Former MS M&A / KKR here to field questions

In the spirit of thanksgiving, I have decided to host a thread where you can ask all you ever wanted about banking or PE. Please feel free to ask away.

 

I'm going to give it to you straight, if you want to maximize your shot at PE, you're going to want to stick to the traditional IBD groups where you get more of the analytical exposure that PE firms will want you to have. The firm strategy & execution group (or most internal corp dev groups at banks for that matter) will not provide you that background, even if you are gaining the MS brand. That said, I would pick an "inferior" bank where you can get better skills, perhaps M&A at a boutique. Of course, to the extent you can move into one of the more classic banking groups at MS (or a similar bank), that should be your first choice.

 
10xleverage:
I'm going to give it to you straight, if you want to maximize your shot at PE, you're going to want to stick to the traditional IBD groups where you get more of the analytical exposure that PE firms will want you to have. The firm strategy & execution group (or most internal corp dev groups at banks for that matter) will not provide you that background, even if you are gaining the MS brand. That said, I would pick an "inferior" bank where you can get better skills, perhaps M&A at a boutique. Of course, to the extent you can move into one of the more classic banking groups at MS (or a similar bank), that should be your first choice.

You mention M&A at a boutique.

What do you think Perella/Greenhill/Evercore are worth in terms of PE exit opps?

 
Best Response
ixjunitxi:
What is the compensation structure/salary like for 1st year PE Associates at mega funds particularly at KKR. There seems to be more transparency for IBD/S&T but not so much for PE? Additionally, did you have to do a case study or take a modeling test for your interview with KKR?

Basically compensation is comparable to that of a 1st year associate at an investment bank, maybe a little higher. KKR base is 100k which is along the same lines of some of the other comparable mega funds (BX, Carlyle, Bain, TPG). THL pays 125k, Apollo is known to pay 140k. Some other shops are all over the place (not confirmed but heard Crestview pays 150k). On the bonus side of things, it is fairly volatile, 400k a year may have happened once upon a time, but is certainly not realistic anymore. All-in comp is probably targeted somewhere in the 250kish range for the major shops. Regarding the case study, KKR does do a case study but it is not as rigorous as everyone makes out to be. It is basically a test where you will analyze a business using the information they provide you and you will be asked to put some materials together using excel, but then you will have a conversation with an associate or principal about what you put together. The modeling exam should really be the least of your worries because if the finance is not intuitive to you at that point, you will have an even more difficult time in the interview when you are expected to think on your feet.

 

in your opinion, what are the major differentiators of candidates that are able to gain entry into and succeed in the upper echelon shops? obviously there are hundreds/thousands of junior bankers every year, but only a handful get top buyside gigs, and even fewer are able to keep progressing. similarly, what made you so successful?

also, could you share your general thoughts on the rat race? if you were to go back, would you change anything? and now that you're in a pretty enviable spot, do you see yourself working just as hard to keep climbing the ladder? Whether you plan on continuing or not, if you were to leave finance, what would you do?

 
greenapple:
in your opinion, what are the major differentiators of candidates that are able to gain entry into and succeed in the upper echelon shops? obviously there are hundreds/thousands of junior bankers every year, but only a handful get top buyside gigs, and even fewer are able to keep progressing. similarly, what made you so successful?

also, could you share your general thoughts on the rat race? if you were to go back, would you change anything? and now that you're in a pretty enviable spot, do you see yourself working just as hard to keep climbing the ladder? Whether you plan on continuing or not, if you were to leave finance, what would you do?

I think personality is typically key, there are more than enough number crunching asian monkeys from wharton (pardon my language) that could fill the ranks of all the major mega funds. They key is to not only have those same number crunching skills, but also the other skills necessary to be the full package. I think as with anything else luck plays a large role in anything, but it is important to stay focused. Although you may not land your top choice whether that be in banking or PE, if you work very hard and have your stuff in order, you will likely be able to land a pretty good banking job, and a pretty good pe job (even if that means citi and madison dearborn, instead of gs/ms, kkr/bx etc.) At the end of the day, all this shit is more or less the same and the incremental difference between shops isn't as monumental as some people on this forum make it out to be. That said, for the most part brighter people will tend to be at better shops.

Regarding my thoughts on the rat race, it is what it is. I don't think I would change anything as I recognize that I am in a fortunate spot. That said, any kid who is 3-4 years out of school and thinks he has it made just because he works in PE is a bit delusional. A career in finance really starts in the junior MD role, everyone else is a glorified slave. As far as staying in PE, I don't think it is what it once was now that many of the premier PE funds have started to go public (KKR included). They aren't the nimble organizations (with the same upside potential) that might have existed a generation ago. To be fair though, there may not be as much upside in finance in this generation as in generations past.

 
Mezz:
What are your hours like?

Contrary to popular belief, even for the so-called "New York sweatshops," the lifestyle is significantly better than in i-banking. There is a greater degree of dignity afforded to your time and quality of life in PE that certainly does not exist as a junior banker at a large investment bank. Yes, when you are on a deal, you are a slave again, but it is usually for a much better reason than a client-service pitch book. On average, you will probably get in a bit earlier (8:45 AM or so) than banking, but you will probably also leave around 9pm or so on average. The perks are also better, expensing policy is more lax, and you eat lunch in a dining hall. That said, when times are tough, they are tough, and that is finance afterall. Net net, definitely better than banking.

 

Hi, I like the spirit of your thread.

Is it still possible to transition into PE if you're a post-MBA IBD Associate, or is one perceived as more expensive than an analyst but also less open to being a grunt? Or is the post-MBA track a long-term career move that only gives you options once you reach MD level (where, as you say, you stop being a glorified slave and then your value is in your decision-making skills, network, etc)?

I believe I have the chance to get perhaps 6 months of pre-MBA PE experience at a small-ish fund, through networking. Would that make a significant difference during MBA recruitment, or would IBD still be the only option in the world of M&A?

Thanks! Enjoy the turkey and pumpkin pie.

The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.
 
jtbbdxbnycmad:
Hi, I like the spirit of your thread.

Is it still possible to transition into PE if you're a post-MBA IBD Associate, or is one perceived as more expensive than an analyst but also less open to being a grunt? Or is the post-MBA track a long-term career move that only gives you options once you reach MD level (where, as you say, you stop being a glorified slave and then your value is in your decision-making skills, network, etc)?

I believe I have the chance to get perhaps 6 months of pre-MBA PE experience at a small-ish fund, through networking. Would that make a significant difference during MBA recruitment, or would IBD still be the only option in the world of M&A?

Thanks! Enjoy the turkey and pumpkin pie.

Appreciate the support. Regarding the transition into PE at the post-MBA IBD level, it is incredibly difficult to get into a megafund (especially in this market) if you are not from a traditional background. KKR will typically only really look at you if you did 2 years at a top bank, 2 years at top PE and then HBS. Are the only people in the world qualified enough to work in PE made of this mold? Absolutely not. Is life tough? Yeah, it can be. That said, absolutely do not make post-MBA decisions with an eye towards exit opps, this typically turns out badly. Associates in IBD do have exit opps, but they are not as clear and regimented as their analyst counterparts. In middle market shops it is probably not as regimented, but you will still absolutely need meaningful pre-mba experience that is hopefully related to finance. Exceptions to the rule always exist, but I am just generalizing here because generalizations are the easiest things to discuss.

Regarding the value of the MBA, it absolutely helps, but nobody is making promotion decisions based upon where somebody (or if) went to business school. However, a person may have a significantly better network because of their MBA contacts. That said, there are partners at KKR who skipped the MBA and are doing just fine. To each their own, and you really have to weigh the costs and benefits when you are faced with it. It is unlikely though that somebody will be a superior dealmaker solely because of the fact they have an MBA. Lately the trend seems to be that b-school for non career switchers is coming out of vogue, but that said, an MBA will still provide more career versatility down the road.

Regarding your plight, I would suggest you try and get that pre-mba PE experience as it will significantly boost your profile (and relevance) when you apply for those jobs post-MBA. You should not take a cut in pay or responsibility to get this position though as it will look weird on your resume or as you speak about it.

 

Does KKR (and most mega-funds nowadays) have a 2-year and out program, or do they encourage you to stay for a while? If they do encourage you to stay for a while, do most people still go to B-school after two years?

 
chiphifrat:
Does KKR (and most mega-funds nowadays) have a 2-year and out program, or do they encourage you to stay for a while? If they do encourage you to stay for a while, do most people still go to B-school after two years?

Generally 2 year and out although this is becoming less so. You will see some superstars these days getting promoted to the post MBA level although there is still a preference for the MBA. Many kids also will leave to go to hedge funds (tiger cubs and the like) as the large PE funds are becoming more bureaucratic (it comes with the territory when you are publicly traded) and as such, harder to advance in. There isn't that much encouragement to stay, it's still a dog eat dog work place, so it's not like you're in a fund of 10 people where people are begging you to stay. You can still be replaced.

 

Thanks for the thread -- it's refreshing to see something relevant on this forum. How well are the elite boutiques (GHL/EVR/LAZ/BX) represented in the top megafunds? Do you think they are overhyped on this forum?

 
PennFranklin:
Thanks for the thread -- it's refreshing to see something relevant on this forum. How well are the elite boutiques (GHL/EVR/LAZ/BX) represented in the top megafunds? Do you think they are overhyped on this forum?

Appreciate it, god only knows how much filth is spewed in this forum. I've been a reader for quite some time and can't begin to explain how much misinformation is shared on this website. The elite boutiques are good for megafunds but the top groups are as follows:

GS TMT far and away #1 GS FIG / BX Restructuring MS M&A

After that, it's good to be in any of the major M&A groups (or other industry groups at GS/MS), merrill's legacy m&a group which is now in BAML is pretty good, citi M&A is pretty good, the boutiques are also good (Lazard and BX M&A are terrific although Greenhill and evercore are a step behind in recruiting, moelis also does well since UBS LA had a strong track record of placement on the west coast at tpg and kkr west coast). The fact of the matter is, if you are not in one of these groups, it is an uphill battle. If you are in one of these main groups that I've mentioned, recruiters contact you, and all you do is submit your resume, and the rest is history. I never cold called a fund once, nor do they particularly want you to call them. They know what groups they generally want to reach out to, and they go back to them year after year. Again, is this fair? No. However, it is generally a good way to fill up a class if 8-10 people because on average the kids at GS are smarter than the kids at CS and so on. It's just a fact of life. Kids from non targets absolutely do occur, but they will need to do more networking through their own senior people, or through winning the ear of headhunters. Like anything else though, once you get an interview, the playing field is fairly flat. KKR's not going to take some bumbling fool from GS tmt over some stud in UBS just because he's from a better group.

 
10xleverage:
PennFranklin:
Thanks for the thread -- it's refreshing to see something relevant on this forum. How well are the elite boutiques (GHL/EVR/LAZ/BX) represented in the top megafunds? Do you think they are overhyped on this forum?

Appreciate it, god only knows how much filth is spewed in this forum. I've been a reader for quite some time and can't begin to explain how much misinformation is shared on this website. The elite boutiques are good for megafunds but the top groups are as follows:

GS TMT far and away #1 GS FIG / BX Restructuring MS M&A

After that, it's good to be in any of the major M&A groups (or other industry groups at GS/MS), merrill's legacy m&a group which is now in BAML is pretty good, citi M&A is pretty good, the boutiques are also good (Lazard and BX M&A are terrific although Greenhill and evercore are a step behind in recruiting, moelis also does well since UBS LA had a strong track record of placement on the west coast at tpg and kkr west coast). The fact of the matter is, if you are not in one of these groups, it is an uphill battle. If you are in one of these main groups that I've mentioned, recruiters contact you, and all you do is submit your resume, and the rest is history. I never cold called a fund once, nor do they particularly want you to call them. They know what groups they generally want to reach out to, and they go back to them year after year. Again, is this fair? No. However, it is generally a good way to fill up a class if 8-10 people because on average the kids at GS are smarter than the kids at CS and so on. It's just a fact of life. Kids from non targets absolutely do occur, but they will need to do more networking through their own senior people, or through winning the ear of headhunters. Like anything else though, once you get an interview, the playing field is fairly flat. KKR's not going to take some bumbling fool from GS tmt over some stud in UBS just because he's from a better group.

Just curious why GS FIG is ranked so highly...in terms of modelling skills FIG seems to be so different and less transferable than TMT or Healthcare...or it is just due to the increase deal flow in FIG?

 
Stringer Bell:
Any advantage of M&A over Sponsors?

Yes, M&A is better, you do real analysis there. Sponsors is more of a relationship manager for PE funds. Although you are exposed to PE funds, it doesn't matter much at the junior level since you aren't the real relationship manager. Be in M&A if you can. If you're in sponsors (especially at one of the better banks), it's not game over, but M&A is superior.

