How can you use informational interviews to build relationships with investment bankers?

-Research bankers and their firms to understand their background and expertise. -Clearly state your intentions for the informational interview to avoid any misunderstandings. -Prepare insightful questions about the investment banking industry and recent market trends. -Use the opportunity to expand your professional network by asking for referrals or connections. -Follow up with a thank-you email to express gratitude for their time and insights. -Offer to share your own expertise or insights as a way to add value to the relationship. -Stay consistent in maintaining communication and nurturing the relationship over time.

I totally agree. In my experience it is essential that we do not forget that the treatment must be human, we are people knowing people, no one likes to be invaded by someone unknown. My best channel has been LinkedIn, I have been able to create new professional relationships and the best thing about this communication channel is that the contributions are reciprocal, we never stop learning and we can always take small things from the community

It's critical that you start networking early and look to plant seeds across a wide variety of firms in order to get into more interview processes over time. Networking is much less effective if you use it with short term gains in mind instead of trying to foster a mutually beneficial long term relationship. Play the long game and show genuine curiosity and you'll get more interviews than a more direct short term approach.

Pesquisa prévia: Antes da entrevista, pesquise sobre o entrevistado e o segmento em que ele atua. Familiarize-se com as transa??es recentes, as áreas de especializa??o e as tendências do mercado. Isso demonstrará seu interesse e prepara??o.

First, I'd research and identify investment bankers whose insights and experiences align with my interests and goals. This could include professionals working in specific sectors, firms, or roles that I'm interested in.

Perguntas relevantes: Prepare uma lista de perguntas relevantes sobre o trabalho do banqueiro de investimento, o setor em que atuam, as principais tendências e desafios, e as habilidades e experiências necessárias para ter sucesso na área. Isso mostrará seu interesse genuíno e permitirá que você obtenha informa??es valiosas.

Every little detail matters here. The subject line of your email affects whether they open your email in the first place. The body of the email affects whether they respond. If you have any commonality, make sure to mention it. If there's a specific reason why you chose to reach out to them out of all the people you could have reached out to, explain why. Politely ask for a little bit of their time to hop on a call, and be flexible and work around their busy schedule. A lot of people say not to attach your resume, but I find that if your resume is strong, it can actually help with your conversion rates to include it. The reason is bankers are very busy, and they don't want to waste their time talking to people who are unqualified.

Crisp and concise messages are really important because IB is a busy routine. They won't give your message more than 20-25 seconds. If in that time, your message interests them, then only they can think of moving forward with it.

I'd then reach out to them via email or LinkedIn, expressing my interest in learning more about their career paths and experiences. It's essential to be respectful of their time and clearly communicate the purpose of the informational interview.

This encompasses your motive of conducting the informational interview. Really think through your questions. They can even tell you what are the myths in this field that people generally think and what challenges they have faces.

The next step involves compiling a set of pertinent and insightful inquiries for the informational meeting. Conduct research on the interviewee's background, company, and position to tailor your questions appropriately. Steer clear of posing queries that are overly simplistic, sensitive, or inappropriate, such as those pertaining to compensation, bonuses, or rumors. Engage with questions like: What inspired your pursuit of an investment banking career? How did you secure your current position and what obstacles did you encounter? Explore the nature of their daily tasks, required skills, organizational culture, and work environment.

There are 5 main types of questions: 1. The banker's story - get to know them and use this to build rapport 2. The banker's firm/group/role - learn about their day to day and what it's like to work there 3. Career advice - these are very successful people, so try to learn as much as you can from them 4. Recruiting tips - they've been where you are, and have gotten to where you want to go; ask them how 5. Intros to other people - only ask for this at the end if the call goes well The key is not to ask the same canned questions in every single conversation. Instead, try to ask as many follow up questions as you can to each of their responses. Keep questions open-ended ("why" and "how"). Keep it a conversation, not an interrogation.

Mostre-se interessado: Durante a entrevista informativa, demonstre entusiasmo e interesse genuíno. Fa?a perguntas adicionais para aprofundar sua compreens?o e mostre que está ouvindo atentamente. Fa?a anota??es relevantes para que você possa se lembrar das informa??es compartilhadas posteriormente.

The questions you ask can make or break an informational interview. If you try to sound smart by asking very technical questions? DING. If you try to ask boring questions or it's obvious you're reading from a pre-prepared list? DING. The best questions are ones that show you've done your homework and understand the job, the firm and the group and you're looking for more specific answers... AND the best questions are the follow up questions that show you are actively listening. Everything else is usually just weaker.

Construa relacionamento: Utilize a entrevista informativa como uma oportunidade para construir um relacionamento genuíno com o banqueiro de investimento. Mostre-se interessado em sua trajetória profissional, fa?a perguntas sobre suas experiências e pe?a conselhos sobre como se destacar na área. Demonstre apre?o pelo tempo e conhecimento compartilhados.

In addition to what I said above already about the types of questions to ask, here are some additional tips for the call itself: 1. Always show up on time 2. If the banker doesn't show, wait 5 minutes and then send a follow up email asking if now is still a good time. If not, offer to reschedule 3. If it's in person or over zoom, dress up rather than dress down to show you're taking this call seriously 4. Make sure to take notes so that you can customize your thank you email after and also follow up to nurture the relationship in the future 5. Do not be rude and ask them for a referral outright, that could make things awkward. Let them offer 6. Ask for permission to stay in touch and keep them updated on your progress

Always make sure to send a thank you email the same day after the call. Thank them for the time they spent with you, and always include 1-2 sentences on what you enjoyed about the conversation, or what your biggest learning/takeaway is. If they had offered to help you in some way on the call (i.e. by making an introduction to other bankers, or passing your resume along to the recruiting team), thank them for that as well and give them anything they will need to make it happen (i.e. your resume). This will serve as a reminder so that they don't forget, since they're extremely busy.

Here's a decent template: [name] - thank you again for taking the time out of your busy day to give me more insight on [X] group. I hope you don't mind if I stay in touch as recruiting approaches and I'm wishing you all the best this [holiday coming up]. Best Regards, Patrick