The Best Time to Cold Call or E-mail an Investment Banker If You’re Searching For a Job

When is the best time to cold call or e-mail an investment banker?

After 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Never on a Monday

On Monday morning, there’s always a multitude of things to get done: stuff that was put off on Friday and anything new (and "urgent") that found its way to the inbox over the weekend. To add to this, on Mondays, most people are a little annoyed that the weekend is over, that they had to wake up earlier than they want to and that their lottery numbers didn’t come up yet again.

If you e-mail a banker on Monday, that e-mail will go to the very bottom of their to-do list and will swiftly be forgotten. If you call, they’ll be desperate to get you off the phone so they can get on with their work.

Open to intrusion

From Tuesday to Thursday, most people are likely to be open to your intrusion. By 10 a.m., they’ve dealt with the most pertinent issues and will be more receptive to new ideas.

What is the latest time that you can cold call? I would say, if you are calling an office land line (not a cell phone), there’s no limit. If someone’s working late and you happen to catch them, they will probably take your call.

Winding down

On Friday, most people are winding down. Anything that’s been put off until Friday has to get done before the close of business. Anything else can wait ‘til Monday. If your resume finds itself in the wait-‘til-Monday pile, it won’t ever see the light of day.

A version of this article first appeared on Girl Banker’s blog.