How not to behave at a networking event

After behaving badly at a networking soiree, one would-be financier has become better known for his atrocious activities than his potential as a banker.

We have it on reliable authority that the student (who shall remain unnamed) was recently invited to attend a networking event at a bank (which shall remain unnamed), and committed the following fatal faux pas:

· Drinking wine directly from the bottle. Bad enough to begin with, this misdemeanour was apparently compounded when someone asked him (yes, it was a bloke) why he wasn't using a glass: "It's only cheap wine, anyway," the student retorted.

· Rudeness to an MD. The student asked a senior M&A banker whether there was money to be made in his line of business. "Yes," responded the MD. "In that case, can you explain why your watch is worth less than 3k?," the student asked.

· Rudeness to an analyst. After charming everyone else in the room, the student turned his attention to a junior banker, but after uncovering his rank, declared: "Oh, you're only an analyst? I need to go and talk to someone more important and stop wasting my time."

Is this a one off? Recruiters say behaving badly at networking soirees isn't unheard of - some even bring security to guard against the free drinks faction.

"This is a very extreme case," says Julia Barber of graduate recruitment firm Cornell Partnership, which ran the event. "This wasn't a formal networking event, where everyone stands up in a suit, but more of a fun occasion to enable professionals and candidates to get to know each other - that can provide a real danger for candidates."

The danger, says Barber, is that candidates will become a little bit too familiar with the bankers in attendance - drinking too much is a common problem, as is swearing, using casual language, and abbreviating bankers' names before you've been invited to. "The atmosphere can be very friendly and informal, but you need to bear in mind that you're still in an assessment scenario," she warns.

Even mild-mannered arrogance is unlikely to go down well. "Banks want confident people who are assertive, but a lot are also looking for someone who can be humble and a team player who's prepared to roll up their sleeves," says Chloe Olesinska, of graduate recruitment specialists Graduate Solutions.

"A common mistake is to limpet up to the most senior speakers rather than spending time with all the representatives of the bank - and to bombard the senior people with emails after the event," she adds.

Despite behaving badly, this particular student won't be blacklisted. "But we will be calling him and asking if he remembers what happened last night," says Barber.