 
10xleverage:
Stringer Bell:
Any advantage of M&A over Sponsors?

Yes, M&A is better, you do real analysis there. Sponsors is more of a relationship manager for PE funds. Although you are exposed to PE funds, it doesn't matter much at the junior level since you aren't the real relationship manager. Be in M&A if you can. If you're in sponsors (especially at one of the better banks), it's not game over, but M&A is superior.

I will be working at MS. Besides M&A, which group would you suggest I choose? Thanks in advance!

 
ss1000:
How is JPMorgan? Any specific groups that have good exit opps?

Forgot about JPM, great firm. M&A is clearly the top group, but they are fairly strong across the board. JPM's rep has certainly improved post-crisis and has come closer to GS/MS in IBD than it was in years past. Amongst the bulge brackets they are probably in 3rd place, but would still choose some of the boutiques over them (Lazard, BX, maybe a few others).

 

Hey 10xleverage, thanks a lot for your answers. Really appreciate them!

Do you know how things work in Europe? Is PE Megafund Recruiting significantly different compared to the US?

Thanks a lot in advance.

 
mitchmcdeere:
Hey 10xleverage, thanks a lot for your answers. Really appreciate them!

Do you know how things work in Europe? Is PE Megafund Recruiting significantly different compared to the US?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Don't know much about Europe so don't want to say anything with too much authority. That said, all the big shops have London offices so that is a start. However, the finance world is a bit different in Europe since there isn't as much focus on the MBA and it isn't as regimented as it is in the US (e.g. 2 years analyst, 2 years pre-mba assoc, mba, etc.). I imagine if you are in the U.S., you should recruit into a U.S. office, and then try to push for mobility to Europe.

 

Hi 10xleverage ,

Thanks for the great post.

I'm an Incoming M&A Analyst at a Tier 1 Investment bank (GS/MS/JPM) in London with internship experience in PE, and wanted to hear your thought on recruiting non-US analysts/associates in PE in the US. Do you reckon it is possible? Any tips on how to make the move over the Atlantic?

Many thanks!

 
eating926:
I guess I want to know is what you're up to now? You said you're a former MS/KKR, so I'm interested in why you left and do you see a lot of PE guys leaving like you did?

Don't want to out myself so will not tell you my whereabouts at the moment. That said, KKR and BX from what I've seen are a bit more open to promoting directly past the post-MBA level, although a decent amount will go to hedge funds and b-school too. Carlyle/TPG/Bain are extremely pro-business school and rarely if ever will directly promote. In fact, TPG and Bain try a lot to sell how great they are at sending people to HBS (although from what I've seen, placement amongst all the top funds is fairly excellent). The lure of the hedge fund scene is if you can get into a Greenlight or Pershing or the like, you will be making more and potentially have a more interesting job than continuing on the well trodden path of PE (which can feel crowded at times, despite how well-promising it is). Once you do the 2 and 2 thing, it is very important that you have an idea of what you truly want to do because you have more or less reached the end of the traditional path. Can't follow your peers forever.

 

Thank you for the post, finally something I can dig my teeth deep into.

What I wanted to ask is: can you still get into a top PE shop if you work in a top IBD but in continental europe instead of london/US?

To make things clear: if one had an offer from Lazard or MS for a M&A place in Milan, would it erase completely every hope of making it to the buy-side? If not, what would be the steps to follow?

 
ametista:
Thank you for the post, finally something I can dig my teeth deep into.

What I wanted to ask is: can you still get into a top PE shop if you work in a top IBD but in continental europe instead of london/US?

To make things clear: if one had an offer from Lazard or MS for a M&A place in Milan, would it erase completely every hope of making it to the buy-side? If not, what would be the steps to follow?

Again, don't have much experience with the European scene but this sounds like it would be tough. The headhunters will traditionally look for candidates in their typical hunting grounds, and Europe (especially non-London europe) is not the first place to look on their list. If you were in Europe, I would look at some of the funds out there, I would imagine Permira (the best fund in Europe arguably) would probably be open to you. That said, when KKR is looking to pick up 10 kids, it just doesn't make sense to go looking for a diamond in the rough in the middle of Europe. Doors will still be open to you, but it will be on you to reach out pro-actively to headhunters to raise your hand ahead of time and make sure you are on their list when they start deciding who they want to put in front of the mega-funds.

 
10xleverage:
ametista:
Thank you for the post, finally something I can dig my teeth deep into.

What I wanted to ask is: can you still get into a top PE shop if you work in a top IBD but in continental europe instead of london/US?

To make things clear: if one had an offer from Lazard or MS for a M&A place in Milan, would it erase completely every hope of making it to the buy-side? If not, what would be the steps to follow?

Again, don't have much experience with the European scene but this sounds like it would be tough. The headhunters will traditionally look for candidates in their typical hunting grounds, and Europe (especially non-London europe) is not the first place to look on their list. If you were in Europe, I would look at some of the funds out there, I would imagine Permira (the best fund in Europe arguably) would probably be open to you. That said, when KKR is looking to pick up 10 kids, it just doesn't make sense to go looking for a diamond in the rough in the middle of Europe. Doors will still be open to you, but it will be on you to reach out pro-actively to headhunters to raise your hand ahead of time and make sure you are on their list when they start deciding who they want to put in front of the mega-funds.

Thanks for the great answer.

One last thing: can you tell me some PE shops active in europe, aside from Permira? Even not top ones.

 
blastoise:
What was the most fun you had working at both firms? (throwing footballs, volleyballs etc)

I had a great time in banking, made some of my best friends in banking and will be in touch with them for many years to come as we all develop in our careers. In banking (especially as an analyst) there is this "us" vs. "them" (meaning everybody else, clients, associates, everybody), that makes for a truly fun experience. That said, I got worked very hard. We all had multiple experiences of pulling all-nighters on weekends, getting called back to the office, being miserably tired all the time, etc. In the end though, I would probably do it all over again (it's easy for me to say though because things worked out okay in the end, I'm sure it would be a tougher pill to swallow if things hadn't worked out as well). In PE, it is a more professional / less fun environment. We are business formal everyday, people are much older (even the really senior people like Kravis sit on the floor, albeit very far from the slaves), and there is less joking around. You don't really build the same friendships like you do in banking. Your relationships are more professional and are more business contacts. Overall though I had good times at both, and while neither experience was perfect, no job really is. Like any job, you get what you pay for, you might get worked, but usually you do it knowing you will be compensated (both financially and in terms of opportunities). No such thing as a free lunch.

 

Can you explain what the culture is like among the different companies in the sell-side and buy-side (out of the ones you know)? I hear a lot of rhetoric about this but it'd be great to hear a more straight-forward interpretation.

 
Olympus123:
Can you explain what the culture is like among the different companies in the sell-side and buy-side (out of the ones you know)? I hear a lot of rhetoric about this but it'd be great to hear a more straight-forward interpretation.

Like I said in my earlier post, banking was just more fun for a host of reasons. The shenanigans you can pull in banking just are unacceptable in PE. I would not be caught dead dozing off in PE but as an analyst in banking, there's nothing more comical than a banking analyst passed out in his seat. I will always look back at my banking experience fondly and still keep in touch with both junior and senior people that I have worked with there. The buy-side is a mixed bag, if you are working at sequoia it will be much different than KKR. Some buy-side joints are more laid back, KKR is the other extreme. The culture is more discernible when you have a group of 120 people instead of 12000 people like at a large investment bank. Although MS has a culture, it is not as cogent as KKR's. While there is a lot of cool factor with the KKR culture, it wears off fast when you realize the shit sandwich tastes the same on the buyside as the sellside. Overall though, would work at both places again in a heartbeat, the people I worked with at my times in both firms were top notch.

 
10xleverage:
Olympus123:
Can you explain what the culture is like among the different companies in the sell-side and buy-side (out of the ones you know)? I hear a lot of rhetoric about this but it'd be great to hear a more straight-forward interpretation.

Like I said in my earlier post, banking was just more fun for a host of reasons. The shenanigans you can pull in banking just are unacceptable in PE. I would not be caught dead dozing off in PE but as an analyst in banking, there's nothing more comical than a banking analyst passed out in his seat. I will always look back at my banking experience fondly and still keep in touch with both junior and senior people that I have worked with there. The buy-side is a mixed bag, if you are working at sequoia it will be much different than KKR. Some buy-side joints are more laid back, KKR is the other extreme. The culture is more discernible when you have a group of 120 people instead of 12000 people like at a large investment bank. Although MS has a culture, it is not as cogent as KKR's. While there is a lot of cool factor with the KKR culture, it wears off fast when you realize the shit sandwich tastes the same on the buyside as the sellside. Overall though, would work at both places again in a heartbeat, the people I worked with at my times in both firms were top notch.

Thanks a lot for your response. It was very helpful. From your experience, did you notice a different culture among the industry/product groups in MS, as well as among different banks (i.e. Morgan vs Goldman vs CS, etc.)? ...or are there only differences in behavior between the sell-side and buy-side (the buyside being more business formal/professional)? The reason I ask is because every bank places so much importance on it but I can't find any information on this.

 

Really appreciate that you're doing this!

I'm currently at a semi-target in Canada and trying to grab something for my last internship next summer.

My school offers a wide variety of positions in Toronto, but for the U.S. positions we're pretty much on our own. I'm finding it hard to network very much aside from a few contacts at my current internship who came from the U.S. Would you have any advice on what I should be doing to increase my chances? Even on places like linkedin most of my alum seem to work for unrelated groups at these firms (i.e. tech) or have restricted contact information.

Thanks again!

 
monkeyspells:
Really appreciate that you're doing this!

I'm currently at a semi-target in Canada and trying to grab something for my last internship next summer.

My school offers a wide variety of positions in Toronto, but for the U.S. positions we're pretty much on our own. I'm finding it hard to network very much aside from a few contacts at my current internship who came from the U.S. Would you have any advice on what I should be doing to increase my chances? Even on places like linkedin most of my alum seem to work for unrelated groups at these firms (i.e. tech) or have restricted contact information.

Thanks again!

The main targets in Canada from what I've seen are Ivey (I believe this is at Queen's) and McGill, outside of those schools I am less familiar. I would continue doing what you're doing as far as networking with your American colleagues and be open to potentially interning for a summer in Canada and then using that as a spring board into a U.S. position. It will be an uphill battle, but you will have to be aggressive about utilizing whatever network you do have (and if you are at a semi-target, you should be able to find someone who can help you) into finding a lead. If you are only a sophomore, you will have plenty of time to get this process going, if you are a senior, time is not on your side. You should start now though as it will not be as easy as coming from a U.S. target.

 
2x2Matrix:
This is great, thanks for doing this (though of course we all still love CompBanker and the other PE guys here). Did KKR hire consultants when you were there? Obviously Bain is the most consultant-friendly megafund, but do the other ones ever go that route? And if so, is there anything particular that they're looking for in an MBB consultant?

Yeah KKR will hire consultants from time to time, really only McKinsey, not familiar with any BCG or Bain guys, and even the McKinsey guys will need to have a finance bent to them (think Wharton UG, or they were in McKinsey's corporate finance group which is a glorofied IBD group within Mck). If you want to do PE, do not go into consulting (even if it's McKinsey), you will have a much more linear path going to one of the main target banks. Bain is far and away the most consultant friendly, they hire about 10-12 people each year, with 6-8 having been consultants (they primarily only look at mckinsey and bain and maybe a little bcg). the other funds may take 1 consultant if that each in any given year. If you're a consultant, there's no question you will be able to do porter's 5 forces nonsense in your sleep, the main question is if you can do finance (which is why if you are some history major coming out of bcg, the odds will be heavily stacked against you since you will not know your finance as in depth as some wharton/gs nerd). If you are coming from consulting, your best bet is to sharpen your finance skill set independently or get assigned on projects with a corporate finance bent where you can get up to speed on these things. KKR will not have any patience though for some mckinsey kid who needs a year to get taught the basics, at this point in your career the time for handholding has stopped.

 

Sounds like basically all post-MBA hires have previous PE experience, what's the breakdown of previous megafund vs midmarket etc?

Do megafunds ever hire pre-MBA analysts from other buyside shops?

You mentioned people going to HFs and smaller shops after their two years-do you feel like it's a natural transition from PE to liquid markets?

Thanks for the insight.

There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
 
Kenny_Powers_CFA:
Sounds like basically all post-MBA hires have previous PE experience, what's the breakdown of previous megafund vs midmarket etc?

Do megafunds ever hire pre-MBA analysts from other buyside shops?

You mentioned people going to HFs and smaller shops after their two years-do you feel like it's a natural transition from PE to liquid markets?

Thanks for the insight.

