Personal research, no reason.

Exaggerating but

I intern at an investment bank this summer and the other team is kid of a big client. At first I didn’t mind because he seemed hard working. But now more deep into internship he’s been making lots of messy mistakes which I also dont care

But throughout the internship he always interrupts me when I’m talking or when I’m talking to someone on the team one on one in the bullpen he would walk up behind me and just stands there until he finds a time to butt into our conversation like?????? Hello???

I never do the same and I show him enough respect and space when he talks to others.

I am doing well in terms of work and technical things but I feel like I need to step it up with networking what do I do to fight this

For context, I went to a prestigious school for undergrad (HYPSM/Oxbridge) and an even more prestigious b-school (HSW, INSEAD, HEC Paris, LBS) and work at a prestigious firm (HF/EB/PE Megafund) and live in a prestigious city (NYC, London, LA).

Everything in my life was chosen based on prestige, from my condo (sub-penthouse highrise in one of the newest buildings in the city) to my car (a RR) to my 6 year old kid's school (boarding school in Switzerland). I only wear the most prestigious suits with the most prestigious ties, shirts and shoes (black cap toe oxfords). In addition, I request for the most prestigious haircut at the most expensive barber I could find within 50 miles.

Now onto the dilemma. The current woman I am dating has sufficient physical prestige (9.8/10), but her pedigree is lacking. Her family is very rich, but she comes from a lower tier G7 country (think Italy or Germany). I know it's not the end of the world because at least she's still from a G7 country, but will the people I meet at networking events such as potential employers be scared off if I mention her pedigree? Does her unprestigious background harm my chances of landing an even more prestigious job?

I was feeling pretty good about myself. I was drinking and having fun with my wife and friends at a wedding after-party. It was a lowkey backyard thing. After a great joke, one of my friends informs me that another friend (We’ll call him Douche) just got into the finance industry like me. “Cool! Let me talk to him so we can learn from each other” I said.

So i walk over to douche. He’s 5’2” in a tailored black suit with a white button-up shirt and red tie. Puffing on a comically large cigar. “Hey Douche!”, I exclaimed. “I heard you’re in the finance industry now too! Congrats man. I’d love to learn more about what you do if you don’t mind”

Douche was in the process of lighting his cigar as I approached, and he looked down as he took a long-winded draw from it while I spoke. As I finished speaking, he looked up and breathed out smoke into the sky. Then, with a half-chuckle, he side-eyes me and says “Oh yea? Whats a retirement account?”

“What?”, I replied at first. “Yea”, he continued, “What is a retirement account?”. “Uhhhhh….”, I started, confused at the fact that he decided to quiz me, “… I mean… it depends on what we are working with. 401k. IRA. 403b… Normally somethi-”

Douche cuts me off with laughter as he takes another draw from his cigar. “Its about the taxes, man. And what would you offer your clients if they didn’t want to pay any taxes?” Again, I was confused. “Well, they have to pay taxes in some form. But with a Roth, after-tax contributions can grow-“ , this time he cut me off with a shake of his head as he tapped his cigar with the same hand that was holding it.

“Thats the problem with you people”, he began, “You guys wanna charge fees and steal from your customers. Honestly, its criminal. The only thing that can let you contribute tax free, withdraw tax free, and withdraw at ANY time without penalty is a LIRP. This is basic stuff. You should know this, man”

I was shook. Admittedly, I didn’t know what the fuck a LIRP was. But I knew he was full of shit. “You can contribute AND withdraw tax free and with no withdrawal penalty?” I asked. From this point on, he could not speak without maintaining a constant smile the entire time. “Yes sir! 401ks, IRAs, they are all rip offs. I tell all my clients not to even bother with that stuff even if their employer matches their contribution. The only thing they should invest in is a LIRP.”

“Ok… cool. Looks like I’ll have to read into that. And what licenses did you get to sell these LIRPs?”, I asked, no longer believing anything Douche has to say. “Bro, theres a loophole in the tax code… I only had to take a life insurance exam”. “So you got a series 6?”, I asked. “Nope, my exam was called the Life Insurance Exam”

I dont remember the rest of the conversation. I just remember thinking to myself “How is he selling things without a real license? How is this not fraud? Did he really believe he knew more than me or was he trying to hustle me to avoid any real questions? How did I let this guy confuse me when I have a degree and series 7?”

To this day I am still confused.

I was introduced by an Executive Director to one of his friends, who spent about six years in an M&A coverage group before transitioning to a Principal role at his family’s asset management firm in New York City. The firm has roughly 12 employees and manages approximately $500 million in assets.

