Portfolio Company to Private Equity

curiousG — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:19:15 -0400

I remember seeing a couple profiles PE professionals' who used to work at one of their PE firms' portfolio companies prior to joining their current PE firms.

I was just curious whether or not how possible such a transition is.

Thanks in advance.

GMAT score - Does it matter?

curiousG — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:52:26 -0400

For pre-MBA analyst position, does having a great GMAT score (700+) help your chance of landing a job? I am asking this, b'cause I constantly see job posting where "top academic performance" is required, yet I have nothing stellar undergrad GPA. Granted, I can't do anything about my undergrad GPA now, but thought getting a fantastic GMAT score could be a good indicator of me being academically intelligent.

Any inputs would be appreciated.

Doostang Invite - Does anybody check that thread anymore?

curiousG — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:41:43 -0400

Hey guys,

Sorry, I know Doostang Invite thread has been a sticky in "Get a Job" section (http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/use-this-thread-for-doostang-invit...), but I asked for an invite almost 3 weeks ago and still haven't gotten one. I am sure I am not the only one that has been waiting for an invite for a long while.

So, if anyone out there could send us an invite, it would be GREATLY appreciated.

BTW, my email add is woowhowoo818@yahoo.com

Thanks again.

How can you tell if it's a SOLID PE shop?

curiousG — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:21:30 -0400

There is a recent active thread about mega-funds. Reading the thread got me thinking... How can you separate SOLID PE shops from the rest?

I would think, just because the firm's AUM is multi-billion $, that can not be a sole indication that the firm is solid. I am sure there are a lot of smaller shops with relatively smaller AUM that are very solid.

So, aside from obvious prestige, AUM.... Suppose you encountered a PE shop whose name you have never heard about before. While studying the firm, what would you try to find out the firm that would help you decide whether or not it's a solid/healthy firm?

Any thoughts/inputs would be appreciated.

Post-acquisition Operational Improvement Projects

curiousG — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:44:21 -0400

As for Pre-MBA Analyst/Associate levels, I am sure they are involved in a lot of deal sourcing, pre-acquisition due diligence etc, but what I'd like to find out is how involved are they in post-acquisition operational improvement projects?

Can someone give me some examples of those projects?

I'd assume one should have quite an industry knowledge to be able to engage in operational improvement projects, am I correct?

Thanks in advance.

Common Industry Sectors at PE firms

curiousG — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:36:14 -0400

Large PE shops such as KKR, Carlyle, Blackstone must have portfolio companies all across the industry sectors, but what I'm interested in finding out is what are the most common industry sectors at MM PE firms?

Say, the PE firm you'd like to join has industry focuse on industrial, consumer & retail, and healthcare. I'd think having prior IB experience in any of those industries would help your performance at PE firm, but does it give you any benefit landing a job as well?

Does PE firms hire IB analysts who does not have any experience in those industry sectors they serve?

Thanks in advance.

Employee Stock Ownership Plans

curiousG — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:20:59 -0400

If you look at transaction section at a certain firm, and find a majority of their recent deals to be on "Employee Stock Ownership Plans", what do you make out of it?

What does that mean that they had "Employee Stock Ownership Plans" deals.

and if analysts are involved in a lot of those kind of deals, are the experience considered as good as M&A? What about exit oppt.?

Thanks in advance.

Prestige vs Experience

curiousG — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:56:42 -0400

Hey guys,

I plan on applying for bschool in a few years and my goal is getting into top 20 program and eventually land a position at PE firm after graduation.

As I am coming from a pretty much non-target undergraduate, I would like to get my MBA from a decent graduate school, and I have a following question:

Having which of following pre-MBA experience would help better-position me to get in a good MBA program:

Large national (or international) firm with prestige, but working in divisions such as corporate development, corporate finance, i.e. not exactly IB or PE experience, but somewhat similar.

Small regional boutique PE / IB firm with no prestige (basically, only respected within the region), but with great hands-on deal execution experience.

Basically, I would like to find out whether I should go for the brand name or quality of experience in order to get into a good MBA program.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Will Korea Development Bank take over Lehman?

curiousG — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:26:09 -0400

http://www.thestreet.com/s/lehman-jumps-on-news-of-korean-interest/newsa...

What do you guys think? Many claim that Lehman is ripe for takeover.
Wouldn't it be tough to make the deal happen due to the legal and regulatory issues though?

KDB's CEO used to be the head of Lehman's Seoul office btw.

Interested to hear what others think.

2-year Analyst program contract - can one leave after only 1 year?

curiousG — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:09:12 -0400

Wells, my subject is pretty self-explanatory.

After you sign a 2-year analyst program contract, is it at all possible to leave the firm after only 1 year? How binding is this 2-year contract? I assume this varies case by case / firm by firm, but just wanted to get some idea. Anybody who's done this (leaving before completing their 2 year program)?

Thanks in advance.