First and foremost, nice handle, love eastbound and down, great show. Regarding hiring pre-mba people from other shops, it does happen, but again it is few and far in between. This will happen in more frothy times when the fund realizes they underhired and will need to find someone very quickly, this will not happen in the traditional course of recruiting. That said, KKR will not say "we need a class of pre-mba associates, let's recruit at GS/MS and TPG." In a frothier market though, KKR might in the middle of the year try to pick up a kid from TCV or some mid-market fund or something like that.

Regarding the transition to smaller shops, I think what happens is that kids just get fed up working in a bigger place and want to work in a smaller environment. One of the frustrations of PE is that it is a fairly slow environment, although the big funds will do large prominent deals, the odds of you working on one of the blockbuster deals are small because KKR might only do 3 deals a year, and there are 10 associates in a class, it's a numbers game. In the public markets, you may be putting on smaller positions, but they are shorter horizons and more frequent which (for some people) is more interesting. That said, it is certainly a lot of fun to have the things you work on be on the front page of every paper and blog (which absolutely happens when you work at a big fund, if you are lucky to be working on one of these deals). Not everyone goes the hedge fund route, I think it is actually a pretty good split between those who go back to b-school and stay in PE (at KKR or another fund), and those who go to hedge funds. A lot also comes down to the market. In worse markets, kids will go to b-school because there are not as many options, in better markets, the hedge fund opportunities are just to good to turn down so oftentimes people will bypass business school altogether. The decision oftentimes really comes down to the market environment you are in and what options you have on your plate.

 

Excellent forum. It's nice to see people getting such sound, realistic advice. I'd certainly award a SB if I had one.

I particularly enjoyed reading this:

"KKR will typically only really look at you if you did 2 years at a top bank, 2 years at top PE and then HBS. Are the only people in the world qualified enough to work in PE made of this mold? Absolutely not. Is life tough? Yeah, it can be."

Fucking comedy... and also very true.

 

For a first year analyst at good bank in Chicago (one that you mentioned in your list...with execution in Chicago), but a low GPA (3.5) from a solid regional school (Illinois/Indiana type), am I going to be at a severe disadvantage for PE recruiting? Do PE shops have a GPA cut-off and does that vary by school? I obviously don't expect to get into a megafund given my stats, but was wondering if you knew how solid MM PE shops may view someone with my background.

Also, do you think making a lateral switch to a NY office after my first year will help my cause? Thanks a lot for this thread.

 
need_your_thoughts:
For a first year analyst at good bank in Chicago (one that you mentioned in your list...with execution in Chicago), but a low GPA (3.5) from a solid regional school (Illinois/Indiana type), am I going to be at a severe disadvantage for PE recruiting? Do PE shops have a GPA cut-off and does that vary by school? I obviously don't expect to get into a megafund given my stats, but was wondering if you knew how solid MM PE shops may view someone with my background.

Also, do you think making a lateral switch to a NY office after my first year will help my cause? Thanks a lot for this thread.

PE shops don't necessarily have a gpa cutoff, but there is no question they like to see academic excellence (when you are only picking up 10 kids, you can have your cake and eat it too ). That said, if you are not focusing on the top tier of megafunds you will be fine, especially if you are coming from a good bank regardless of whether it is the Chicago office. Like anyone else coming from a semi-target bank, you will need to network hard (both with firms, but also with headhunters so that they can get you interviews), and when you are in the interviews, you will have to take care of business like anybody else. The MM PE shops are less of sticklers with focusing kids with a perfect resume. Like any other job, if you can display your intelligence and drive, you have as good of a shot as anybody. You will have to do more leg work though to get the same interviews your bulge bracket NY peers might take for granted though.

Regarding a switch to NY, yes, I would say to go for it if you could swing it. If it is a serious annoyance to your life, then don't, but everything else being equal, do it. More recruiting is done in NYC, more firms, more headhunters, more everything is in NY, it will just be straight up more helpful and make it easier to network by being in NY.

 

Thanks for coming on here...

Do you have any advice for managing the PE recruiting process? Headhunters are starting to reach out to people now and I'd be interested to hear how you handled everything. Should we work with every search firm that contacts us? Only the "best" ones? Is there anything you can do to make sure you're at the top of their list when they're deciding who to put in front of clients?

 
panther2k:
Thanks for coming on here...

Do you have any advice for managing the PE recruiting process? Headhunters are starting to reach out to people now and I'd be interested to hear how you handled everything. Should we work with every search firm that contacts us? Only the "best" ones? Is there anything you can do to make sure you're at the top of their list when they're deciding who to put in front of clients?

There is no special strategy, it's like anything else in life, stay on top of your game and just crush ruthlessly. Do not turn down interviews or count your chickens before you hatch. Work with all the search firms and cast a wide net, but also make sure to be straightforward with them about what you want (do not say you are open to working in Chicago if you are not going to do this, it is a waste of everyone's time). That said, you should interview as much as you can as the practice is good for you, especially as you build up to the more difficult interviews at the megafunds. I interviewed at several megafunds an these interviews can be prepped for, but the more preparation the better. You cannot go in to one of these interviews cold and expect to hit it out of the park, that is why it is important to interview as much and as early as you can so that you get a hang of it. Regarding the headhunters, make sure to be likable. If you're an asshole and nobody likes you, that is a big problem and it will hold you down. I mean there is only so much you can do, if you are annoying and not likable, it doesn't matter how quickly you can compute WACC in your head. The headhunters function as gatekeepers, so it is important that they like you, or else they will not put you in front of the best firms. You will have preliminary interviews with the headhunters, and although they will not be as rigorous as the real deal, they are important for making it to the next step, so you should treat them with the same respect you would treat a final round with your top choice fund, because in some ways, it is just as important.

 

10xleverage, thank you so much for this thread. You are awesome!

You mentioned before that at some point you have to stop following the track and just mirroring your peers.

What are the common things that pre-MBA PE associates do following their two to three year stint? What percentage would you say stay in PE vs. do other things? What are those "other things" typically? And what are the reasons for doing them?

Thank you!

 
ibanking101:
10xleverage, thank you so much for this thread. You are awesome!

You mentioned before that at some point you have to stop following the track and just mirroring your peers.

What are the common things that pre-MBA PE associates do following their two to three year stint? What percentage would you say stay in PE vs. do other things? What are those "other things" typically? And what are the reasons for doing them?

Thank you!

Business school is clearly the most common path, many kids are burnt out or want to take a break to find out what they "really" want to do in life. It's hard to quantify because like I said, every year is different given the state of the market. In 2006-2007, the hedge fund opportunities were just too attractive to turn down a 500k a year job at a tiger cub or tiger spin. In 09, there were no hedge fund opportunities, so business school was a bit of a safer bet; there's really no one size fits all. Like I also said, I think KKR/BX probably send a little more to hedge funds while TPG/Bain are very pro business school. Even at KKR/BX though, over half will go to business school in any given year. After business school many of them will go back into PE (not as many as you think though come back to the same firm) or go to a hedge fund or some other type of fund. It is rare I think for someone who has done 4 years of banking and PE to really do a 180 and start working at a non-profit, I don't really see that happening. If that happens, it generally happens after the 2 year banking period. I think right now PE has become as institutionalized as it has ever been (I mean look at how many people are posting on this thread right now), and it has become quite similar to banking in terms of how defined the path is. As such, it will be very interesting to see what the kids who are doing PE right now, or just left to go to business school, will be doing in 5 years since private equity isn't the elusive asset class that it might have been 10 (or really 20) years ago.

 
10xleverage:
ibanking101:
10xleverage, thank you so much for this thread. You are awesome!

You mentioned before that at some point you have to stop following the track and just mirroring your peers.

What are the common things that pre-MBA PE associates do following their two to three year stint? What percentage would you say stay in PE vs. do other things? What are those "other things" typically? And what are the reasons for doing them?

Thank you!

Business school is clearly the most common path, many kids are burnt out or want to take a break to find out what they "really" want to do in life. It's hard to quantify because like I said, every year is different given the state of the market. In 2006-2007, the hedge fund opportunities were just too attractive to turn down a 500k a year job at a tiger cub or tiger spin. In 09, there were no hedge fund opportunities, so business school was a bit of a safer bet; there's really no one size fits all. Like I also said, I think KKR/BX probably send a little more to hedge funds while TPG/Bain are very pro business school. Even at KKR/BX though, over half will go to business school in any given year. After business school many of them will go back into PE (not as many as you think though come back to the same firm) or go to a hedge fund or some other type of fund. It is rare I think for someone who has done 4 years of banking and PE to really do a 180 and start working at a non-profit, I don't really see that happening. If that happens, it generally happens after the 2 year banking period. I think right now PE has become as institutionalized as it has ever been (I mean look at how many people are posting on this thread right now), and it has become quite similar to banking in terms of how defined the path is. As such, it will be very interesting to see what the kids who are doing PE right now, or just left to go to business school, will be doing in 5 years since private equity isn't the elusive asset class that it might have been 10 (or really 20) years ago.

Great, thanks again. So post-MBA you would say the vast majority typically go back into PE? But typically with different firms? Is it pretty common for people at megas to end up at smaller firms post-MBA? There aren't nearly enough spots for everyone pre-MBA to continue at the megas, correct? So logically many people would have to trade down?

 

I know kids at bain and the reason they do place into PE over the other McK and BCG is that they have a 6month private equity rotation where you do an externship at a PE firm...alot of times they let (correct me if im wrong cuz im shaky on this last part) their kids, should they choose to, to continue at the firm where they were externing. So obviously that program allows for good PE networking and an opportunity to learn the finance needed.

Anyone by chance know where the Bain kids mostly do their rotations?....I feel like that might explain the Bainies at HF GG and Bain Cap if theyre externing there

 
Gobears88:
I know kids at bain and the reason they do place into PE over the other McK and BCG is that they have a 6month private equity rotation where you do an externship at a PE firm...alot of times they let (correct me if im wrong cuz im shaky on this last part) their kids, should they choose to, to continue at the firm where they were externing. So obviously that program allows for good PE networking and an opportunity to learn the finance needed.

Anyone by chance know where the Bain kids mostly do their rotations?....I feel like that might explain the Bainies at HF GG and Bain Cap if theyre externing there

That is interesting, am not totally familiar with the externship program so that might be the case. I know more bain cap people than bain consulting people so I am not entirely sure where they do their rotations. Bain consulting is obviously a great offshoot into bain capital since they are sister firms (even though they are economically independent entities). Like I said though, if you want to do PE, don't mess around in consulting, it is an unnecessarily harder path.

 
Gobears88:
I know kids at bain and the reason they do place into PE over the other McK and BCG is that they have a 6month private equity rotation where you do an externship at a PE firm...alot of times they let (correct me if im wrong cuz im shaky on this last part) their kids, should they choose to, to continue at the firm where they were externing. So obviously that program allows for good PE networking and an opportunity to learn the finance needed.

Anyone by chance know where the Bain kids mostly do their rotations?....I feel like that might explain the Bainies at HF GG and Bain Cap if theyre externing there

sorry to hijack... but:

I think golden gate / bain cap have the strongest history of hiring directly out of bain PEG. Bain PEG is frequently hired by the PE firms to do market due diligence (respected 3rd party opinion) as a "check" / resource (opposing roles) versus the GP's deal team.

I've never heard of a megafund taking a kid on, banker, consultant, or otherwise, on in an externship function.... seems like a big liability to me to have an outsider sitting inside your walls.

 

How influential can a very senior banker be on the PE interview process? I am debating whether or not to accept my return offer at a "lower" BB- according to consensus opinion of this site- and the reason why I'm considering it is bc. the group head has been a very helpful mentor. The group is great (top at the bank), and they do have a strong history of placing into PE (not a frequent occurrance, but have definitely placed at KKR, TPG, Carlyle before). I love the people in this group, so should do you think I should just go ahead and accept....considering I have an MD who will really support me?

or should I aim for GS/MS?

 
JohnWall:
How influential can a very senior banker be on the PE interview process? I am debating whether or not to accept my return offer at a "lower" BB- according to consensus opinion of this site- and the reason why I'm considering it is bc. the group head has been a very helpful mentor. The group is great (top at the bank), and they do have a strong history of placing into PE (not a frequent occurrance, but have definitely placed at KKR, TPG, Carlyle before). I love the people in this group, so should do you think I should just go ahead and accept....considering I have an MD who will really support me?

or should I aim for GS/MS?

Recommendations matter less than most people think. You are still so junior after a 2 year stint in banking that even a glowing reference will not overcome a weak interview performance. I would say to try for a classic ibd group at GS or one of the stronger groups at MS (such as m&a). If either one of those work out, take stock of your options and make a choice, at least you know you'll have tried. I don't know what exact group you are in right now, but if the main thing drawing you back is the prospect of a strong reference, I do not think that this is a good enough reason to pick it over GS or the like.

