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On 15th February a number of specialist consultants from the Asset Management recruitment team at Morgan McKinley London spent time with students who took part in the Investment 2020 networking day at JP Morgan Asset Management.

Investment 2020 is an organisation which empowers young candidates and helps them break into the investment management industry. It is a resource of information for young school leavers and helps them with anything from preparing for an interview to career guidance. Likewise, companies can belong to Investment 2020 too, and they benefit from gaining access to exclusive talent and are able to develop talent at a grassroots level for their businesses both now and in the future. The executive committee consists of senior professionals within the investment management industry, all providing their expertise into the programme. 

The theme for this event was networking. Morgan McKinley was invited to educate the trainees on the power of effective networking and how it can help you with your job search. Emma Greaves and Johnny Gaffney took us through the power of the first impression and we learnt that it takes 7 seconds for someone to form an opinion when meeting you for the first time, so it’s vital to make sure you are putting your best foot forward.  

The greater Morgan McKinley team then assisted the trainees in coming up with a personalised elevator pitch that they could use in the afternoon when they would be meeting internal recruitment teams from various Asset Management companies. But what is the importance of networking and why should every job seeker be paying close attention to this method?

Networking is in essence interacting with new contacts and exchanging information which will hopefully be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship. You do not need to be the most confident or outgoing person to begin networking. 

Networking can achieve the following: 

• Build your knowledge within a particular field 
• Connect you with new people you would not normally have interacted with 
• Help you develop your people skills 
• Help to build your reputation in a new or existing market 

 

Why not try starting with former or current work colleagues or friends of friends to gain information that may consequently open a door to a potential contact or job?

When applying networking directly to a job search, it is important to remember that often a company or a contact has already gone out to their network before a position has been advertised internally or externally. 

Networking with a potential client is therefore very important and it is essential to remember the following:

• First impressions count so make sure you are looking sharp, give the correct body language and eye contact and give a firm handshake upon greeting a new contact. 
• Practice introducing yourself even in brief terms at first i.e. What do you do? What are you interested in? Why are you having this conversation with this particular person?
• Explain how you can help that person or how they can help you?
• Make sure you have potential questions you could ask them i.e. How did you get into the industry? What do you like about the industry?

 

Here at Morgan McKinley we encourage networking, and help develop these skills with the candidates we work with which has proved successful. It is predicted the Investment Management Space will continue to grow over the next 5 years, so it is important to lay the foundations for your future success to make sure you maximise every opportunity in front of you.