit off sending them a request, but is it really out of place? Has anyone else here experienced this predicament?
Thanks for your help.
Yes, if you can find some sort of connection, you can try emailing him/her. There’s no harm in trying, so why not?
Hi,
I’m in a sticky situation (I think). I’ve been networking aggressively over the past 2-3 weeks and have been meeting people for coffee almost everyday. I’ve been networking with most of the big firms, but one in particular, because of the amount of alumni there from my school.
I had a meeting booked today with a person, but she cancelled saying her day was busier than anticipated. No problem – I told her we could reschedule if she wanted and we could set something up next week. Then, she replied with the following:
Hi William,
I understand from some of my colleagues that you have already met up with a couple of people from the ________ team. I would be happy to reschedule our meeting if I can add value. Do you have any specific questions for me?
Additionally, I would recommend connecting with _______ to find out more about recruiting.
Regards,
________
Is this bad? I don’t want the people that I’ve been speaking to and building a rapport with to think that I’m going around town talking to every banker…
1. How should I respond to this email? Of course, I want to meet, but I don’t want to seem annoying. 2. Is there such a thing as too much networking?
3. Should I stop emailing this firm?
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to include as much detail as possible to get the best response.
Any help is appreciated – I don’t want my hard work to go down the drain!
No this isn’t bad, but this email gives me an impression that she probably thinks you’ve met enough people and asked enough questions that you probably don’t need her help.
You can thank her for her email. If you have specific questions for her, tell her you do and say you’ll follow-up with a call. Try to think of questions specifically for her (questions you haven’t raised to others) if you really want to speak to her. But if you just ask generic questions/nothing specific for her, I’d thank her for her time.
No, there isn’t a thing as too much networking, but in your case, perhaps you could have approached the situation in a different way (judging from her response) though I can’t comment too much because I don’t know how you approached the other bankers.
No, you might want to connect with the contact she recommended you to contact.
Hi Brian great article !! I was just wondering, if you had a chance to meet some of the bankers before and you see them again would it be fine to say that you met them before (even if they were not too keen on talking to you) or would it be awkward and make things tougher? How do you go about it?
Thank you for the help. Best regards
It doesn’t really matter cause chances are they probably don’t remember you if they weren’t too keen on talking (presumably you guys barely had much of a conversation). Would it make things tougher? Its not like you guys have a great relationship so you have nothing to lose. I’d talk to them when the opportunity presents itself
Hey Brian,
Thanks for the article. I have a question. If I make solid connections with alumni who work at the bank and do all the steps you mentioned, how would I make sure that when it comes time to apply for an internship (my school only allows online application through the bank’s website), these connections pay off?
You can’t. And this might not be the mindset you want to adopt when you network with others. If you network with the expectation that the connection will “pay off”, the other party can sense it and this may actually “backfire”. I recommend making genuine connections, whether it “pays off” or not. And when you are detached from the outcome, you may be pleasantly surprised.
Thanks for your response. I think I could’ve stated my question better. So many case studies and articles here talk about getting interviews through alumni connections. For example, this is from an interview for a student at a nontarget school:
“So how else did you get interviews at bulge bracket banks?
A: Primarily through alumni – all my first-round interviews at banks were via alumni”
My question is more like how do alumni connections help at all. At the end I’m still going through the same application process as other students. I really don’t care if I have 100 connections and only a couple work. It’s just that I want to know I’m not wasting my time. I’m from an Ivy League school and competition here is very fierce. If alumni connections don’t help that much I would definitely rather spend more time studying to bring up my GPA (but since it’s soon junior year already it might not help much either).
So this is the dilemma I’m facing. Thanks in advance.
Hi Nicole,
i have a quick question. since it is FT recruiting now, what is the best way to approach talking to alumi? Should I still conduct usual informational interviews? Moreover, should I only say I am interested in the division they are working in, or should I also mention interests in other areas and hope they would let me know if there is any opportunities in those divisions? Or would this be a turn off and should just focus on their own divisions?