 

Can I ask your opinion of the MS Fin Sponsors group in terms of the type of deals they do (I know a few but limited knowledge) as well as your opinion of the group for exit opportunities/bschool. From talking to the people there it seems like some very interesting deals (generalist structure) and great culture but I wanna know if I will pigeonhole myself to that group or only to PE exits. While obviously those would be nice, I really value the option of learning about many sectors as a generalist and then learning what I want to do over the next two years (whether that'd be stay in banking or move to other jobs in or out of finance).

I know this has been asked before but I figure why not ask someone who actually worked at MS. Like you touched on earlier as well...does MS M&A handle all the analysis for Sponsors deals? I know that Sponsors works side by side with Lev Fin already.

 
Gobears88:
Can I ask your opinion of the MS Fin Sponsors group in terms of the type of deals they do (I know a few but limited knowledge) as well as your opinion of the group for exit opportunities/bschool. From talking to the people there it seems like some very interesting deals (generalist structure) and great culture but I wanna know if I will pigeonhole myself to that group or only to PE exits. While obviously those would be nice, I really value the option of learning about many sectors as a generalist and then learning what I want to do over the next two years (whether that'd be stay in banking or move to other jobs in or out of finance).

I know this has been asked before but I figure why not ask someone who actually worked at MS. Like you touched on earlier as well...does MS M&A handle all the analysis for Sponsors deals? I know that Sponsors works side by side with Lev Fin already.

MS fin sponsors is good, I don't know an incredible amount about them, but they are a solid group and will provide you exit opportunities. If you can move into M&A though you should try to do that as it will provide you better exit opps. Don't worry about being pigeonholed as sponsors won't do that to you. MS M&A doesn't do all the analysis on the sponsors deals, but depending on which MD is running the process or holding the relationships, M&A can have a more or less significant role in the transaction. For the most part though, as you'd expect, the M&A group will be doing the most analysis of any group in Morgan, so if you can get in the group, it's a good idea. Regarding learning, I admire your interest in learning new sectors, but you're a slave and your interest in learning will quickly subside when you are fat and pale from lack of sunlight 6 months into the job, you might as well make sure you get good exit opps.

 
Bernanke23:
Thanks for starting the thread-much appreciated.

Couple questions:

  1. How well did your MS experience prepare you for buy-side recruiting?
  2. What were some of the questions or case studies you got during your megafund interviews (if you remember)? Thanks in advance and thanks again for a great thread!

  • Getting my ass kicked on a weekly basis was terrific preparation. Seriously. Look, any one of these bulge bracket ibanking jobs will adequately train you to be the finest number crunching slave money can buy. MS or GS or JPM or whatever, they'll give you the experience you need.

  • Know how to discuss valuation in depth. By this point you should know the finance vault guide in your sleep, this is not the time anymore for you to be stuttering over how to calculate the unlevered FCFs that go into a DCF. Talk about the economics of an lbo, the drivers of value, be able to talk to the more qualitative elements of what make a good business. Be able to discuss a few good businesses that you know of and why they are good. Be able to do an lbo on excel and know what the logical sensitivities are that go along with them. Nobody is expecting you to debate the theoretical merits of using the APV method of valuation vs. WACC (although if you can, that's a pro). The shit that kids always mess up is that they don't even know their own story, these are the basic things anyone can prep for. If you can't articulate who you are and why you want to do PE in a succinct manner, it's the quickest way to get a ding.
  •  
    10xleverage:
    Bernanke23:
    Thanks for starting the thread-much appreciated.

    Couple questions:

    1. How well did your MS experience prepare you for buy-side recruiting?
    2. What were some of the questions or case studies you got during your megafund interviews (if you remember)? Thanks in advance and thanks again for a great thread!

  • Getting my ass kicked on a weekly basis was terrific preparation. Seriously. Look, any one of these bulge bracket ibanking jobs will adequately train you to be the finest number crunching slave money can buy. MS or GS or JPM or whatever, they'll give you the experience you need.

  • Know how to discuss valuation in depth. By this point you should know the finance vault guide in your sleep, this is not the time anymore for you to be stuttering over how to calculate the unlevered FCFs that go into a DCF. Talk about the economics of an lbo, the drivers of value, be able to talk to the more qualitative elements of what make a good business. Be able to discuss a few good businesses that you know of and why they are good. Be able to do an lbo on excel and know what the logical sensitivities are that go along with them. Nobody is expecting you to debate the theoretical merits of using the APV method of valuation vs. WACC (although if you can, that's a pro). The shit that kids always mess up is that they don't even know their own story, these are the basic things anyone can prep for. If you can't articulate who you are and why you want to do PE in a succinct manner, it's the quickest way to get a ding.
  • Thanks for the response. As a follow-up question, how important is deal experience? I understand that it's important to work on live deals but is it necessary for things to close or can one have "dead" transactions on their resume?

    Also, I was wondering if you could give a brief run-down of a typical day for you while you were at KKR? Thanks again.

     

    Thank you very much, I really appreciate again. This is probably the most useful thread I have encountered on this forum after years of lurking, I hope you will maintain a dialogue. This is all great advice.

     

    Wow this thread is as good as it gets, thanks 10xleverage. I have a couple of questions that I would really appreciate your answering.

    1) How difficult is it to get to a top tier megafund out of H/S/W recruiting given you've only done 2-3 years of IBD alone? Assume that you did a good job at a reputable bb but chose not to do the additional 2 years of PE. pre-mba. Does post-mba opportunities exist for these kids? I'm not talking about bx/kkr or bust, but other top tiers like h&f, warburg, madison dearborne, thomas h lee...etc.

    2) Do you have any idea of how merchant banking is viewed for megafund pre-mba recruiting? Rather than working at a traditional ibd group i'm working in the principal investing / p.e arm of a bank that essentially does smaller buyouts using its own balance sheet (100-500mm), though we will coinvest for larger deals. The exit ops are pretty unclear as it seems like p/e firms only hire pure bankers. Any insights on this?

    Thanks again!

     
    lolercoasterrr:
    Wow this thread is as good as it gets, thanks 10xleverage. I have a couple of questions that I would really appreciate your answering.

    1) How difficult is it to get to a top tier megafund out of H/S/W recruiting given you've only done 2-3 years of IBD alone? Assume that you did a good job at a reputable bb but chose not to do the additional 2 years of PE. pre-mba. Does post-mba opportunities exist for these kids? I'm not talking about bx/kkr or bust, but other top tiers like h&f, warburg, madison dearborne, thomas h lee...etc.

    2) Do you have any idea of how merchant banking is viewed for megafund pre-mba recruiting? Rather than working at a traditional ibd group i'm working in the principal investing / p.e arm of a bank that essentially does smaller buyouts using its own balance sheet (100-500mm), though we will coinvest for larger deals. The exit ops are pretty unclear as it seems like p/e firms only hire pure bankers. Any insights on this?

    Thanks again!

    1. Almost impossible without pre-mba megafund PE experience. Kids with IBD experience are dime a dozen, the PE experience will help you stand out a little more. Again, in frothier markets it may happen, in tougher markets or even okay markets like right now, it will be very hard to get a megafund job without pre-MBA experience. As you go down the food chain to madison dearborn/new mountain/ maybe warburg things will be a little easier for kids without pre-mba experience, but the top shops definitely prefer it.
    2. Merchant banking experience is totally valid, it's just not a hot spot for recruiting for whatever reason. Like all my advice above for anyone not coming from a traditional target group, just proactively engage the headhunters and network and you will be fine. The merchant banking skillset is totally applicable and if you are doing it at a large bank you should be totally fine.
     
    Password_Is_Taco:
    What is Henry Kravis like? Ever talk to him? Also, does KKR recruit at Columbia?

    kravis is a douchebag as you would expect (and probably for good reason). i say hi to him in the hall way but he pretends to not know me (i would probably do the same). kkr doesn't really recruit at columbia even though kravis is an alum, mainly just HBS/stanford.

     
    10xleverage:
    Password_Is_Taco:
    What is Henry Kravis like? Ever talk to him? Also, does KKR recruit at Columbia?

    kravis is a douchebag as you would expect (and probably for good reason). i say hi to him in the hall way but he pretends to not know me (i would probably do the same). kkr doesn't really recruit at columbia even though kravis is an alum, mainly just HBS/stanford.

    How come he behaves like that? I think this is quite unprofessional...

     

    Hey 10xlevergae, really appreciate what you are doing here for us young monkeys.

    Anyway, can you add some color to the prospects of analyst coming from Leveraged Finance groups at banks like JPM and BAML trying to break into Megafunds?

     
    Antsman:
    Hey 10xlevergae, really appreciate what you are doing here for us young monkeys.

    Anyway, can you add some color to the prospects of analyst coming from Leveraged Finance groups at banks like JPM and BAML trying to break into Megafunds?

    They're good, not great, they will do the job, but they are not GS TMT / MS M&A. You may not get interviews everywhere, but you will get some top notch interviews in the top tier (KKR/BX/Bain/Carlyle/TPG) and certainly get very good looks at the rest (THL, Apollo/Warburg/Providence, etc.). Like I said before, once you are in the interview, you got as good as a shot as anybody. I don't know how BAML has really placed post its merger, as I know it's legacy merrill groups were great, but don't know how the integration has panned out so far. My instinct though is that it still sends kids to top groups. Lev Fin in general is generally pretty good, not as good as m&a, but okay, because you will have exposure to HY instruments and other debt products. Your understanding of classic corporate valuation and corporate finance will probably not be as good as an M&A banker's though, however, you can self-study the details or try to enrich yourself on your spare time on things you think you might be missing out on. The fact of the matter is, everyone has a different skillset and everyone has to complement what they know, a lev fin banker could read a credit doc better than an m&a banker, but an m&a guy could do accretion/dilution irr math better. The latter is more desirable for PE firms, it is what it is. That said, lev fin places just fine.

     
    10xleverage:
    Antsman:
    Hey 10xlevergae, really appreciate what you are doing here for us young monkeys.

    Anyway, can you add some color to the prospects of analyst coming from Leveraged Finance groups at banks like JPM and BAML trying to break into Megafunds?

    They're good, not great, they will do the job, but they are not GS TMT / MS M&A. You may not get interviews everywhere, but you will get some top notch interviews in the top tier (KKR/BX/Bain/Carlyle/TPG) and certainly get very good looks at the rest (THL, Apollo/Warburg/Providence, etc.). Like I said before, once you are in the interview, you got as good as a shot as anybody. I don't know how BAML has really placed post its merger, as I know it's legacy merrill groups were great, but don't know how the integration has panned out so far. My instinct though is that it still sends kids to top groups. Lev Fin in general is generally pretty good, not as good as m&a, but okay, because you will have exposure to HY instruments and other debt products. Your understanding of classic corporate valuation and corporate finance will probably not be as good as an M&A banker's though, however, you can self-study the details or try to enrich yourself on your spare time on things you think you might be missing out on. The fact of the matter is, everyone has a different skillset and everyone has to complement what they know, a lev fin banker could read a credit doc better than an m&a banker, but an m&a guy could do accretion/dilution irr math better. The latter is more desirable for PE firms, it is what it is. That said, lev fin places just fine.

    Thanks a lot!

     
    10xleverage:
    Antsman:
    Hey 10xlevergae, really appreciate what you are doing here for us young monkeys.

    Anyway, can you add some color to the prospects of analyst coming from Leveraged Finance groups at banks like JPM and BAML trying to break into Megafunds?

    They're good, not great, they will do the job, but they are not GS TMT / MS M&A. You may not get interviews everywhere, but you will get some top notch interviews in the top tier (KKR/BX/Bain/Carlyle/TPG) and certainly get very good looks at the rest (THL, Apollo/Warburg/Providence, etc.). Like I said before, once you are in the interview, you got as good as a shot as anybody. I don't know how BAML has really placed post its merger, as I know it's legacy merrill groups were great, but don't know how the integration has panned out so far. My instinct though is that it still sends kids to top groups. Lev Fin in general is generally pretty good, not as good as m&a, but okay, because you will have exposure to HY instruments and other debt products. Your understanding of classic corporate valuation and corporate finance will probably not be as good as an M&A banker's though, however, you can self-study the details or try to enrich yourself on your spare time on things you think you might be missing out on. The fact of the matter is, everyone has a different skillset and everyone has to complement what they know, a lev fin banker could read a credit doc better than an m&a banker, but an m&a guy could do accretion/dilution irr math better. The latter is more desirable for PE firms, it is what it is. That said, lev fin places just fine.

    Thank you. This is the best thread I have seen in nearly a year reading this site. +1 SB

    [quote=patternfinder]Of course, I would just buy in scales. [/quote] See my WSO Blog | my AMA
     

    10x Leverage -- this is incredibly helpful, really appreciate all the help!

