I’d like to ask the advice of those of you on the forum with experience in IB, or those of you that generally provide great career guidance (e.g. numi):
A friend of mine recently approached me and told me about a close friend of his, an exec at bulge bracket bank, and asked if I’d be interested in speaking with him, perhaps sitting down with him, or if IB interests me at all (it does, very much). I fully understand that they’re actually cutting a few jobs there and, while I would love it, I’m not hopeful that this will result in a job opportunity, but I want to make the most of it.
So here’s a guy with a TON of pull that I’d love to blow away because it very well COULD lead to some sort of opportunity at some point as he’s expressed an interest in helping out after hearing my credentials. He’s passed along his contact information and expects a call from me by the end of the week. Since I’ve never been in this position, I’m not entirely sure what to expect, how I should prepare, what to discuss with him (or even if I should plan to drive the conversation or wait for him to pick a direction).
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I can’t add much help here, but I’d say call him ASAP. You don’t want to wait until Friday afternoon, that makes it seem like his time is a low priority for you, which looks bad.
You need to express very clearly why you’re interested in banking (and have a bulletproof reason for it), why Barclays makes sense, what you’ve done to prepare for a career in banking, etc. Ask him specific questions about his advice on how to break into the industry, what he thinks sets a good analyst apart from a great one, and his views on what rookie mistakes are and how to avoid them. Don’t ask anything generic or too high level because it’s simply irrelevant to what you’ll be doing.
If you can impress this guy, you’ll likely get short-listed and fast-tracked on interviews. If you don’t leave a lasting impression, you may never get to talk to him again. The outcomes are pretty binary when it comes to these types of encounters.
You can keep in touch with me via LinkedIn. Happy to engage with you in a more detailed discussion if it makes sense.
Thanks, numi - I was hoping the goal of the call would be to arrange a time to grab coffee or lunch on the weekend whenever he’s available. We both live in NJ very close to one another (same town), we have strong ties to similar activities and institutions, and we are both very close to our mutual friend. In fact, it may be just a coincidence we didn’t cross paths sooner. That said, do you think coffee/lunch is too much to ask?
Lunch or coffee might be a bit much. People like this guy value their free time and would probably rather spend their time at home with family, rather than with some random guy. Perhaps a different goal, other than making a good impression, would be to try to organize an office visit to meet different people in the group.
Yes, that’s too much to ask. Focus on doing things one step at a time. You need to impress him in your phone conversation first before asking for more. If anything, you should be offering something instead of asking – what you offer up is that you think you can be the perfect candidate for an investment banking hire. If you’re not there yet, you need todo something about that ASAP.
Similar to ohai, people become increasingly protective of their time as they move up in their career. I don’t take face to face meetings, unless it’s a special request from a friend or unless I know it is going to be mutually beneficial. I’m sure the guy you’re meeting with has even more pressing obligations.
So I just got off the phone with this guy who is a C-level exec at a bulge bracket firm and he was awesome - suggested meeting up on the weekend to talk more. Unfortunately, they’re in the process of cutting positions in the firm and finished interviews for their 2014 class of analysts and associates. However, he’s offered to make introductions if anything else interests me and asked me to make sure to stay in touch for the next round.
P.S. Contrary to the prevailing sentiment on this forum, this dude thought VERY highly of the CFA program. I mentioned it very briefly in an overview of my professional life and he latched on to it. He mentioned that, like an MBA, what it does is open doors and the rest is up to me, but that credential itself would set me (or charterholders) apart and management certainly views those candidates in a more favorable light. Throughout our 40 minute conversation, he regularly brought up how impressive the program is to him and how it’s no small feat.
P.P.S. Said the horse, “It’s not Top 2 MBA or hacksaw.” This guy recruits at more than a few institutions in the northeast - he ran off a list of more than 10 that are regularly considered. He also advised me that while a top MBA candidate has an easier road, there are many candidates at second- and third-tier programs that regularly compete for associate roles every year (and get them).
Oh, and he also did NOT advise against part-time programs. In fact, he spoke mainly about candidates in part-time programs.