Thanks alot and I really need help with this.
I’d be direct and ask them if their teams etc are hiring. If they say yes, good for you. Otherwise, ask them if you can meet them for informational interviews even though they might not be hiring and ask them if they know of anyone who is
Hello,
I have been networking throughout the summer and have had a couple analysts and associates forward my resume for full time positions to 5-6 banks. It’s been about a month and I haven’t heard back from any yet. (this is for Equity Research recruiting by the way so I think the time frame is less structured) I was wondering what I should do to follow up. Should I ask if they could check the status of my application for me? Or any other way that may help give my application a push?
Thank you very much.
Follow up now. Ask if they have heard back. Better yet, ask them to provide you their HR or hiring managers’ contacts
Yes, by contacting the hiring manager directly if possible
Quick question, I met a few bankers at an information session and thought I really clicked with 1 or 2 of them. I sent everyone I spoke to a email thanking them and asking a brief question, and one of them responded very warmly and told me to feel free to reach out with any other questions. Should I go ahead and ask for a brief phone conversation? Or should I leave it as is? The resume drop is in about 2 months.
Yes. Ask for a brief phone conversation, this will really help you.
Hey everyone,
thank you very much for these articles, I have realized how important it is to develop a professional network.
Just a quick question, I met up with a VP from BB, asked for a telephone interview, but she referred me to an HR manager, who provided me with a contact details of one analyst, who is going to call me on Tuesday next week. What do you guys think? Is it a good sign or not? Im going to prepare anyways, simply interested in your opinion)
Thanks.
It is a good sign but I’d imagine it to be a 1st round or perhaps informational interview
Read up on the firm and know why you want that bank/role. Best if you could get along with the analyst (on the phone) to pass “screening process”. Good luck!
Thanks for your quick response,
Just had a telephone conversation with this guy, went quite well, he will be interviewing candidates for summer internship)
I will keep in touch and ask the “Magical question” next week, hopefully it will be fine, now have to prepare for another phone call)
I am currently in Hong Kong, so far seems like networking strategies work here quite as well as in the US and the UK)
Yes it does! Works anywhere. There might be some cultural differences but the gist is the same.
I have an informational interview with the person who is in charge of hiring at my university. She is based in NY, which is where I wish to work. What kind of questions should I ask her? It is hard for me to focus on her job because she is in HR, but it will be awkward to ask direct questions about the hiring process without making a negative impact on her.
Not necessarily. Get to know her better and try to gain insights on recruiting from her. Build a relationship with her
I m going to do the MBA course in Oct this year. I have started my networking. There is one problem What should I do to keep in touch with a banker for 1 and half year.
You mean during your school year? Just email him/her periodically and try to establish a connection
Thanks a lot for your response. I am networking at present. I have done my 5-Sentence Email Template. Is it a good idea to say ‘ may I have a 10-min chat with you next week in your convenient time’ or should I specific the date/dates.
Yes, when it is convenient for them because you are asking them for a favor.
Very glad to hear you again. I have been doing what you told me to do since 2011. I met a banker yesterday. I have been told to email her my resume. Could you please advice me which Resume Template should I use. I come from a non-finance back ground. never had an Intern. I have been a sales-manager in medicine shop for 7 years. The only spark is I m going to a target business school to do MBA later this year.
http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-resume-no-work-experience/
Thanks for the article – really useful. I’ve been working in Accounting for the past year now and have been actively trying to break into banking. I’ve had a number of informational interviews in the past few weeks and they have been going well. I have a few questions though 1) A number of analysts have offered to refer me to others in their group – is there any way proper way to ask to be introduced to an associate or someone with potentially more hiring power? 2) In terms of the process post-informational interview, should I simply be waiting for job postings to come up on websites or should I be waiting for the people who I held info interviews with contact me directly when postings come up? Is there a more effective method?