    1. How does Lazard's restructuring group compare vs the M&A groups? I know it's very busy but does restructuring work limit opportunities or open them?

    2. Relatively, how important is deal experience vs. analyst ranking? In terms of deal experience, are you looking more for size of deals, number, complexity, or a very involved role?

     
    HappyThanksgiving:
    10x Leverage -- this is incredibly helpful, really appreciate all the help!
    1. How does Lazard's restructuring group compare vs the M&A groups? I know it's very busy but does restructuring work limit opportunities or open them?

    2. Relatively, how important is deal experience vs. analyst ranking? In terms of deal experience, are you looking more for size of deals, number, complexity, or a very involved role?

  • This is a stupid question, the opportunities are generally the same. Both good groups. The restructuring group works with shitty companies that are probably bankrupt or about to go bankrupt, the M&A group is an M&A group. Both place just fine, restructuring will not close any doors and will even up doors to credit oriented hedge funds (think king street or centerbridge).

  • Deal experience is not that important for the reasons i mention above. so long as you were working on something and you can make it sound like you learned and grew from it you will be fine. Analyst ranking can be important but isn't everything, so long as you are generally top half of your class you will be fine (this isn't hard as about a year in, at least a quarter to a third of your analyst class will flame out). You're generally looking for any experience that you can show that you learned considerably from, so that could mean a complex deal where you were very involved. Nobody is impressed if you did a $10bn investment grade offering for a seasoned issuer, any retard could do that . A $500mm acquisition of a company involving a financing and some strategic element is way more interesting. All in all, you just need to be able to sell your experience.
  •  
    ibanking101:
    Another thing I commonly hear: The meanest person you work for in IB is the nicest person in PE. Is that true? Where the senior people a lot more nasty toward you?

    Both places have nice people and mean people, contrary to popular belief when you go to PE you are not issued a pin stripe suit and buckled shoes and given a license to be an asshole. Senior people in PE are actually probably nicer because you are around them more. In a large bank, you are dealing with more people (product groups, other industry groups, clients, etc.), in a PE group you will develop more of a relationship with the very senior people because you interact with them more frequently. As with any interaction, the more frequently you deal with them, the nicer they will be because they will develop a repoire with you.

     
    10xleverage:
    Password_Is_Taco:
    What is Henry Kravis like? Ever talk to him? Also, does KKR recruit at Columbia?

    kravis is a douchebag as you would expect (and probably for good reason). i say hi to him in the hall way but he pretends to not know me (i would probably do the same). kkr doesn't really recruit at columbia even though kravis is an alum, mainly just HBS/stanford.

    Do you call him Henry or Mr. Kravis?

     
    Password_Is_Taco:
    10xleverage:
    Password_Is_Taco:
    What is Henry Kravis like? Ever talk to him? Also, does KKR recruit at Columbia?

    kravis is a douchebag as you would expect (and probably for good reason). i say hi to him in the hall way but he pretends to not know me (i would probably do the same). kkr doesn't really recruit at columbia even though kravis is an alum, mainly just HBS/stanford.

    Do you call him Henry or Mr. Kravis?

    Henry. Assistants call him Mr. Kravis.

     
    10xleverage:
    <span class=keyword_link><a href=//www.wallstreetoasis.com/finance-dictionary/what-is-london-interbank-offer-rate-libor>LIBOR</a></span>:
    So whether you are having a good day or bad, you are on facebook. Good to know.

    You wanted honest advice. If you don't go on facebook everyday you're just weird.

    Totally agree.

    looking for that pick-me-up to power through an all-nighter?
     

    In terms of modeling that is done at the megafund level, can you give an example of some of the complexities? I'd imagine that things can get pretty intense / complicated right? Also, how much of this are you expected to know / understand coming in? While banking is essentially a training ground for PE, I'm fairly certain (from my experiences thus far and from chatting with others), that a ton of the modeling is template based so I'm curious to hear your about your experiences.

     
    Bernanke23:
    In terms of modeling that is done at the megafund level, can you give an example of some of the complexities? I'd imagine that things can get pretty intense / complicated right? Also, how much of this are you expected to know / understand coming in? While banking is essentially a training ground for PE, I'm fairly certain (from my experiences thus far and from chatting with others), that a ton of the modeling is template based so I'm curious to hear your about your experiences.

    Yes, much of the modeling done at banks is template based but you should try your best to do modeling from scratch. You will learn it better if you can do it from scratch even if it takes longer at first. No two companies are identical and although you may be able to bucket all things into COGS or SG&A for instance, companies should be viewed differently (e.g. one company may choose to grow via capex while another grows by acquiring other companies). For the purpose of the interview things never really get too intense, TPG for instance provides a bit of a template so you are not doing it totally from scratch. KKR will give you a blank excel sheet, but they're not really going to examine your excel output, so much as what your findings were after you completed the analysis. The key is to be thoughtful about your sensitivities, think about how an additional 100bps of margin expansion in the out year will enhance your IRR, think about how an additional turn of leverage will impact your IRR, think about how your returns might be impaired if you cannot achieve your desired exit multiple, etc. You should be actively thinking about the business and what the sources of the returns are. Intense modeling does happen, but not in the interview process. Moreover, by the end of your analyst career at a bank, you should be able to check your modeling from just the output sheet, no model is perfect, but if you see something that is just not economic (for instance capex trailing upwards, while D&A drifts downwards), you should be catching these things. If you wanted a monkey to just do a model, you could get some nerd out of MIT to write an algorithm, PE shops want monkeys that may be able to make a judgement call or two.

     
    zooblar:
    Great thread - thanks for putting in the time to respond to people's questions, very informative. You've referenced the relative strength of M&A groups compared to other groups - what advice would you have for those in coverage groups with respect to positioning oneself for PE recruiting?

    Yeah this has been fun, I'm bored as shit so glad I could help. M&A groups are strong because they just generally involve more analysis, they aren't the silver bullet by any stretch of the imagination. If you are in a coverage group that is fine too. GS is the best example of coverage groups because they do not have an M&A group, so all their M&A is down in-house from their coverage groups. Not all coverage groups are made the same either, some will have a greater degree of participation in the execution of M&A transactions than others. They key is to be as involved in the analysis as you can, and even if you aren't fully in the trenches, you should try to be involved as much as you can such that you can leverage it in an interview. Like I said, it's not just about having good experience, you also need to sell it. Yes, in a coverage group there will be some shitty assignments (think a follow-on equity offering), but there will also be strategic things that the coverage group will be involved in. When this happens, to the extent you can raise your hand and try to be responsible for running the model, you should do this. It's not easy, but you have to be aggressive about seizing opportunity when it presents itself.

     
    7S:
    for post-MBA PE recruiting, what is the cuttoff for pre-mba exp

    would they look at you if you did 3i or summit? what about even smaller growth equities w/ 1~3B

    Yeah that would probably be fine, just need to have a good story. Both those shops are respectable. You would have a decent chance assuming everything else checked off (good IBD experience, good grades in b-school, etc.).

     

    Fantastic thread, 10xleverage - I am thankful for a lot of things on this holiday, and WSO is one of them haha.

    1. Did you learn a lot during your two-year stint, or were you simply repeating a lot of the type of the work you did at MS?

    2. Where do you see the industry going in the next 5 years?

    3. To follow up on the good days and bad days: how often did each occur?

    4. Any advice on how to do well as an analyst/associate in PE?

    Sorry for so many questions - really appreciate the help!

     
    pepsiholic:
    Fantastic thread, 10xleverage - I am thankful for a lot of things on this holiday, and WSO is one of them haha.
    1. Did you learn a lot during your two-year stint, or were you simply repeating a lot of the type of the work you did at MS?

    2. Where do you see the industry going in the next 5 years?

    3. To follow up on the good days and bad days: how often did each occur?

    4. Any advice on how to do well as an analyst/associate in PE?

    Sorry for so many questions - really appreciate the help!

    couldn't help myself, this will be the last one i answer tonight.

    1. combination of both, gotta stay focused on trying to learn new things or else you can become an automaton.
    2. banking is a commodity, and PE is becoming banking light. look at how many people are posting on this thread right now, case and point. PE wasn't even a term until about 10 years ago.
    3. good days about 10% of the time, bad days about 5% of the time, the rest are a symmetrical spectrum across the middle.
    4. work hard, stay hungry, always be learning, don't be a bitch.
     

    Hey thanks for the advice

    what level school/GPA did you have going in? what are the averages of the other associates?

    just a quick thought though - might be smart to remove that comment on henry kravis since it's probably easy to tell who you are (or at least narrow it down to a couple) if the office is as small as you described

     
    HappyThanksgiving:
    Hey thanks for the advice

    what level school/GPA did you have going in? what are the averages of the other associates?

    just a quick thought though - might be smart to remove that comment on henry kravis since it's probably easy to tell who you are (or at least narrow it down to a couple) if the office is as small as you described

    graduated summa from an ivy, most of the associates are similar backgrounds.

    appreciate the concern but not that stupid, henry can't touch me anymore, nor does henry frequent wall street oasis.

     

    alright i'm going to sleep, feel free to leave any more questions but i will not get to them until tomorrow. i also know that many of you have sent me personal messages, I will get to those tomorrow as well. I fully expect to not be active on this board at the end of this weekend as I am doing this for kicks, so please feel free to ask away while i am active.

     

    How are more "specialized" groups such as Real Estate, Natural Resources or FIG viewed by top PE firms? I know that FIG modeling / analysis is very balance-sheet driven so some things like Capex or D&A are "foreign" in terms of a FIG analyst's (depending on their focus) day-to-day experience. Have you seen this affect any of your peers and if so, how have they made the transition? Also, did you focus on an industry while at KKR?

     
    Bernanke23:
    How are more "specialized" groups such as Real Estate, Natural Resources or FIG viewed by top PE firms? I know that FIG modeling / analysis is very balance-sheet driven so some things like Capex or D&A are "foreign" in terms of a FIG analyst's (depending on their focus) day-to-day experience. Have you seen this affect any of your peers and if so, how have they made the transition? Also, did you focus on an industry while at KKR?

    They will pigeonhole you a bit but as long as you are at a top bank you will get a decent look. Goldman FIG places well but that is more or less because it is goldman rather than you are in a fig group. PE firms for the most part want kids that are still malleable which is why they prefer kids from a generalist m&a group, or traditional industry groups like healthcare, tmt, industrials, etc. (basically EBITDA driven businesses). That said, if you are in fig, and you can do all the traditional valuation stuff too, you will be fine. If you do have a specialized skill set though you should watch out as they will likely try to push you into an industry vertical. KKR does have industry verticals and you will focus most of your time in a couple. BX/TPG/Bain are more or less generalist programs while Carlyle will place you in a vertical.

    Regarding my peers, yes, it can affect your peers if you are not aggressive about making your preferences clear. 2 years out of school you are too young to get pigeonholed, but if you have a FIG background and do not raise your hand and make it clear that you want to try new things, you will certainly start to see yourself get pushed onto fig assignments because very few other kids will have the same skillset. Real estate and natural resources are also fairly niche skillsets, but I haven't seen the kids there get pigeonholed quite so much as the ones in FIG. To be clear though, the word "pigeonhole" is a bit of a negative term, if you are a fig banker, you have a valuable skillset that very few other people have. Take it for what it's worth.

     

    Here's another fairly specific question... If someone (i.e. me) does do merchant banking before business school as an analyst, is it still necessary to do pre-mba p/e for post-mba p/e? Personally I spend a year out of finance after undergrad and was dinged a year when I made the switch. The bank expects me to make a 3 year commitment in the position. I also want to go to bschool eventually, but it seems like the sweet spot for bschool is after 4 years of WE. I don't want to do another 2 years of PE before bschool since it's essentially what I'm doing right now (and it'll actually make me somewhat of an older candidate... hard to grasp that), albeit the transactions will be a lot larger. Given I just want to keep my options open (the possibility of exploring large/mega cap funds post-mba), should I start recruiting for pre-mba PE positions? Thanks!

     
    lolercoasterrr:
    Here's another fairly specific question... If someone (i.e. me) does do merchant banking before business school as an analyst, is it still necessary to do pre-mba p/e for post-mba p/e? Personally I spend a year out of finance after undergrad and was dinged a year when I made the switch. The bank expects me to make a 3 year commitment in the position. I also want to go to bschool eventually, but it seems like the sweet spot for bschool is after 4 years of WE. I don't want to do another 2 years of PE before bschool since it's essentially what I'm doing right now (and it'll actually make me somewhat of an older candidate... hard to grasp that), albeit the transactions will be a lot larger. Given I just want to keep my options open (the possibility of exploring large/mega cap funds post-mba), should I start recruiting for pre-mba PE positions? Thanks!

