You might be thinking: Why network? Can’t I just submit my résumé online, wait for HR to email me, go through interviews, and land the offer?
If you’ve ever job-hunted, you know it’s not that simple.
And now it’s worse. AI isn’t just on your side writing résumés—it’s on the company’s side too, scanning and filtering applications before a human ever sees them. The traditional process was already frustrating. Add automation, and it feels stacked against you.
That’s why we need something else. For those of us without the perfect school or brand-name experience, networking is the way we show the world what we can do.
The Front Door vs. the Back Door
There are two ways to get a job: the front door and the back door.
The front door is rule-driven. If you’re Princeton → Goldman → Silver Lake, or Stanford → Meta → Google, and you meet the GPA requirement, you’re in the system. You apply through on-campus recruiting or the career site, interview, and get the offer.
The back door is everything else—getting interviews without a posted listing.
Why is the front door easier and faster? Because hiring managers (myself included) default to brand names. It’s a shortcut. When someone comes from a top school and well-known firm, we assume—rightly or wrongly—that they’re qualified.
If you’re from a lesser-known school and smaller employer, my first assumption may not favor you. But if I’ve actually spoken with you, heard your insights, and built trust, I’ll vouch for you.
At the end of the day, we want the best talent, not just the best résumé. Networking is what makes that possible—it’s the mechanism that levels the playing field.
Why Networking Matters Even More at the Top
The best jobs are rarely posted. The more senior, elite, or specialized the role, the less likely it ever appears on a job board.
Hedge funds, for example, almost never advertise openings. People often ask me if my job board includes “hidden” hedge fund jobs. My answer: if it’s not on my board, it’s not public on the internet at all.
Why? Because employers aren’t looking for the most applicants—they want a small pool of qualified people. Those roles are filled quietly, through recruiters and personal networks. And if your profile doesn’t fit a recruiter’s checklist, recruiters don’t want to help you because they want to look good in front of their fund clients.
That’s why for industries like hedge funds, direct networking isn’t optional.
Mentors
Networking isn’t just about jobs—it’s about mentorship.
Mentors are people who’ve already done what you want to do. They’ve made the mistakes you haven’t yet made, saving you years of time and plenty of money. They’ll point out the fastest path, steer you away from costly errors, vouch for you at promotion time, and open doors you can’t knock on alone.
There’s no formal application to “get a mentor.” It happens informally, through relationships built over time.
And here’s the truth: at work, it’s not just what you do that gets you promoted—it’s what others think you do. That may feel unfair, but it makes sense. The higher you rise, the more your job is about selling—yourself, your ideas, your company’s story. If you can’t sell yourself internally, why would leadership trust you to sell the firm to investors, clients, or the market?
Intel You Can’t Google
People leave jobs all the time because of bad fit. Networking gives you intel you won’t find online. With the right network, you’ll know your future boss, team, and culture—good and bad—before you commit.
That PM selling a “long-term private equity approach”? Sounds great—until you learn, through backchannels, they’re really just day trading. Better to know that before you quit a stable seat.
👉 Bottom line: Networking isn’t optional. It’s the system’s back door—and for most of us, it’s the only real way in.
Mindset
There’s no step-by-step manual for networking—it’s not supposed to be mechanical. But there are mindsets that make all the difference.
Be Valuable
It all starts with one thing: you have to show promise as a talent. No amount of networking covers up weak skills. People may like you, but they won’t risk their credibility if you’re not good. The doors only open when skill + reputation + genuine connections come together.
And networking won’t work if your people skills are broken. Arrogance and talking at people instead of with them quietly get you blacklisted. And no one tells you why.
If you’ve been doing informational interviews that never lead anywhere, it may be worth asking: can you do the job? are you rubbing people the wrong way?
Blind persistence alone won’t fix it. Ideally, you catch it yourself—or have a friend willing to risk your feelings and tell you.
Start Today
The best time to build a network was yesterday. The second-best time is now. You build a network long before you need it—trust and reputation compound over time, they don’t appear overnight.
In my own business, most new clients now come through referrals, not ads. That’s trust. That’s brand. But it only happened because I started planting seeds years ago.