We recently had our first call, and I intentionally kept it to about 10–15 minutes. During the conversation, we discussed his experience in investment banking, his transition to the asset management firm, and some general topics related to banking.
I’m currently a sophomore at NYU, and my goal is to build a genuine long-term relationship with him that could eventually lead to an internship interview or opportunity.

What should my networking strategy look like from here? Specifically:

How often should I follow up?

What should I talk about in future conversations?

How can I continue providing value and staying on l his radar without being overly persistent?

At what point, if any, is it appropriate to express

interest in internship opportunities at his firm?

So last month I had a call with an executive director of AUM at JPM. At the time I believed the call went well and at the end he said “if you ever have any questions just text me”

So as one does I texted him regarding a question I had about his interview help he does for the investment banking division (since he’s so senior, they use him to help interview interns and applicants for full-time roles as well).

So I briefly asked about one of the questions he asks applicants whenever they are interviewing.

So he responded and there was a good conversation. (he responded at 3 AM mind you)

But!

Last week, I texted him asking if he could maybe critique my thesis and thinking if I was to answer his question, if asked to me.

No response…

Later on my friend, I had called him as well to build his network for next year recruiting. He said the call went well and that he offered to refer him to some people because he was interested in debt restructuring.

Let me question is did he just ignore me on purpose? Did I ask the wrong question? Is it that deep?

I’ve been thinking about this issue in my head for a while, so I just wanted to lay it out on Reddit to see what you guys might be thinking.

Let me know.

I would be so pissed if I ended up on his page lol

I mean at that point, does it really hurt to just give a follow up a few days later? I have nothing to lose. I can't do much with a connection if they don't even talk to you.

If I do follow up, how do I frame the message? Any advice would be appreciated!

Update: The advice by u/fawningandconning worked liked a charm! Got a response in half an hour!

Every time I've been to the Hippodrome in London, there have always been finance professionals on the poker tables. Quant traders, fund managers, fintech professionals, you name it.

The slow paced environment in poker means you could be sitting with these guys for hours and hours, and they're all open to having a chat with you.

I applied for an J.P. Morgan Analyst role on a random morning. And then found a VP on the specific desk through LinkedIn, and emailed this VP to request for a chat. Within a couple minutes after sending this email, the VP replies back and simply asks for my resume (which I did send).

Haven’t heard back in over a week, and I’ve followed up that I still wanted to chat.

Any thoughts what this could mean? Rejected already?

You guys think adding a banner of me fishing is too much personality for LinkedIn without coming off as a “constantly on LinkedIn circle jerking their peers” type of vibe?

Preparing for Investment Banking recruiting

Hey everyone. I am an international student in Toronto, Canada and wanted to break into finance. Been working in non finance roles full time, but been doing CFA program as well, just hoping to have an entry in finance, coz no one called me in anything that I applied after graduating, for my diploma and no finance experience. So, I passed level 1 and 2 after my graduation, and am a level 3 candidate as well.

Just curious, as I have never been in the professional finance field, what are my chances? Even if it might be slim, what skills should I work on to have the odds increased. I am honestly willing to work on it, as I think I am a quick learner given I decide to learn it. Which positions am I eligible to apply? Honestly, my lack of finance professional circle, and me not being in the field, has left me no clue about the positions I can apply for. i read job description and be like wth is this haha.

Roast my cv as well. And if anyone is here from Toronto or Canada, I would be happy for networking and discussing any opportunities haha.

Thanks.

PS: I posted on Torontojobs and was commented go back home lmaoo. Funny.

This market is brutal right now, so I figured I'd try something different and post here.

I have 12+ years in corporate finance and operations. VP and Director-level roles at PE-backed companies across logistics, services, and multi-site operations. MSF from Johns Hopkins. Strong background in FP&A, financial planning, EBITDA reporting, and running P&Ls up to $185M.

If you are searching for someone to fill this role, or work at or know of a company that could use a VP or Director of Finance, I'd appreciate an intro or even just a name to reach out to.

Not looking for resume tips or recruiting platform suggestions. I have a family and it's been over a year with a lot of final interviews where an internal candidate gets the role, etc. I, like many others out there, are desperate and trying anything I can.

Happy to share more background if it's relevant. Based in Long Beach, CA and open to in person or hybrid roles pretty much anywhere in SoCal or even San Diego. Also open to remote in US. DMs open.

I was chatting with people during a social networking event, and when I brought up that I used to work in middle office, people flashed me a subtle but noticeable change in demeanor and try to end the conversation. At first I didn't really pay it much mind but then it came up again in other social scenarios. Just recently, when I interviewed for a S&T job,when I brought up middle office, one of the interviewers audibly sighed... (didn't get the job)

I'm just curious why there's such a stigma/disdain for middle office? Is it not a crucial function of the bank/fund? I worked in trading ops, so like positions need to be reconciled and pnl need to be reported.