Thanks again for all your help!
1. Yes, by attending events and going out for “drinks” with the analyst and his whole team if possible
2. The most effective way is to find out which jobs are open before they are being posted on sites because you will have less competition if you can prove yourself to be the ideal candidate as soon as there’s a hiring need.
Thanks for the article. Had a question. I applied for a 1st year analyst position about a month ago, and the posting is still open. I haven’t heard anything yet from the Hiring manager, who I recently left a VM for. I was able to connect with an associate of his, an alumni of my university and schedule an informational interview. We have set up a time to speak, but after I get the additional information about his experiences and the group, would it be inappropriate to ask about the hiring of that position?
Nope, always ask about it… you have nothing to lose.
Hello,
Thank you for the articles they are extremely helpful.
I live in London and have a “knack” for running into MDs, VPs, (1) CEO and other bankers/hedge fund operators. It happens mostly at the Gym, by chance at the grossery store, or other random places. I tend to make a good connection with them on several subjects.
Over the past 6 months I’ve stacked up a relatively good list of cards and contacts.
The catch is I’m only in my senior year of High-school, and thus find it difficult to envisage following up for the next 3-5 years!
I don’t want to let these contacts go to waste, yet it seems naïve to want to follow up for up to five years.
What would you recommend?
Thank you.
Pedro
I would just ping them once a year or once every 6 months and give them an update, tell them what you’re looking for in terms of internships, etc.
Hi Brian & Nicole,
I am currently conducting a networking effort to (hopefully) get some interviews for an SA position. I have researched a number of boutique banks in my area, many of which employ alumni of my university. My plan is to contact these alumni (their e-mail is provided on the firm’s site) and ask for some informational interviews.
The problem is many of the alumni working at these firms are not listed in my alumni directory. So, I cannot say, “I found your name in the alumni directory and saw you entered investment banking”. What would be the best way to approach this without sounding creepy? I have come up with this:
“My name is Alex, and I am currently a Junior at the University of (M&I). While researching (FIRM), I recognized you as a fellow alumnus of (SCHOOL) that has obviously been successful in establishing a career following the collegiate experience.
Over the past few years, I’ve become interested in investment banking ……”
Any input is sincerely appreciated!
Yes, the above sounds decent. I’d change the following wording a bit – While researching (FIRM), I recognized you as a fellow alumnus of (SCHOOL) and have been successful in establishing a career in finance.
Would you recommend I try to reconnect with a contact I made in the summer to try to ask for an interview? Also, if I had no idea what I was doing during the “informational interview” would it still be a good idea to recontact them? I feel like I screwed up my first impression with a lot of them.
Also, would it be worth contacting those at BB’s as BB recruiting is most likely over now.
Yes, I would recommend you to do so. You have nothing to lose, even if you think you have screwed up. Chances are you probably haven’t though you’ll need to put in more efforts to make a good impression with them.
Yes, it would be worthwhile.
Hi Brian&Nicole:
I am currently a sophomore studying Economics and Statistics at UW-Madison. I am really interested in breaking into Wall Street, and the information M&I gave me has helped me a lot. I am an international student from a non-target school,and I understand perfectly that the only chance of me breaking into Wall Street is by preparation and networking. I am currently planning to travel to New York during Spring break, can I meet up any of the editors or advisers of the website to set up an information interview?
You’re better off meeting with people who are currently working in the finance industry full-time – all of us are running this business and/or other businesses, so we’re not the best source for introductions to others in the industry.
Is it too late to plan a networking trip for Spring Break now?
Most banks’ recruiting period is over, be it for summer interns or full time. However, if you haven’t already started networking, I’d start as soon as possible. If you want to secure something in the next few months, I’d focus on smaller/third tier banks that may have a less structured training program and less targeted by candidates. If you are looking to build a network for next year, then I would focus on establishing as many connections as you can and learn as much as you can about the industry.
