MBB to PE

Hi all! I'm an incoming analyst at an MBB and am interested in moving into private equity after a few years. What can I be doing to prepare this summer (eg., would it be good to get an internship at a smaller PE shop, take financial modeling courses)?


 

Getting an PE internship or prepping for the interviews would both be great, but the #1 thing you should be focused on is hitting the ground running at your MBB and being a top performer. It was unbelievable how helpful that was not only in building the confidence required for interviewing, but also getting interview invites and having references confirm offers for me

PE funds are picky and the pool of MBB applicants is pretty huge so they look for ways to filter and your performance at your current job is a huge differentiator for them  

 

You haven't even started working yet and you are already trying to divert resources to preparing for a pivot 2+ years down the road? As was mentioned above, focus on being good at your consulting job. Seek out PEG/PIPE/Whatever Mckinsey's is called staffings, master your excel skills, and do good work. The relationships you build along the way and interfacing with PE clients will give you a much better picture of how to execute that jump down the line. 

 

There's nothing wrong with pre-planning, but I think spending real time this summer preparing for a hypothetical event in 2 years is a poor ROI. Rather than, to quote OP's example, completing a financial modeling course, I think it would be much more beneficial to both his near-term performance and a PE exit to prepare for the (quite demanding) job he will be starting in the fall. Learn Tableau, recreate some firm decks as fast as you can, read white papers on industries you want to get staffed in, etc. 

I also want to address your comment about the PE recruiting cycle... If the OP wants to secure a deals role in PE, his path is likely much more difficult. MBB->PE is very common, but it is typically in strategy/PortCo performance/operating roles. I would still stand by my advice above, but honestly if you really want to be a deals guy I would probably suggest MBB->MBA->PE as the path of least resistance.  

 
Most Helpful

Labore necessitatibus sint necessitatibus. Id perspiciatis nihil harum ea. Ab optio ut fuga autem sed aut aut amet.

Et at aut laboriosam enim quia. Consectetur quisquam et occaecati eius occaecati. Pariatur quisquam nemo debitis mollitia.

Dicta cumque accusantium dolores ipsa. Atque facere et aut vero repellat. Impedit minus dicta quasi temporibus quia aut aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • Cornerstone Research 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.7%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $368
  • Principal (25) $277
  • Director/MD (55) $270
  • Vice President (47) $246
  • Engagement Manager (99) $225
  • Manager (152) $170
  • 2nd Year Associate (158) $140
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (108) $130
  • Senior Consultant (329) $130
  • Consultant (586) $119
  • 1st Year Associate (538) $119
  • NA (15) $119
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (145) $115
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (342) $102
  • Associate Consultant (166) $98
  • 1st Year Analyst (1046) $87
  • Intern/Summer Associate (188) $84
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (547) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”