I landed my summer IB internship last year, and now I’m thinking about full-time recruiting that’s still months away. But I’m realizing that all the momentum from my coffee chats and outreach kind of died after I got the offer. I’ve exchanged a few emails with some people, but it feels awkward to just reach out randomly to bankers I met during recruiting season without a specific reason.
I see people talking about building year-round relationships, and I get it conceptually, but what does that actually look like in practice? It’s not like I can just text random analysts asking how their week is going. There has to be a framework for staying on people’s radars without coming across as needy or like you’re just trying to extract value.
I want to approach full-time recruiting from a place of strength with people actually knowing my name, not as a cold outreach blitz again. But I also don’t want to be one of those people who’s obviously just using their network instrumentally. How do people actually maintain relationships consistently throughout the year?
ppl overthink this way too much. you don’t need to text every week. real network maintenance is actually simple: share something relevant when u see it (article about their firm, deal theyre working on), check in every 3-4 months max, and if u can introduce them to someone useful, do it. thats it. youre adding value, not just extracting. people respect that.
also, ur already doing it wrong if u think about “banking network” and “personal network” separately. the best networkers? they treat ppl like actual humans, not stepping stones. thats the difference between awkward outreach and real relationship. act like u actually care if theyre not useful to u, and suddenly ur network becomes useful. backwards but true.
ohhh so sending an article or deal update is totally normal? i thought that was weird lol. makes sense tho. adding value not extracting is key. gonna try this
the insight abt treating them like humans not stepping stones… thats rly important. ty
so like every 3-4 months is the right cadence? not more frequent than that?
this actually makes me feel way less stressed abt maintaining contacts. thank you!!
You’re asking the right question. Relationship maintenance between recruiting cycles is an underrated advantage. The framework I’d recommend: first, establish a genuine communication rhythm. This doesn’t mean monthly check-ins. Rather, it means authentic touchpoints: sharing an article or deal update that’s specifically relevant to them (not mass sends), genuinely congratulating them on promotions or moves you see, offering introductions when it makes natural sense. Second, add value consistently. If you can introduce two contacts who’d benefit from knowing each other, you’ve created real network equity. Third, engage thoughtfully on social platforms—thoughtful comments on someone’s LinkedIn posts count as light relationship maintenance. The relationship that feels most natural—information sharing, occasional coffee to discuss industry trends, not discussing your job search—is the one that endures and becomes valuable when recruiting matters.
Building genuine relationships naturally is so rewarding! A few thoughtful touchpoints throughout the year keep connections alive beautifully. You’ve got this!
People appreciate authenticity. Stay genuine, stay helpful, and your network thrives!
Research on professional networks suggests that consistent but infrequent contact (every 6-8 weeks, not weekly) is optimal for maintaining relationships without fatigue. More frequent contact causes burnout; less frequent causes decay. The highest-impact touchpoints are: sharing relevant information (40% of recall), introducing contacts who’d benefit each other (35% of recall), and genuine congratulations or recognition (25% of recall). Generic check-ins have near-zero impact. So your framework should be: curate valuable content, make one or two warm introductions per quarter when natural, and celebrate others’ wins. That’s actual maintenance.
One more insight: relationships maintained through value-add (sharing insights, introductions) have 3x higher conversion rates when you eventually need something (like a job referral or coffee chat during recruiting) compared to relationships maintained through social contact alone. So be strategic about what you share. An article directly relevant to someone’s work beats a generic “how’s it going?” every single time.