    It sucks that you were dinged a year but I would say that you should still try to do PE, it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Having a megafund on your resume will significantly enhance both your b-school options and your options post-mba, that's life. Your experience in merchant banking is actually quite similar and you will probably be able to leverage it post-mba, but being a merchant banker at credit suisse doesn't pack the same punch as working in north american buyouts at tpg. I would try hard to recruit at pre-mba positions, it will make things easier for you down the road because your resume will simulate more of the traditional path. that said, you could be a superstar and go to b-school and still place just fine (especially if the market is warmer). i'm just trying to give you generalizations.

     
    10xleverage:
    lolercoasterrr:
    Here's another fairly specific question... If someone (i.e. me) does do merchant banking before business school as an analyst, is it still necessary to do pre-mba p/e for post-mba p/e? Personally I spend a year out of finance after undergrad and was dinged a year when I made the switch. The bank expects me to make a 3 year commitment in the position. I also want to go to bschool eventually, but it seems like the sweet spot for bschool is after 4 years of WE. I don't want to do another 2 years of PE before bschool since it's essentially what I'm doing right now (and it'll actually make me somewhat of an older candidate... hard to grasp that), albeit the transactions will be a lot larger. Given I just want to keep my options open (the possibility of exploring large/mega cap funds post-mba), should I start recruiting for pre-mba PE positions? Thanks!

    It sucks that you were dinged a year but I would say that you should still try to do PE, it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Having a megafund on your resume will significantly enhance both your b-school options and your options post-mba, that's life. Your experience in merchant banking is actually quite similar and you will probably be able to leverage it post-mba, but being a merchant banker at credit suisse doesn't pack the same punch as working in north american buyouts at tpg. I would try hard to recruit at pre-mba positions, it will make things easier for you down the road because your resume will simulate more of the traditional path. that said, you could be a superstar and go to b-school and still place just fine (especially if the market is warmer). i'm just trying to give you generalizations.

    makes sense... thank you!

     

    Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Would you say it's easier for the typical investment banker to get into a top tier hedge fund (SAC, Paulson, Pershing) or a top tier PE shop?It seems like the hedge fund lifestyle is better than PE and allows for more upside and potentially more interesting work. Just wondering why you think so many choose to go the PE route...

     
    mrbellaiche:
    Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Would you say it's easier for the typical investment banker to get into a top tier hedge fund (SAC, Paulson, Pershing) or a top tier PE shop?It seems like the hedge fund lifestyle is better than PE and allows for more upside and potentially more interesting work. Just wondering why you think so many choose to go the PE route...

    Most people choose the PE route because they are scared to break from the crowd. SAC, Paulson and Pershing should not really be grouped together as SAC is a much larger institution and you can recruit at different desks there. For instance at SAC, you could get rejected by their event driven desk, and then try to interview at their merger arb desk, they are very segmented in that respect. Paulson I have no idea about, I don't think they really have a recurring demand for talent like some of the other funds. Pershing does not recruit on an annual basis since they are so small, they probably take a kid or two every other year and are incredibly competitive. I think in years past they primarily have only taken kids from GS and BX PE. The (elite) hedge fund route is a very promising track but is equally if not harder than the elite PE route, if for nothing else there are less spots. That said, don't expect to go to SAC or Fortress thinking you'll be working for a tiger cub, since both these firms are very large (and in Fortress's case, publicly traded). The smaller hedge funds will afford you more upside, but with any upside comes more volatility. If you want to become a 30 year old millionaire, you will not do it working at any of the larger places such as KKR or SAC, that is a certainty. That said, the kids working at KKR and SAC know that their fund won't blow up in the next market downturn. Regarding lifestyle, the top hedge funds will work you fairly hard, maybe not as hard an unpredictably as PE, but one truth about finance or anything in life is that there is no such thing as a free lunch, nobody became a billionaire working 9-5. If you want quality of life go to McKinsey.

     
    10xleverage:
    mrbellaiche:
    Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Would you say it's easier for the typical investment banker to get into a top tier hedge fund (SAC, Paulson, Pershing) or a top tier PE shop?It seems like the hedge fund lifestyle is better than PE and allows for more upside and potentially more interesting work. Just wondering why you think so many choose to go the PE route...

    Most people choose the PE route because they are scared to break from the crowd. SAC, Paulson and Pershing should not really be grouped together as SAC is a much larger institution and you can recruit at different desks there. For instance at SAC, you could get rejected by their event driven desk, and then try to interview at their merger arb desk, they are very segmented in that respect. Paulson I have no idea about, I don't think they really have a recurring demand for talent like some of the other funds. Pershing does not recruit on an annual basis since they are so small, they probably take a kid or two every other year and are incredibly competitive. I think in years past they primarily have only taken kids from GS and BX PE. The (elite) hedge fund route is a very promising track but is equally if not harder than the elite PE route, if for nothing else there are less spots. That said, don't expect to go to SAC or Fortress thinking you'll be working for a tiger cub, since both these firms are very large (and in Fortress's case, publicly traded). The smaller hedge funds will afford you more upside, but with any upside comes more volatility. If you want to become a 30 year old millionaire, you will not do it working at any of the larger places such as KKR or SAC, that is a certainty. That said, the kids working at KKR and SAC know that their fund won't blow up in the next market downturn. Regarding lifestyle, the top hedge funds will work you fairly hard, maybe not as hard an unpredictably as PE, but one truth about finance or anything in life is that there is no such thing as a free lunch, nobody became a billionaire working 9-5. If you want quality of life go to McKinsey.

    First of all, this is one of the most informative threads in a long time. These type of threads have been sorely lacking lately.

    I thought SAC did just traditional long-short equity? I had no idea they did event-driven and merger arb.

    Paulson has been recruiting MBA grads lately, mostly from HBS. I know this past year they hired a JD/MBA from harvard. But of course, it's insanely tough to get into.

    Do all of your fellow associates at KKR who go to business school, end up at HBS or stanford? I can't imagine KKR people not getting into one of those two schools.

     
    10xleverage:
    In the spirit of thanksgiving, I have decided to host a thread where you can ask all you ever wanted about banking or PE. Please feel free to ask away.

    many thanks for taking the time to do all of this. I have a bunch of questions for you and I'll just list them here.

    1. How's KKR's deal-flow generated? As most of their transactions are large, I assume they win deals via auctions mostly, which significantly reduce returns due to higher prices vs. Summit/TA Associates which tend to have much more proprietary deal-flow (ie done exclusively and lead generated by themselves). If that's the case, whats the value add of KKR partners/principals? My impression is that at the senior level you are good if you can generate proprietary deal-flow for your company done on an exclusive basis (therefore theoretically paying a lesser price than an auction, therefore generating a higher return).

    2. A) Do megafunds actually tell you that after 2 years you HAVE to leave? If you leave to business school, can you return back after the MBA?

      B)Can you get promoted at KKR without going to business school and if so what does it take as an associate to actually get promoted to a senior associate role (as I know very few people get promoted)

    3. A) In terms of PE recruiting, I think you're spot on re deal experience. As you rightly said, most people interview after just 1 year, even less sometimes, and dont have enough deal experience - let alone closed deals. So in a way, what matters most is personality and knowing how to model, right?

      B) If you want to get interviews at megafunds, do headhunters normally call you? What criteria do these guys use when deciding who to call? bank, group, ranking of a person among its peers, what exactly? Why did they call you and not some other guy?

     
    wamartinu:
    10xleverage:
    In the spirit of thanksgiving, I have decided to host a thread where you can ask all you ever wanted about banking or PE. Please feel free to ask away.

    many thanks for taking the time to do all of this. I have a bunch of questions for you and I'll just list them here.

    1. How's KKR's deal-flow generated? As most of their transactions are large, I assume they win deals via auctions mostly, which significantly reduce returns due to higher prices vs. Summit/TA Associates which tend to have much more proprietary deal-flow (ie done exclusively and lead generated by themselves). If that's the case, whats the value add of KKR partners/principals? My impression is that at the senior level you are good if you can generate proprietary deal-flow for your company done on an exclusive basis (therefore theoretically paying a lesser price than an auction, therefore generating a higher return).

    2. A) Do megafunds actually tell you that after 2 years you HAVE to leave? If you leave to business school, can you return back after the MBA?

      B)Can you get promoted at KKR without going to business school and if so what does it take as an associate to actually get promoted to a senior associate role (as I know very few people get promoted)

    3. A) In terms of PE recruiting, I think you're spot on re deal experience. As you rightly said, most people interview after just 1 year, even less sometimes, and dont have enough deal experience - let alone closed deals. So in a way, what matters most is personality and knowing how to model, right?

      B) If you want to get interviews at megafunds, do headhunters normally call you? What criteria do these guys use when deciding who to call? bank, group, ranking of a person among its peers, what exactly? Why did they call you and not some other guy?

  • KKR is a household name so they are on every banker's short list when it comes to pitching new companies / transactions. CIMs come through the door like publishing clearinghouse envelopes so there is never a shortage of new things to look at. Regarding auctions, that is correct, whenever they are at an auction, Blackstone and Carlyle and company are also at the table, and you better believe that returns get bid down. What is the real value of KKR? That's tough to say, KKR can bully the capital markets in a way that many funds (and even many mega funds) cannot. If you can get a larger quantum of debt at a cheaper cost, that is arguably value creative for the LP/GP, although some might say that it is value transfer across the capital structure (I'm not here to debate the ethics of it). Exclusivity is helpful, but most people say you will pay for exclusivity in that it will be priced in. And if it's not priced in, activists can come in (anyone see what Carl did to Dynegy? That exclusive didn't work out so well for BX in the end). Senior people have tons of relationships but big deal, you would too if you were the partner in charge of TMT buyouts at KKR. And it's not like the TMT partner at KKR is getting looks at deals from GS that the same partners at the other megafunds are not getting.

  • A) They generally prefer it, and like anything else, there is a bit of a self-selection process (similar to an investment bank when you are finishing your 2 year program). Many of the kids will make it clear they want to go to b-school, some kids flame out again (at this point though it is rarely due to the fact that they straight up suck), but it might become clear they want a smaller environment or try something different altogether. For some kids it will work out, and they will not want to go to b-school (this happens most frequently I've seen with Wharton undergrads). Others will go to b-school (KKR and most megafunds from what I've seen will foot the bill if you come back), and come back. It's not one size fits all and is very market based. Like I said, in 2006, hedge funds were very hot, now, there are no hedge fund jobs (that's an exaggeration, but you get the point).
    B) Yes, be good at eating shit and knowing your role. Work hard, speak up when you have something constructive to say. You are not a junior dealmaker, you are just the finest slave money can buy. There is only one Henry Kravis at KKR, and you are not him. That said, with enough effort and many years, maybe you can be his sidekick.
  • A) I am spot on. Personality matters a lot. If you are annoying, that is a big obstacle. Knowing how to model is a check the box item, any retard can balance a balance sheet (I can be brutal at times, but you should be able to balance a balance sheet 6 months into your job in IBD).
    B) Headhunters will generally reach out to you around this time in your first year. If you are in one of the top groups I have mentioned before, just take it easy and it will come to you. They headhunters (CPI, Amity, Oxbridge, McKibben, SG, Dynamics, SearchOne, Glocap, etc.) will bring you in to kick the tires on you. It is important you are on your game for these guys because if you suck here you will not even get a shot at an interview. If you are not in a premier group (GS/MS/top boutiques, top m&a groups), you will still get looks at headhunters, but maybe only after they have reached out to the kids in the top groups. Rankings don't really matter because you haven't been ranked yet. Do not despair, because none of the interviews start until late spring/summer. It is important though that if you haevn't heard from all of these headhunters, that you pro-actively reach out to them in early spring (feb/march) to set up a time to talk and make your interests clear. As you'd expect, the less of a top group you are in, the more leg work you will have to do. If you are in gs tmt, sit back and don't suck and you will at least end up at silver lake partners .
  •  
    HappyThanksgiving:
    How does Perella Weinberg, Centerview, Qatalyst, or Rothschild compare for PE placement?

    What b-schools do most people go? I assume most go to HBS or Stanford but common for people to not get into either and go to Wharton/Chicago instead?

    These boutiques are a cut behind the top and will not give you as good options as the top tier (Lazard, BX, etc.) You will probably get looks at 2nd tier PE shops like Apax/New Mountain Capital/Crestview etc. As far as b-schools, kids at megafunds will typically go to HBS and Stanford as you would expect. Like I said, more kids from TPG/Bain/Carlyle typically apply but those kids will typically get into one of the two although horror stories will happen. The fact of the matter is, HBS doesn't need 12 TPG kids and 12 Bain kids, so it is not as special as it might have been 5 years ago. I think in the coming years, you will see it be less of an automatic as it has been in years past as the 2 and 2 thing becomes more of a commodity. That said, I think it's been a few years since someone at KKR was rejected by both and usually there are reasons for it. There's also less b-school competition at KKR since more kids will opt for hedge funds than a tpg or Bain. If you don't get into HBS or Stanford, usually these funds are good about letting you stay another year to reapply, or get your shit together until you go to a hedge fund. It's unlikely anyone would go to Chicago, and a kid might go to Wharton here or there if his back is against the wall (the shame, I know).

