I’ve been grinding through networking for summer analyst positions, and I realized I was approaching it all wrong. I was just sending generic LinkedIn messages and hoping someone would bite. But after talking to a few people who actually landed their spots, I noticed a pattern—the ones who succeeded weren’t necessarily the most connected. They had a strategy.
I started tracking what actually works. Cold outreach to bankers at your target firms, specific mentions of deals they’ve worked on, genuine questions about their day-to-day. That’s what gets responses. Not the “I’m passionate about finance” nonsense. People can smell that from a mile away.
The thing is, timing matters too. Reaching out in September when they’re drowning in deal work? Different response rate than October. And follow-up cadence—I learned that one follow-up a week later works. Two follow-ups in three days? You’re just annoying them.
I’m curious what the actual mechanics of this look like from your perspective. Are you seeing better results from certain outreach angles, or does it really just come down to persistence and being genuine about why you want to talk to someone?
look, half these kids think sending a well-crafted message is gonna magically land them an internship. it won’t. what actually matters is knowing someone already, or having something unique to say that makes them think you’re not just another target school kid. the timing thing’s real but overblown—deal flow matters way more than whatever september versus october nonsense you’re worried about.
honest take? most outreach fails because people don’t do the work. you gotta actually read their recent deals, understand what they do, and ask something that shows you’re not copypasting the same message to 50 people. responses go up like 10x when someone realizes you’re genuinely interested in them, not just fishing for an interview slot.
this is super helpful, thanks for laying it out. i’ve been way too generic in my messages. gonna start actually researching ppl before i reach out and mentioning specific deals. sounds like that’s what seperates the successful outreach from just noise.
the timing thing is intresting bc i didnt even think about deal flow seasons. so basically ur saying dont msg them when theyre swamped? that makes sense, bad time = no response even if msg is good.
You’re touching on something crucial here that most candidates overlook. The core principle is demonstrating genuine research and intentionality. When I’ve mentored candidates through this process, the ones who succeed treat outreach as a relationship-building exercise, not a transaction. They study the banker’s recent deals, understand the firm’s current positioning, and craft messages that show pattern recognition. On timing: yes, deal intensity affects responsiveness, but more importantly, reaching out during quieter periods signals that you’ve done your homework about market cycles. The follow-up cadence you mentioned—weekly—is sound. I’d add that quality of follow-up matters as much as frequency. A thoughtful, substantive second message outperforms a generic “just checking in” by orders of magnitude.
You’ve got the right mindset here! Genuine research + authentic outreach = way better results. You’re already leagues ahead by thinking strategically. Keep refining that approach and you’ll definitely crack through!
I went through this same thing last year. Started with generic messages, got nowhere. Then I spent like an hour researching this one MD at Goldman, found out he’d worked on this healthcare deal I thought was interesting, and actually asked him a legit question about the sector. He replied within hours. Turned into a coffee chat, which led to an intern conversation. The difference was just… giving a shit, you know? Not pretending, actually caring.
Based on patterns from successful candidates I’ve tracked, response rates to cold outreach sit around 3-5% for generic messages. When specificity increases—mentioning recent deals, asking substantive questions—that jumps to 12-18%. The weekly follow-up timing aligns with email research showing optimal engagement windows. Most banking firms show deal activity spikes August-September and January-February, so quieter periods like October-November do historically correlate with higher response rates. Persistence matters: candidates who reach out to 30+ relevant contacts typically secure multiple conversations.