Why does your firm use the headhunter you do?

CPI, Amity, Henkel... makes sense. My LMM firm uses one of these 3.

However, when I see firms represented by Carterpierce or Opus or Selby Jennings, it really makes me wonder what compels them to go with the headhunter they're going with. What's the benefit of going with one of these smaller guys?

Region
 
Most Helpful

Couple of reasons

1) friends at smaller funds have often felt that when working with CPI/HSP et al. they were second priority to their bigger more prestigious clients. Meanwhile the smaller firms (Oxbridge, CarterPierce) feel much more dedicated to smaller clients

2) Certain firms do have expertise in certain areas where you might be looking for a niche candidate with specific skills (e.g., distressed debt, specific geographies, etc.)

3) Personal relationships. Above two points notwithstanding the search funds are mostly fungible and have access to the same talent pool, so people generally just work with whoever they like best. This is why these firms skew overwhelmingly attractive women. 

 

Makes sense!

1) I suspected this—and it makes sense that smaller HH firms may be more dedicated to the smaller PE firms, compared to a CPI. 

2) Any examples of firms with specific expertises? I know CarterPierce has a strong West Coast presence, but niche-wise any firms that come to mind? Just curious. 

3) Makes sense. And I have indeed noticed these firms skew overwhelmingly attractive women (to the point I wonder if they recruit straight out of sorority houses LOL). I always thought it was to improve candidate response rate (male investment bankers), but I guess it applies to PE firms too.

 

Not exactly related but I'm currently in a process with a fund that uses its own recruiting team (no HHs)... and I gotta say, I prefer the process. No middleman to communicate through, just the talent acquisition guy. Responses are super fast and there's fewer bottlenecks in the process. The people I talk to have 100% visibility into the process and timeline (vs. recruiters who are often just as much in the dark as you). 

I understand this doesn't make sense for smaller funds (this fund just raised a $3B+ fund) but honestly it would make sense for some of the scaled folks to skip HHs outright, especially ones with established analyst programs that need a recruiting funnel anyways.

 

Dolor sint consectetur quisquam reiciendis inventore dolorem similique. Perferendis consequatur eius labore maxime. Nihil porro sed corporis dolor sit omnis doloremque. Velit facilis eveniet cum nesciunt qui rerum. Blanditiis repellat ut deleniti eveniet quas.

Asperiores voluptatem omnis amet ex. Rerum corrupti ipsa nostrum repellat.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres No 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 18 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (20) $385
  • Associates (90) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (67) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”