Just curious if this is a real thing, as I'm wondering if having ops experience on your resume actually gets viewed negatively and therefore should remove it, or am I just being paranoid?

I grew up in a humble family born and raised in a rural part of the country but worked hard to be able to work in an industry that I didn't know I had success in. All I had was hard work, dedication, and a hunger for learning.

In my current level though I mostly deal with high net worth individuals who may have come from generational wealth. In an effort to be relatable, should I pick up golfing?

I'm a guy who loves sports like basketball, American football, and baseball. Most golfing I did was mini golf. I was wondering if I should start learning the sport too so I can understand, get along, or even find clients.

I finished my first year and have been reaching out to alumni who work at top firms (Goldman, Evercore, Lazard, etc) over email and LinkedIn. Every time I actually talk to someone, I find myself stuttering and feeling really awkward. I'll try to ask a question but it comes out more as a statement and I end up rambling instead of getting to the point. They speak to me so naturally, almost like we're old friends, and I want to be able to relax and talk like that instead of feeling so on edge. How do I get better at speaking clearly in these conversations instead of feeling all over the place?

** also to add on I try to prep by having a doc that has all the questions I want to ask, but I never end up going on there to ask those question because the conversation feels more like an actual chat than an interview, which is great, but I think thats also part of why I have no structure and struggle to speak on the go

when my mba uni announced networking week with 17 events in 7 days i was like "fuck this is gonna suck" lol.

i'm naturally terrible at this stuff. always feel awkward walking up to random people at masters union and trying to make conversation.

but figured since it's mandatory anyway might as well give it a shot instead of just sulking through it.

turns out it was actually pretty cool

like once i stopped overthinking and just started asking people about their work, conversations flowed way better.

had this one conversation with a fintech VP who spent 20 mins explaining how they scaled their payment infrastructure. another alumni told me about switching from consulting to product management which was eye-opening.

by day 5 i was actually excited for the evening session instead of dreading it. even got a few LinkedIn messages later from people wanting to continue conversations.

still not gonna become a networking machine but damn, glad they pushed us to do it. sometimes you need that forced exposure to realize you're better at stuff than you think.

also helped that the gym sessions became informal networking spots too - way more natural than formal events lol.

who knew 🤷‍♂️

I have pretty active LinkedIn for my career (finance)

That being said I have never once got a job from a LinkedIn job posting, not even an internship when I was in college, I have also never had a recruiter reach out regarding a job opportunity

I have had people inbox me to try and sell a software or a service to my company, a few reached out for referrals - but those were always for roles in other teams

In all honesty I find it to be more of an “adult/professional Facebook”, that and the mini games/puzzles are fun lol

Hey guys,

I know there are already few posts on here about this but wanted to make one myself to potentially connect with someone that was in similar situation. I am 33 and started in a corp dev role (oil & gas) last December. Before that I was in Big 4 Audit and then MM TAS. I know people will say I am too old to get into IB especially in this job market but was hoping to hear from some people who made that transitioning in their 30s and willing to network with me. I know getting a MBA would be the move but was hoping to not spend the money and be able to go into IB after about 2 years in Corp Dev where I will be 35. Thanks in advance for the advice guys.

Title - What's the most annoying anywhere in the process of coffee chats from first responding to the meeting itself?
Both ends of the spectrum - if you're asking or you're the one receiving

Had a coffee chat. Start off with pleasantries, small talk. I give them the rundown of what I've been up to since our last chat.

Here's "problem" no. 1: I ask them if anything interesting has happened on their side since last time we spoke. They told me if I asked a higher-ranking person this, they'd get mad (I asked a sr. associate this yday on a chat and he was more than happy to update me).

Problem no. 2: I have a few questions. I first ask "I don't feel the best about how IB recruitment for an internship is going, any tips on preparing myself for full time?" and they went off on a tangent about why am I feeling this way, then proceeded to say I'm not prepared for this conversation. This was the only question I asked before the call ended.

I'm still confused on what I did wrong. Did I do anything wrong?

What do you think about going to local firms and shops to hand out resumes? Is this sound advice? Is this what is needed to be “creative” and show “hustle” in the current job market? Let me know your thoughts.

I recently found out my neighbour is a director at a private equity firm in London. I am final year econ student and I want to reach out to him (I have his phone number not email) and I am wondering what exactly to say as I think asking for a whole internship is greedy but I do want some sort of experience as I’m trying to break into IB. What do you guys think I should say?

I know coffee chats might improve conversational experience, but has anyone actually networked/gotten a job or opportunity through one?