Free networking guides

Learn to network your way into finance.

The exact playbook we used to break in: cold emails that get replies, coffee chats that build real relationships, and the follow-up system that turns them into referrals. Free to read.

Networking Guide

How to Network Your Way Into Investment Banking

A step-by-step networking guide for students breaking into investment banking: who to contact, how to reach out, how to run a coffee chat, the follow-up cadence that works, and how to turn conversations into referrals.

9 min readRead

Cold Outreach

How to Write a Cold Email for Investment Banking

How to write investment banking cold emails that get replies: the structure, subject lines, who to contact, realistic response rates, and follow-up timing. Ready-to-send templates are in the Script Vault.

7 min readRead

Networking Guide

Coffee Chat Questions to Ask in Finance

The best coffee chat questions to ask bankers and consultants, the questions to avoid, how to run an informational interview, and how to follow up so a 15-minute chat turns into a referral.

7 min readRead

Recruiting Guide

How to Break Into Investment Banking

A complete guide for students on how to break into investment banking: the recruiting timeline, on-cycle vs off-cycle, target vs non-target strategy, and the networking and interview prep that win offers.

10 min readRead

Interview Prep

Investment Banking Interview Questions

The investment banking interview questions you will actually be asked, from 'walk me through a DCF' to 'why investment banking,' how technical and behavioral questions are weighted, and how to prepare.

8 min readRead

Networking Guide

How to Network for Consulting Recruiting

How to network your way into management consulting and MBB: who to reach out to, how referrals and coffee chats work in consulting recruiting, the timeline, and how networking fits alongside case prep.

7 min readRead

Recruiting Guide

How to Break Into Private Equity

How to break into private equity: the traditional analyst-to-associate path, on-cycle vs off-cycle recruiting, the central role of headhunters, and how to prepare for PE recruiting.

8 min readRead

Interview Prep

Investment Banking Superday: What to Expect

What an investment banking superday is, how the final round works, the behavioral and technical questions you will face, and exactly how to prepare so you walk in calm and walk out with an offer.

8 min readRead

Recruiting Guide

How to Break Into Venture Capital

How to break into venture capital as a student or early professional: what VCs actually look for, the common paths in, why networking and building a public reputation matter more than a formal pipeline, and how to prepare.

8 min readRead

Interview Prep

How to Prepare for Consulting Case Interviews

A practical guide to consulting case interview prep: what a case interview is, the frameworks that actually help, how to structure your thinking, how many cases to practice, and the common mistakes that sink candidates.

9 min readRead

Cold Outreach

How to Find Any Banker's Email Address

Every major bank's email format in one place: how banker email addresses work (first.last@gs.com), the exact patterns at 40+ investment banks from Goldman Sachs to Jefferies, the domain traps that cause bounces, and what to do when an email bounces.

9 min readRead

Tracker Tips

How to Import Your Networking Spreadsheet Into OfferPath

Already tracking contacts in Google Sheets or Excel? Export it as a CSV and import it straight into OfferPath: how the column mapping works, what happens to duplicates, and how the free 50-contact limit applies.

5 min readRead

Recruiting Guide

How to Break Into Investment Banking from a Non-Target School

A realistic playbook for landing investment banking offers from a non-target school: the grades and internships you need, how much networking it actually takes, response rates to expect, and the backup paths that still get you there.

10 min readRead

Networking Guide

How to Follow Up With Bankers (Without Being Annoying)

The follow-up system for investment banking networking: how long to wait, how many times to try, what to write, when to stop, and the etiquette mistakes that get you quietly blacklisted.

8 min readRead

Cold Outreach

How to Use LinkedIn to Network Into Investment Banking

How students should actually use LinkedIn for investment banking networking: profile setup, connection request notes, platform limits, why the real ask belongs in email, and whether Premium is worth it.

8 min readRead

Recruiting Guide

The Freshman and Sophomore Year Plan for Investment Banking

A year-by-year plan for landing an investment banking internship, built for today's accelerated timeline: what to do freshman fall, which early insight programs to apply to, and how to be interview-ready before applications open in sophomore year.

9 min readRead

Networking Guide

How to Ask for a Referral in Investment Banking

How referrals actually work inside banks, when you have earned the right to ask, the exact timing around applications, direct vs indirect asks, and the etiquette that keeps your advocates on your side.

8 min readRead

Interview Prep

Investment Banking HireVue Interviews: What to Expect

How the HireVue video interview works at investment banks: the format and timing, the questions banks actually ask, what the AI does and does not do, and how to prepare answers that survive a 90-second recording window.

8 min readRead

Recruiting Guide

Off-Cycle Investment Banking Internships

What off-cycle investment banking internships are, who they are for, how to find rolling postings and boutique openings, what they pay, and how to turn a 3-to-6-month internship into the next offer.

8 min readRead

Recruiting Guide

Bulge Bracket vs Elite Boutique vs Middle Market: Where Should You Aim?

The tiers of investment banks explained: which firms count as bulge bracket, elite boutique, and middle market in 2026, how the analyst experience and exits differ, and how to build a target list that matches your profile.

9 min readRead