Hi, I went to a non-target spanish university and here alumni networks don’t exist or aren’t available. They’re just not an option. Plus, there’s nobody around here who works as an IB.
How should I go about finding bankers in London? Keep in mind I don’t live there.
Thanks in advance.
Hi All,
I had a quick question. So I had a half hour informational phone interview with an IB last week and they told me theyd follow up with me next week on where the process goes from here (which is this week). Now they still havent contacted me (8 days later), so I was thinking of calling the senior associate to see whats going on.
Note: being persistent with them is what got me the phone interview in the first place.
Should I call and follow up? Maybe the start of next week see whats going on? I appreciate any advice and comments.
Yes, I believe it is a good idea for you to call and follow up start of next week.
Greetings Nicole, I hope you are well. Fantastic website and forum, very informative.
On the topic of informational interviews, If you meetup up with Alumni with the hope to gather learn more about the flavour of banking at particular firms or obtain some kind of referral, is it better to network with Analsyt/Associates who might be reveiwing CVs, or more senior bankers.
And if you do make contact with senior bankers, what is the best way to maintain contact with them, where you might have very little to talk with them about.
cheers
Generally analysts/associates review your CVs. However, if senior bankers like you, they may forward your CV to HR and HR may call you in for an interview. So I think its best to network with both levels.
If you can develop good relationship with one senior banker, you may be able to have coffee with him on a regular basis and he may become your mentor – this is the ideal situation. Otherwise, it’d be pretty hard to maintain contact with them.
Not to monopolise the resource, but i had just two brief questions.
I will be applying to 20 Banks as well as 20 other firms in Fall. Is it worth while networking with 60 people between now and then (3 for every bank) it is quite time consuming to organise and travel.
Is it wise to ask senior banker for, or how would you go about finding the right CV reviewing analyst/associate to refer to.
Yes, it is worthwhile, and it is time consuming to network – this requires hard work and effort
Its hard to know who’ll be reviewing CVs for the interviewing process. You’ll still need to go through HR for most BB and once you past the first screening, c. 1-3 analysts/associates may start reviewing resumes. I’d suggest you to networking with as many people as you can and I generally like networking with people at more senior level positions because they may be more likely to help.
Greetings
I recently got in contact with an old Alumni contact who previously arranged an Iinterview with me.
the guy is very helpful and at the time invited his friend who was in the department of my interest to attend the meeting with him.
Well, I spoke with him recently to catch up and he clearly tells me that he can bear some influence in my application if it relates to his department in pensions; but not in IBD M&A.
but he also let me know that he is good friends with the head od M&A in the UK. We agreed that I would send him my CV for a review, but i wonder how best to play this.
Should i just apply to his department, get my foot in the door and seek to move somewhere later. Or should i try to catch another bird by asking for a referral to the M&A Guy?
Hi, great article. I have just one question;
I am a 24 year old corporate lawyer with 2 years PQE with a leading Irish law firm. I want to move into finance – preferably PE, or alternatively IB as a first step. I graduated with a first class honors degree in law and accounting from an Irish university.
I have planned a trip to NYC for a week in September. I would like to organise some informational interviews with some bankers, PE guys etc. In your opinion, is this a realistic ambition and if so have you any additional tips, given that I am coming from Ireland and hope to work in NYC. FYI, I am contracted with my law firm until April 2014 so any potential move to PE, IB would come after this date. Also, given my age, I would be open to taking an analyst position.
I would really appreciate your thoughts.
Many thanks
Oscar
It can be challenging if you don’t have a visa to work in the States. You may find this article http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/breaking-and-entering-into-finance-part-ii-the-lawyer/ useful. With the above being said, I think its awesome you planned this trip (a) it shows your determination (b) it gives you the opportunity to network with peeps in NY and see if there’s a fit there. I think its great! What you can do is to network with people with an Irish background, either through your personal network, or you’ll have to do extensive online research to find out such contacts’ details. This may enhance your connection and perhaps increase your chances