A simple way young people can avoid a major faux pas at a Wall Street bank
You want to network and build relationships, but you have to do it with tact.
We've heard some really simple advice from a senior-level banker and we'd like to pass it on: Don't ask a managing director to get coffee with you. They don't have time.
"I try not to do things that are big time sinks, like the random people that want to meet me for coffee," one managing director at a large investment bank told us.
Instead, it's more tactful to schedule time to meet with the managing director at their office, or at a venue of their choosing.
"It's so much easier. You know, you waste ten minutes in the elevator, then you waste time in the coffee line, and then you feel like you have to spend thirty minutes with someone. Then you're walking back up. That's an hour, and it doesn't need to be an hour."
Time is everything in this business. That 20 minute meeting in the convenience of someone's office is much more impactful.
Of course, if a managing director suggests coffee that's fine.
Are you a senior-level person working on Wall Street? Do you have advice for the younger generation? Feel free to send an email to jlaroche@businessinsider.com.