     

    A couple quick questions:

    1.) Does it weird you out that you could easily get a blow job from any of the male monkeys on here by simply forwarding on their resume to whoever runs pre-MBA recruitment at KKR?

    2.) Did you honestly like your job? I mean, I know it's called "work" for a reason, but still, did you honestly like it? I work in PE now as well (much much smaller place than KKR), and I see zero chance of doing this after my two years are up. People are, and I once was, obsessed with PE and high finance jobs in general and read these descriptions about what an Associate does and get all hot-and-bothered. But, really, seriously, I find that it just isn't all that great. Your thoughts?

    Not to be a downer, but I feel that people get a little too wet in their panties over the idea of working in PE, so a little bit of reality couldn't hurt.

     
    TheKing:
    A couple quick questions:

    1.) Does it weird you out that you could easily get a blow job from any of the male monkeys on here by simply forwarding on their resume to whoever runs pre-MBA recruitment at KKR?

    2.) Did you honestly like your job? I mean, I know it's called "work" for a reason, but still, did you honestly like it? I work in PE now as well (much much smaller place than KKR), and I see zero chance of doing this after my two years are up. People are, and I once was, obsessed with PE and high finance jobs in general and read these descriptions about what an Associate does and get all hot-and-bothered. But, really, seriously, I find that it just isn't all that great. Your thoughts?

    Not to be a downer, but I feel that people get a little too wet in their panties over the idea of working in PE, so a little bit of reality couldn't hurt.

    1) Yes, but I like the attention. 2) You get what you pay for, it's a good gig and there's no question about it. You have lots of options after the 2 + 2 track, people know that your valuation skills are as good as they come. That said, you may have friends that took more entrepreneurial routes out of undergrad that are doing cooler things and potentially making more money. You will also have kids who just went to hedge funds (many that you may not have heard of) and might be making more than you (with a quicker and potentially more exciting career trajectory). That said, there are elements of the job that have cool factor. I interfaced with many household names in finance and although Henry never wanted my opinion, it was slightly cool to see him around (you'll see this at various mega funds for instance bonderman is still very involved with the investing process, same with bill conway at carlyle, tony james does most of the work at bx but schwarzman will participate every now and then). The cool factor wears off fairly quickly though and so you have to learn to like the work. At times, it was like being the junior guy on an IBD team again, on other teams you have an opportunity to get more responsibility where you can contribute in a meaningful way. The compensation is also very good at that level of experience (not to mention the lax expense policy). So like most things in life, it's a mixed bag, but it is hard to conceive of a better training ground one can find at this point in your career. If you can swing a job at Greenlight after your 2 year gig in banking, I'd say go for that, but as far as going about the well-trodden path, large-cap PE isn't a bad decision.

    All that being said, totally agree that people think the doors to universe are opened by working at KKR or some other large fund. You are on a good track, but like anything else in life, you can fall off if you don't stay focused and continue working hard.

     
    GutShot:
    With all due respect (this is all second hand), I've heard from several friends of mine in PE that the work is not what they expected. Their opinion is that PE associates are mainly 'processors' whereas the real analytical work is done at HFs and the like. Can you respond to this? Much appreciated.

    ^^No you didn't.....haha jk.

    But in seriousness, appending to my peer above, you spoke earlier that increased bureaucracy has constrained much of the flexibility that PE had enjoyed. That sounds very unappetizing and if I had the luxury to choose I would like to be more "hands-on" with a potential/portfolio company. Would that be more heir apparent, possibly exclusive, at MM? I guess same could be said about HF (sans discrepancy between PE & HF).

    Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
     
    Stringer Bell:
    GutShot:
    With all due respect (this is all second hand), I've heard from several friends of mine in PE that the work is not what they expected. Their opinion is that PE associates are mainly 'processors' whereas the real analytical work is done at HFs and the like. Can you respond to this? Much appreciated.

    ^^No you didn't.....haha jk.

    But in seriousness, appending to my peer above, you spoke earlier that increased bureaucracy has constrained much of the flexibility that PE had enjoyed. That sounds very unappetizing and if I had the luxury to choose I would like to be more "hands-on" with a potential/portfolio company. Would that be more heir apparent, possibly exclusive, at MM? I guess same could be said about HF (sans discrepancy between PE & HF).

    If you want to be hands-on you should really be a consultant to be honest. The large PE funds generally hire consultants or have their own separate ops group (like Capstone for KKR) that will deal with this stuff. The senior guys in PE are deal makers and they are proud of it. They are all former bankers and think like that. Bain capital will be more consulting oriented so you might want to try that. The thing with MM firms is that they might not always be taking controlling stakes so they don't have the opportunity to do turn arounds. One firm that is big on growing businesses is new mountain capital (run by ex-forstmann little guy steve klinsky). There are firms here and there who focus on it, but do not go into PE if you want to help create businesses. You would be better served as a consultant or in VC. HF's won't provide this opportunity either unless you are at an activist fund, and even then, you are not working on operations, you are just getting on the board of directors and stirring up trouble.

     
    GutShot:
    With all due respect (this is all second hand), I've heard from several friends of mine in PE that the work is not what they expected. Their opinion is that PE associates are mainly 'processors' whereas the real analytical work is done at HFs and the like. Can you respond to this? Much appreciated.

    Yes, that's true for the most part. It is probably not what your friends expected because they were probably delusional going into their job. They thought they were going to be mini deal-makers, sourcing and executing their own deals. The work is still analytical, but there is nothing analytical about going through a dataroom and making sure that the deputy cfo did his work correctly. Hedge funds are all across the board, if you are at AQR, you might as well be in an MIT class room, whereas if you are at pershing, you might be doing more fundamental analysis that might be similar to the work done in PE. I mean, yeah, a lot of the work done in PE is bullshit. When you get a CIM, you might have to make a model just so that you can verify that the company does suck as much as you expected (some MDs still insist upon seeing a model so that they can verify that a capital intensive business with an EBITDA CAGR of 3% is in fact a bad target). Like I said, you are still a slave, but the finest slave money can buy.

     

    thanks for the great info 10xleverage

    any thoughts on banking in Asia? obviously exit ops will be more limited since you're not in NYC, but would appreciate any thoughts on technical skills/deal experience you can get by working there vs. NYC. Also, would appreciate any thoughts on PE in Asia now

     
    chanmonkey98:
    thanks for the great info 10xleverage

    any thoughts on banking in Asia? obviously exit ops will be more limited since you're not in NYC, but would appreciate any thoughts on technical skills/deal experience you can get by working there vs. NYC. Also, would appreciate any thoughts on PE in Asia now

    I have no thoughts on Asia, I am strictly a NYC type. There is more opportunity the farther you go away from civilization, and I imagine this would hold true for Asia. I like being near my friends and don't know how to speak Mandarin. PE in asia is probably not the hottest of the emerging markets. I think India and Brazil are fairly hot at the moment, but it's anyone's guess, the one thing we can all agree on is that big bulky buyouts of publicly traded american companies with lots of debt is firmly a 20th century concept. I would say, stick around in NYC if you are young, the best and brightest are here, and then to the extent you want to move around post-MBA, consider it then.

     

    This is a deeper question.

    1) Would you still be working if it was not for the money or power (are you truly passionate about it)?

    2) Do you think your life would have more meaning or more fullfillment if you were a doctor?

    The reason I ask is that I am a first year analyst in IBD and have been receiving extremely positive feedback. I am just not sure if this is my passion and I am considering going back to school to become a doctor (Yes, I know I would be giving up a TON of time and money... trust me, I have been hearing it a lot from my parents).

    I have a hard time believing that anyone's true passion is in finance, beacaust almost everyone is looking for money or power or prestige. While I understand that PE and Investment banking is an essential part of the economy, is the individual truly making a difference for others? I am having a hard time understanding how they are.

    Thanks

     
    therainmaker:
    This is a deeper question.

    1) Would you still be working if it was not for the money or power (are you truly passionate about it)?

    2) Do you think your life would have more meaning or more fullfillment if you were a doctor?

    The reason I ask is that I am a first year analyst in IBD and have been receiving extremely positive feedback. I am just not sure if this is my passion and I am considering going back to school to become a doctor (Yes, I know I would be giving up a TON of time and money... trust me, I have been hearing it a lot from my parents).

    I have a hard time believing that anyone's true passion is in finance, beacaust almost everyone is looking for money or power or prestige. While I understand that PE and Investment banking is an essential part of the economy, is the individual truly making a difference for others? I am having a hard time understanding how they are.

    Thanks

    1) Probably not, I am passionate about succeeding (and in this society that typically involves money and/or power). If it weren't this lucrative, I would probably do McKinsey's corp finance practice as it would provide a good blend between quality of life and exposure to finance (which I do genuinely enjoy). 2. No, I do not want to be poor until I'm 35. If you are doing pro-bono work to kids with cleft lip in Africa, I salute you, but to the vast majority of doctors scamming insurance companies, I don't think that this is particularly fulfilling.

    If money and power do not provide you with fulfillment, than you might want to look elsewhere as these are the primary metrics with which people judge themselves in this career. It attracts personalities (many of the same personalities on this board) that need constant 3rd party validation from their peers and the constant admiration of those around them. It attracts people who are constantly competitive even when it is mostly meaningless (the difference between KKR and Madison Dearborn in the very grand scheme isn't as large as some might think - although I would certainly rather work at KKR than MDP). Wall streeters who say they are making a difference are bullshitters, yes, you may make money for your LPs, many that include teachers and firemen, but I doubt teachers and firemen eat lunch off china every day. That said, I like making money, and I like eating lunch off china, why shouldn't i? I also don't claim to be doing god's work, because I'm not. I'm a rational agent maximizing my own utility within the legal bounds that society has afforded me. As a pre-mba associate, you are too junior to have serious philosophical quandaries (you're not that important), but as a senior person, these are certainly things you should consider.

    Look if finance doesn't fulfill you, get out. If you aren't fulfilled now, odds are you won't be fulfilled 5 years from now, and at that point it will be too late. You will be elbow deep in a career that you are not passionate about and med school will be much harder to consider at that point. The most mature thing you can do is address any doubts you have about your career early on and nip them in the bud. Flaming out in your 30s never ends up well.

     
    10xleverage:
    therainmaker:
    This is a deeper question.

    1) Would you still be working if it was not for the money or power (are you truly passionate about it)?

    2) Do you think your life would have more meaning or more fullfillment if you were a doctor?

    The reason I ask is that I am a first year analyst in IBD and have been receiving extremely positive feedback. I am just not sure if this is my passion and I am considering going back to school to become a doctor (Yes, I know I would be giving up a TON of time and money... trust me, I have been hearing it a lot from my parents).

    I have a hard time believing that anyone's true passion is in finance, beacaust almost everyone is looking for money or power or prestige. While I understand that PE and Investment banking is an essential part of the economy, is the individual truly making a difference for others? I am having a hard time understanding how they are.

    Thanks

    1) Probably not, I am passionate about succeeding (and in this society that typically involves money and/or power). If it weren't this lucrative, I would probably do McKinsey's corp finance practice as it would provide a good blend between quality of life and exposure to finance (which I do genuinely enjoy). 2. No, I do not want to be poor until I'm 35. If you are doing pro-bono work to kids with cleft lip in Africa, I salute you, but to the vast majority of doctors scamming insurance companies, I don't think that this is particularly fulfilling.

    If money and power do not provide you with fulfillment, than you might want to look elsewhere as these are the primary metrics with which people judge themselves in this career. It attracts personalities (many of the same personalities on this board) that need constant 3rd party validation from their peers and the constant admiration of those around them. It attracts people who are constantly competitive even when it is mostly meaningless (the difference between KKR and Madison Dearborn in the very grand scheme isn't as large as some might think - although I would certainly rather work at KKR than MDP). Wall streeters who say they are making a difference are bullshitters, yes, you may make money for your LPs, many that include teachers and firemen, but I doubt teachers and firemen eat lunch off china every day. That said, I like making money, and I like eating lunch off china, why shouldn't i? I also don't claim to be doing god's work, because I'm not. I'm a rational agent maximizing my own utility within the legal bounds that society has afforded me. As a pre-mba associate, you are too junior to have serious philosophical quandaries (you're not that important), but as a senior person, these are certainly things you should consider.

