http:www.jobsearchdigest.com Tips for a successful PE interview.

1. Surviving Tough Private Equity
Job Interviews
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2. Extended Interview Process
• Beware: if no offer after 3rd
interview, it’s possible there will be no
deal
• Issue may not be candidate
– Mismatched needs “…after a point, each
additional interview dims
– Politics and turbulence the candidate’s private
equity job prospects.”
within firm
• Small vs. large firms
– Small: more informal
– Large: more process oriented
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3. The Longer the Process Goes…
…the worse it looks for the private equity
job candidate
Whether it’s a case of a
skill set or career path
mismatch, or a complex
screening process
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4. The Four-Interview Rule
• Consistent anecdotal evidence from
other PE job searchers
– Even after extensive interviewing over long time
periods, often no offer is extended
– Results may vary
– May also depend on how urgently firm needs to
fill position
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5. On the Case
• Demonstrate • Quant ability is
balance important
– Soft skills – Difficult to express in
– Hard analytics an interview
• Most firms prefer – May level playing
field for career
trained candidates
switchers
with proven track
record
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6. Case Study
• Typical scenario: interviewee given
homework assignment
– Review financial & operational details of a
company & report back with opinion
• Tests ability to analyze
“…no private equity
firm is going to show & establish valuation
you the numbers of any
investment alternatives – Demonstrates summary &
that are winners.” effective persuasion
• It is also a trap!!
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7. Interview Questions - Asking
• Prepare: find out about the person with
whom you are interviewing
– Good online sources:
• Google
• LinkedIn
• Ask about what they are working on
– But do not try to impress by showing how
much you know
– Project confidence, desire to learn, and zero
arrogance
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8. Tough Interview Questions
• “What are your • “Why do you want
weaknesses?” to work here?”
– Consider restating – Be specific to
your response as “My the firm
biggest professional – Consider specific
mistake was…& what sectors and
I learned from geographies that
it was…” interest you
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9. “Do you have questions for me?”
• Don’t:
– ask personal questions or inquire about things you
can find/estimate via research
• Do:
– Ask about specific deals interviewer worked on &
what lessons were learned
– Ask what kind of help they need on their team
– Ask what day/week is like or “if I were to come to
work here, what advice would you offer?” (junior
level)
– Ask “what are your expectations of the person you
hire in year 1, year 2 and so on?”
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10. Be Prepared for Ethical Questions
• May be hypothetical or may be based
on previous situations firm has
encountered
• Gray areas – may not be a right or
wrong answer
• Interviewer may be more interested in
your ability to make judgments
– how those align with the firm’s policies or the
interviewer’s own ethical perspective
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11. Summing Up
• Multiple interviews
– Smaller firms & more junior
the level, the more time spent
interviewing is a good thing
– Senior level/large firms, you
may get lost in the process
• Make sure your math skills are up to par
• Don’t be afraid to ask where you stand
in the process
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12. Thank You
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