C'est vraiment intéressant ce truc, a propos de l'économe au canada, très bien fait et vraiment ien pensé

1. Recruitment Ready
Networking and Etiquette

2. 2
Outline
1. Company Sessions
2. Follow-up Note
3. Cold Calling
4. How to Dress?
5. Interview Etiquette
6. Q&A

3. Company Sessions

4. 4
Don’ts
• Do not bring a copy of your resume or a business card
– If you stand out, they will remember you!
• Do not stand more than 5 minutes with the same firm employee
– Be time efficient, try to talk to as many people as possible
• Do not ask questions about finance or the markets or why this bank
– Everybody does that, they will not be impressed by your knowledge as they definitely know more
than you do
• Do not be shy!
– If you don’t talk to them, they won’t know who you are (ie. absolute waste of time of going to the
information session)
• Do not get drunk!
– With free wine, it’s easy to drink one too many and become red in the face before you even know it

5. 5
Do’s
• Research the company beforehand!
– All the banks will tell you the same things (best culture, #1 in M&A, #1 in equities, #1 in whatever)
– Gives you intelligent talking points with firm employees that will make you stand out
– If you talk to investment bankers, ask about a big deal the bank has participated in recently
• Try to talk to the junior bankers (ie. analysts, associates)
– While it is nice talking to MD’s and VP’s, they are not as involved in the recruitment process
– Junior bankers are the ones screening resumes and giving interviews, they are the ones who you
want to be remembered by
• Ask for business cards and know how to exit a conversation politely
– Perfectly acceptable to say: “Thank you so much for taking your time to come to this session and it
was a pleasure talking to you.”
• Try to remember the faces and one interesting topic during the discussion
– After the conversation, take notes on the business card

6. 6
Questions to Ask
• “What was your background before investment banking/S&T?”
• “You mentioned you worked in Consumers, have you worked on any big consolidation
deals lately?”
• “What are your interests outside of banking and how do you reconcile them with your busy
schedule?”
• “Finance is a tough industry, what is your personal motivation that keeps you going every
day?”
Don’t ask technical questions, try to find people who are not surrounded by
a large group, and follow-up!

7. Follow Up Note

8. 8
Follow Up
Dear Mr. Blankfein,
First, I would like to thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to attend
yesterday’s information session. It was very helpful and reaffirmed my strong desire to build a
career with Golden Slacks.
It was also very interesting to hear your perspective on the recent Heinz deal, giving an inside
perspective on how large deals are executed.
Also, I was wondering if I could ask you a few more questions about the firm. Would it be
possible to set up a 5 minute call in the near future?
Best regards,
John Doe

9. Cold Calling

10. 10
Cold Calling
• Before anything, polish your Linked In account so it looks clean and professional
• Linked In gives you access to all the professionals, you just need to know how to use it!
– Search company employees by the universities they attended
• Send out a lot of messages (not everybody will reply)
• Ask for a phone call instead of an electronic communication
• Be prepared and ready for your calls
– First one is difficult, but it gets easier with practice
• Remember, you don’t have anything to lose!

11. How to Dress?

12. 12
Men

13. 13
Women

14. 14
Wardrobe
• If you want to work in Finance, you will definitely need several suits
– Invest in one really good one (ideally made-to-measure)
• If you have several rounds with a bank, don’t wear the same tie or shirt twice!
• Try to learn how to do a Double Windsor knot
• Always shine your shoes before an interview and don’t forget to double check that you are
not wearing white socks!
• When in doubt, go for the conservative shirt/tie (bankers are boring and don’t like people
that stand out, especially not juniors)

15. Interview Etiquette

16. 16
How to Make a Good Impression
• Be on time! Actually, be 10 minutes early!
– If there are other candidates, receptionists, talk to them
• Keep your cell phone off at all times
• Offer a strong firm handshake and follow person to room with conviction
– This is actually the first impression they get from you
• Look in the eyes and sit with fully erect shoulders
– Makes you look more confident
• Smile and use your hands to emphasize the points you are making
– Make sure you are not doing anything annoying like foot tapping

17. 17
Must Do’s in an Interview
• Ask for a business card at the end if not given
• When asked “do you have any questions”, absolutely ask some!
– Prepare 3-4 questions you could ask to any interviewer that are not generic
– Don’t ask about the salary
– It is ok to ask about the next steps in the process
• Thank them twice at the end (for the opportunity and for taking their time)
• Again, send a follow-up/thank you note
• Make sure you can easily be reached after the interview and be ready for calls at random
hours

18. Q&A

19. 19
Contact
• Mak Doric – Goldman Sachs (Investment Banking)
– mak.doric@mail.mcgill.ca
• Michaela Hirsh – JP Morgan (Investment Banking)
– michaela.hirsh@mail.mcgill.ca
• Rami Karabibar – Bain (Consulting)
– rami.karabibar@mail.mcgill.ca
• Rene Boissonnault – RBC (Investment Banking)
– rene.boissonnault@mail.mcgill.ca