Networking toolkit

Most interviews are won before the application.

A referral from someone on the desk moves your resume from a pile of thousands to a short list. These are the emails, questions, and habits that earn one.

The five emails (copy, personalize, send)

Cold outreach — alum

First contact with an alum of your school. Highest reply rate of any cold email — lead with the shared connection.

Subject: {School} student interested in {Bank} — quick question

Hi {Name},

I'm a {year} at {School} studying {major}, and I found your profile through {how — alumni database / LinkedIn / club}. I'm recruiting for {cycle, e.g. 2027 summer analyst} roles and {Bank}'s {group} group is high on my list.

Would you have 15 minutes in the next couple of weeks for a quick call? I'd love to hear how you found your path from {School} to {Bank} and any advice you'd give someone recruiting now.

Thanks so much — happy to work around your schedule.

Best,
{Your name}
{Phone} · {LinkedIn}

›Ask for 15 minutes, not 30 — you can always run long if they're enjoying it.
›Send Tuesday–Thursday, 8–10am their time. Avoid Mondays and Friday afternoons.
›One school-specific detail (a professor, a club they were in) lifts reply rates noticeably.

Cold outreach — no shared connection

No alum network at the bank. Reply rates are lower, so the email must show you did real homework.

Subject: Student interested in {Bank} {group} — 15 minutes?

Hi {Name},

I'm a {year} at {School} recruiting for {cycle} investment banking roles. I've been following {Bank}'s work in {sector} — {one specific, recent deal or theme, e.g. "the {Target} sale announced last month"} — and {group} is exactly the kind of platform I'm hoping to start my career on.

I know your time is scarce, but if you have 15 minutes in the coming weeks I'd really value hearing about your experience in the group.

Either way, thanks for reading this.

Best,
{Your name}
{Phone} · {LinkedIn}

›The named deal is the whole email. Without it, this is spam; with it, you're the rare student who did homework.
›Target analysts and associates first — they answer far more often than VPs/MDs and their word carries weight in recruiting.
›Never attach your resume to a first cold email. Send it if they ask, or after the call.

Follow-up — no reply

5–7 business days after the first email, once. If two emails go unanswered, move on — a third is a negative signal.

Subject: Re: {original subject}

Hi {Name},

I know things get busy — just floating this back to the top of your inbox in case it slipped through. Still would love 15 minutes whenever works, even a few weeks out.

Thanks again,
{Your name}

›Reply to your own thread so they see the original without scrolling.
›Keep it to three sentences. Repeating your whole pitch reads as pushy.
›No reply after this? Move on gracefully — you can ping once more when applications actually open.

Thank-you — after the chat

Within 24 hours of every call. Non-negotiable — skipping it can undo a great conversation.

Subject: Thank you — great speaking today

Hi {Name},

Thank you again for the time today. Your point about {one specific thing they said — a group dynamic, a piece of advice, a deal story} really stuck with me, and it sharpened how I'm thinking about {recruiting / the group / my prep}.

I'll keep you posted as recruiting progresses — and if there's ever anything I can do from campus, please don't hesitate.

Best,
{Your name}

›The specific callback detail proves you listened. A generic thank-you is a wasted touchpoint.
›This is also where you log their advice in your tracker — you'll reference it in the next touch.

Staying warm — before applications open

2–4 weeks before the bank's application opens, to people you've already spoken with. This is the email that converts chats into referrals.

Subject: Quick update — {Bank} application

Hi {Name},

Hope you've been well. Quick update: since we spoke I've {one concrete thing — finished a valuation course, led a fund pitch, completed an internship}.

{Bank}'s {cycle} application {opens / opened} {timing}, and I wanted to let you know I'll be applying to {group}. If there's anything you'd suggest as I put my application in, I'd be grateful — and thank you again for the advice earlier this {season}.

Best,
{Your name}

›This is the polite version of “please refer me.” Insiders flagging a name to HR is how many interviews actually happen.
›The concrete update matters: it shows trajectory since the last conversation, not just a favor request.
›If they offer to flag your resume — send it within the hour, as a clean PDF named {First-Last-School}.pdf.

Coffee-chat question bank

Prepare 5–6 per call; you'll use 4. Work top to bottom — path, then the group, then intel, then the close.

Their path

Open here — people enjoy telling their story, and it sets a warm tone.

·What took you from {school/previous role} to {Bank}?
·What surprised you most in your first six months on the desk?
·Was there anything you wish you'd done differently while recruiting?

The group & the work

Shows you're evaluating the seat seriously, not just collecting calls.

·How does staffing work in your group — generalist pool or verticals?
·What separates the analysts who get the best staffings from the rest?
·How much live-deal exposure does a first-year actually get in your group?
·How would you describe the group's culture compared to peers?

Recruiting intel

Ask near the end — practical questions whose answers change what you do next.

·What do interviewers at {Bank} tend to focus on beyond the standard technicals?
·When does your group realistically start paying attention to candidates?
·Is there anything about my background I should be ready to address?

The close

Always end with these two — they create the next touchpoint.

·Is there anyone else on the team you'd suggest I speak with?
·Would you mind if I kept you posted as recruiting progresses?

The unwritten rules

Do

✓Research them for 10 minutes before the call — school, path, group, any deals their team announced.
✓Call from a quiet room, join one minute early, and have 5–6 questions ready (you'll use 4).
✓Let them talk 70% of the time. You're there to listen, not to recite your resume.
✓Log every chat in your tracker the same day — name, date, what they said, the follow-up you owe.

Don't

✗Don't ask for a referral or a job on the first call. The ask is advice; referrals follow relationships.
✗Don't ask anything Google answers (“what does {Bank} do?”) — it burns the whole conversation.
✗Don't trash other banks or interviewers. It always travels further than you think.
✗Don't mass-email a group with the same template and visible mistakes — desks compare notes.

Your pipeline

Recruiting is a numbers game with a memory. Track everyone — who you've emailed, who you've chatted with, and the follow-up you owe.

No contacts yet. Add everyone you plan to reach — then update their status after each touchpoint.

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