Networking is crucial in the world of finance and banking, but it must be done discreetly and you should never be too pushy. To network effectively, you must be able to visualise where you want your career to go and know how to market yourself in an industry environment. Avoid the brash and intimate US style of networking, as many older investment bankers in the UK and Europe are still quite old-fashioned in how they act and how they expect others in the industry to behave.
John Courtis, managing director of Courtis and Partners Recruitment
This industry is tiered and, at the very top, there are key events such as the International Monetary Conference where the top 300 to 400 bankers in the world go and where, if you can get an invite, you will meet very influential people. There are also the drinking clubs in London, such as the Overseas Bankers Club, where you should be seen if you really want to get on.
Andrew Hilton, director at the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation
If you are going to an event to network, make sure you have enough business cards and that you have done your homework on the people you want to meet by checking the guest list. Do not leave before you have met them, but do not interrupt their conversations with others. If you see them leaving before you have had a chance to chat, try to hand them your business card and say you will call them to discuss an idea you have. This keeps you in control. Always remember where you met them, so you have a conversation opener when you make contact again.
Carole Stone, author of Networking: The Art of Making More Friends
Around 75% of jobs in the City are obtained through personal networking. The sons-of-fathers culture disappeared 20 years ago, but it is still about being in the right place at the right time. The key to getting on is asking yourself who you know, who you were at school or university with, and who you have worked with before. If you do not know anyone in the City, do a lot of research before calling a company or going to an event.
Chris Cartwright, founder of headhunting company City Executive Consultants
Women who network and know what they want have a far greater chance of achieving it. Belonging to a dynamic network provides the perfect opportunity to harness the collective wisdom of people's minds, contacts and experience for your own benefit. Women who do not belong to a good network are clearly limiting their opportunities.
Glenda Stone, chair and founder of the Busygirl Corporate & Entrepreneurial Women's Network