That’s why you don’t wait until you’re job hunting or suddenly out of work to start networking. I get calls all the time from people already in cushy buy-side seats, looking for a higher-paying role—yet they barely know anyone in the industry. I’ll ask them: “What do you do at analyst days or sell-side events when you’re sitting next to other buy-siders?” Usually, the answer is: nothing.
And only then do they regret not investing in professional relationships.
Please start networking today.
It’s Not Just About Job Leads
Networking shouldn’t just be about getting a job—it’s about building real, lasting connections. With the right mindset, it becomes fun, genuine, and far more valuable.
Before starting my MBA at NYU, I reached out to peers at stronger programs for guidance. One of them, Lauren—a year ahead at Columbia Business School—took my call and shared invaluable tips on breaking into public equity. I kept her updated on my internships and job offers, said hi when I saw her at conferences, and later stayed in touch after she moved to another state for a buy-side role. Over time, we became friends. To this day, we still catch up monthly, and I continue to learn from her perspective.
During COVID, I had monthly calls with three such connections. One of them—also a Columbia MBA—pushed me to launch the equity research job board that became my first successful product. None of that would have happened if I had treated networking as a transactional tool.
I also saw the wrong ways to approach business relationships. During my MBA internship recruiting, two firms I was interested in hosted events on the same night. I went to one, classmates went to the other. The next day, I asked one classmate if he could share his notes. His replied without hesitation: “Sure—if you tell me what your firm said first.” That reflexively transactional attitude killed any sense of camaraderie. I never asked him for anything again. That’s not networking—that’s bartering. And as someone who read Influence by Cialdini before starting MBA, I was ready to hand him my notes - I just wanted to see how he reacted.
Here’s the reality: people can tell whether you’re genuine or just trying to extract something.
Networking works when you show up curious, generous, and patient. That’s also how you build your personal brand.
So, What Works?
Look the part. No need for designer clothes, but dress well in clothing that fits. Match the culture of the industry you’re targeting.
Do your homework. Read interviews, articles, and watch or listen to TV/podcast appearances of your networking target—show you care.
Find common ground. People like people who remind them of themselves. Doing your homework makes this easier.
Start junior. It’s often easier to connect with people earlier in their careers.
Just do it. Early in my career, I held back, thinking I had nothing to offer. A friend told me: “They’re human beings, just like you. Just ask.” That mindset changed everything.
Communicate well. Be concise, tell your story, and ask thoughtful questions.
Meet in person. Trust builds fastest face-to-face. Video is second best, then phone or email. Nothing replaces sitting across the table. You may not agree or like it, but I am a big proponent of returning to office (of course, as a hypocrite, I have no office to go to because I work for myself)
Send thank-you emails. Always, within 24 hours.
Give first. Share info, make introductions, add value—no strings attached. Don’t be that transactional guy from my MBA class. If you have to think transactionally, always give 100x more value to others than what you extract from them.
Keep your connections. An informational interview isn’t the finish line. The real magic comes from nurturing the relationship over time.
Be consistent with your brand. Jamie Dimon once told HBS graduates: “There’s already a book written about you, and I don’t even have to talk to you to know you.” You already have a personal brand. People can easily ask around to find out what you’re really like. A bad reputation is far harder to fix than having no reputation at all. Otherwise, Warren Buffett wouldn’t say “it takes twenty-five years to build a reputation but only five minutes to ruin it.”
Have a call-to-action. In marketing, you always ask customers to take the next step after giving them value. Networking works the same way—if you don’t ask for what you need, people will assume you don’t need anything. If there’s an active opening on their team, ask how you can be considered. If there isn’t, ask to be kept in mind when something comes up. If you want an introduction to someone more senior, ask for it. People are busy and forgetful. It’s always better to ask and risk a “no” than to stay silent and get nothing.
Hope this was helpful. If you’ve learned networking tips along the way that worked for you, drop them in the comments—I’d love for the audience to benefit from your experience too.
And if you’re looking for buy-side–specific strategies—how to research funds, structure your outreach, run informational interviews, and maintain your network—I cover all of that in my mini networking course, built for the nuances of the investment management industry.
Thanks for reading. I will talk to you next time.
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