    Look if finance doesn't fulfill you, get out. If you aren't fulfilled now, odds are you won't be fulfilled 5 years from now, and at that point it will be too late. You will be elbow deep in a career that you are not passionate about and med school will be much harder to consider at that point. The most mature thing you can do is address any doubts you have about your career early on and nip them in the bud. Flaming out in your 30s never ends up well.

    Thanks for your honest reply. Much appreciated.

     

    My gf wanted me to ask you these:

    1. What is KKR policy on flex-time/part-time? When would I qualify?

    2. Does KKR have a Woman's Initiative Program/Working Mothers Program? Deloitte has a program in place that allows women to leave the workforce for as long as they want (1-5 years) and still be able to hold their position within the firm. When they come back, they can decide if they want to work part-time or flex-time and progress within the firm that way. Deloitte would sometimes even let you work at home. Does KKR have the same fort of program?

    3. When is KKR going to go entirely paper-less?

    4. Do you feel like KKR's lack of technology is slowing down your development and progress in your career?

    5. I have heard that KKR is at the bottom of the Megafunds and might be fading away after the controversy a couple of years back. I have also heard that KKR is losing their investors like mad due to excessive and unnecessary fees from lack of technology among other things. What are your thoughts on these comment?

    6. What did you like most about working in the KKR NY office? The people? The hours?

    7. Could you tell me again about how many hours a week you worked during busy season?

    8. How many hours a week you worked the rest of the year at KKR?

    9. What is KKR employee turnover rate?

    looking for that pick-me-up to power through an all-nighter?
     
    <span class=keyword_link><a href=//www.wallstreetoasis.com/finance-dictionary/what-is-london-interbank-offer-rate-libor>LIBOR</a></span>:
    My gf wanted me to ask you these:
    1. What is KKR policy on flex-time/part-time? When would I qualify?

    2. Does KKR have a Woman's Initiative Program/Working Mothers Program? Deloitte has a program in place that allows women to leave the workforce for as long as they want (1-5 years) and still be able to hold their position within the firm. When they come back, they can decide if they want to work part-time or flex-time and progress within the firm that way. Deloitte would sometimes even let you work at home. Does KKR have the same fort of program?

    3. When is KKR going to go entirely paper-less?

    4. Do you feel like KKR's lack of technology is slowing down your development and progress in your career?

    5. I have heard that KKR is at the bottom of the Megafunds and might be fading away after the controversy a couple of years back. I have also heard that KKR is losing their investors like mad due to excessive and unnecessary fees from lack of technology among other things. What are your thoughts on these comment?

    6. What did you like most about working in the KKR NY office? The people? The hours?

    7. Could you tell me again about how many hours a week you worked during busy season?

    8. How many hours a week you worked the rest of the year at KKR?

    9. What is KKR employee turnover rate?

    Over half of these questions are retarded so i am not going to answer any of them.

     
    10xleverage:
    <span class=keyword_link><a href=//www.wallstreetoasis.com/finance-dictionary/what-is-london-interbank-offer-rate-libor>LIBOR</a></span>:
    My gf wanted me to ask you these:
    1. What is KKR policy on flex-time/part-time? When would I qualify?

    2. Does KKR have a Woman's Initiative Program/Working Mothers Program? Deloitte has a program in place that allows women to leave the workforce for as long as they want (1-5 years) and still be able to hold their position within the firm. When they come back, they can decide if they want to work part-time or flex-time and progress within the firm that way. Deloitte would sometimes even let you work at home. Does KKR have the same fort of program?

    3. When is KKR going to go entirely paper-less?

    4. Do you feel like KKR's lack of technology is slowing down your development and progress in your career?

    5. I have heard that KKR is at the bottom of the Megafunds and might be fading away after the controversy a couple of years back. I have also heard that KKR is losing their investors like mad due to excessive and unnecessary fees from lack of technology among other things. What are your thoughts on these comment?

    6. What did you like most about working in the KKR NY office? The people? The hours?

    7. Could you tell me again about how many hours a week you worked during busy season?

    8. How many hours a week you worked the rest of the year at KKR?

    9. What is KKR employee turnover rate?

    Over half of these questions are retarded so i am not going to answer any of them.

    Lol! I almost laughed when I saw these questions! +1 Silver Banana to you!

     
    10xleverage:
    <span class=keyword_link><a href=//www.wallstreetoasis.com/finance-dictionary/what-is-london-interbank-offer-rate-libor>LIBOR</a></span>:
    My gf wanted me to ask you these:
    1. What is KKR policy on flex-time/part-time? When would I qualify?

    2. Does KKR have a Woman's Initiative Program/Working Mothers Program? Deloitte has a program in place that allows women to leave the workforce for as long as they want (1-5 years) and still be able to hold their position within the firm. When they come back, they can decide if they want to work part-time or flex-time and progress within the firm that way. Deloitte would sometimes even let you work at home. Does KKR have the same fort of program?

    3. When is KKR going to go entirely paper-less?

    4. Do you feel like KKR's lack of technology is slowing down your development and progress in your career?

    5. I have heard that KKR is at the bottom of the Megafunds and might be fading away after the controversy a couple of years back. I have also heard that KKR is losing their investors like mad due to excessive and unnecessary fees from lack of technology among other things. What are your thoughts on these comment?

    6. What did you like most about working in the KKR NY office? The people? The hours?

    7. Could you tell me again about how many hours a week you worked during busy season?

    8. How many hours a week you worked the rest of the year at KKR?

    9. What is KKR employee turnover rate?

    Over half of these questions are retarded so i am not going to answer any of them.

    LOL I was just trolling around. Check out this thread since you said you were bored this weekend.

    //www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/be-careful-what-you-write-to-hr-real-lif…

    looking for that pick-me-up to power through an all-nighter?
     

    Is it still worth it to pursue this career? How is the outlook for jobs compared to 2007 and what's probably the conversion rate from wannabes to who actually make it - big? IB was tough to get in right from the start has it gone a lot tougher, especially for someone without a lot of background or experience? Is MBA route still good enough to SWITCH to IB? Has the lifestyle/thinking changed post the mini-recession that we had? How are the work hours? same as before or worse/better?

     
    Serialacquirer:
    Is it still worth it to pursue this career? How is the outlook for jobs compared to 2007 and what's probably the conversion rate from wannabes to who actually make it - big? IB was tough to get in right from the start has it gone a lot tougher, especially for someone without a lot of background or experience? Is MBA route still good enough to SWITCH to IB? Has the lifestyle/thinking changed post the mini-recession that we had? How are the work hours? same as before or worse/better?

    If you mean a career in finance, yeah, I think it's still good so long as you are doing it for the right reasons. If you have some authentic interest in the materials and various aspects of the job, it can be a rewarding career. I can't tell you if this career is for you, that's something you have to decide. At a minimum, if you are uncertain, you should try it out for a couple years. Doing a job for a couple of years after college is hardly making a career. The market is getting better but it is still definitely not 2007, it might be more of a 2004ish year, that is my own imprecise statement. Lifestyle is still the same for the most part. One thing I will say about lifestyle is that if lifestyle is a serious issue, do not do banking/PE, you have little control over your life and will get blown up, and that is something you have to deal with. Especially in IBD, the lifestyle sucks, so don't go into it expecting a predictable 9 to 9 job, because you might hang out at your desk from 9 to 6, and then get blown up at 6 and stay till 3 am. The lack of predictability is what makes the job difficult. You get paid for the ability to get blown up on a whim.

     

    What is the best route; P/E, IB, etc; for a graduating senior to gain a thorough background in finance? The idea is to work a couple years on wallstreet, paying my dues, and then have the ability to work anywhere in the country.

     
    mcapponi:
    What is the best route; P/E, IB, etc; for a graduating senior to gain a thorough background in finance? The idea is to work a couple years on wallstreet, paying my dues, and then have the ability to work anywhere in the country.

    Go hang out with your friends for now. In sophomore year, cold call some local PWM places and get an unpaid internship and get it on your resume, as a junior get an internship in IBD. Live happily ever after.

     
    JohnWall:
    Is there a particular advantage to being in a financial sponsors group vs. leveraged finance group? Also, would you say exit oppts for an M&A group are better than the two aforementioned ones?

    10xleverage already answered this. Read the rest of the thread. M&A is the preferred group for PE exit opps.

    -MBP
     

    I want to do my 2 years as an analyst on the West Coast, then transition to a West Coast PE firm, ideally a megafund. With these goals in mind, would I be handicapping myself by doing my analyst stint on the west coast?

    Also, what groups in CA have the best PE placement? Clearly GS TMT and MS Tech/M&A (Menlo Park) dominate megafund placement, but what next? Many elite boutiques such as Centerview, PWP, and BX have regional CA offices, but then there are other strong BB groups like CS LA. Or would I be best suited going to a bank with a major CA presence like Moelis? I'm not asking you to rank the banks, but, in your experience, what CA groups outside of GS/MS place best on the West Coast?

     
    West Coast rainmaker:
    I want to do my 2 years as an analyst on the West Coast, then transition to a West Coast PE firm, ideally a megafund. With these goals in mind, would I be handicapping myself by doing my analyst stint on the west coast?

    Also, what groups in CA have the best PE placement? Clearly GS TMT and MS Tech/M&A (Menlo Park) dominate megafund placement, but what next? Many elite boutiques such as Centerview, PWP, and BX have regional CA offices, but then there are other strong BB groups like CS LA. Or would I be best suited going to a bank with a major CA presence like Moelis? I'm not asking you to rank the banks, but, in your experience, what CA groups outside of GS/MS place best on the West Coast?

    I don't think you would be handicapping yourself too much by being on the west coast, especially if you want to eventually end up out there. If you want to come back to NYC, then you would definitely be handicapping, but if you are a west coast guy, and know you want to be there, it is absolutely fine to start out there, and might honestly be beneficial as far as keeping a cogent story line.

    GS/MS are good but I might say that Moelis LA might actually be better (have sent to TPG and KKR west coast just this past year). This is Ken Moelis's shop and UBS LA used to place lights out. CS LA is also good since they have a lot of the old DLJ guys. HLHZ is fairly good (I think their restructuring is pretty solid in my opinion). Otherwise, stick to your basics in GS/MS/JPM etc. As far as the funds, look at stuff like Silver lake, TPG, KKR some other small stuff like leonard green is okay. When you start talking to headhunters, make your regional preference clear, it will also help you stand out. CarterPierce focuses on west coast recruiting, you should reach out to them.

     

    Honestly the best thread I have read in a long long time. Thanks!

    Have you seen people who switch into a role at a Fortune 500 after a top PE firm / MBA? If so, where in the company would you transition into? With that background, would you essentially able to get into any department or would you be pigeonholed into corp dev. With that said, would you be able to get a more senior role in a corp dev division or still be stuck as an Associate/VP level?

    Also, I know this is splitting hairs but which do you think is better for PE placement, top M&A groups or top boutiques. Boutiques always brag that analysts will learn how to think better than their counterparties at BBs. Do you think that shows during interviews?

     
    Blago99:
    Honestly the best thread I have read in a long long time. Thanks!

    Have you seen people who switch into a role at a Fortune 500 after a top PE firm / MBA? If so, where in the company would you transition into? With that background, would you essentially able to get into any department or would you be pigeonholed into corp dev. With that said, would you be able to get a more senior role in a corp dev division or still be stuck as an Associate/VP level?

    Also, I know this is splitting hairs but which do you think is better for PE placement, top M&A groups or top boutiques. Boutiques always brag that analysts will learn how to think better than their counterparties at BBs. Do you think that shows during interviews?

    I have never seen any of my friends go into Fortune 500, my friends are douche bags for the most part and would consider this failure. If you had solid bulge bracket and PE experience, you would probably be frustrated working in a bulkier (arguably not as intelligent environment) company's corp dev department. That said, if you are the head of corp dev at GE, you are a very powerful person as these very large companies have more than enough resources to handle their corp dev needs internally. These guys are probably as sharp (if not sharper) than the flashy NYC bankers who pitch them all sorts of stupid shit that doesn't make sense.

    Look, if you did 2+2, and then went to a top b-school, you would prboably stand as good of a shot as anybody in a corp dev job, but why would you want to? Doubt you get pigenholed, but again, I have not seen enough precedents (because there are not that many of these types of precedents) to make any firm generalizations.

    This is splitting hairs and your time can be better used elsewhere. Just get the best job you can and you will stand as good of a shot as anybody. If you are choosing between JPM M&A and greenhill, flip a coin and move on with your life. Same shit, you'll learn in both places.

     
    xialeint:
    Do you mind sharing a little more about your background? Did you attend a non-target undergrad and did you get your MBA yet? Thanks I really love your spirit

    I have already answered this question (please try to read above so that there are no repeat questions). I graduated summa from an ivy (I will not say which one). I will not comment on my MBA situation in order to preserve my anonymity.

     
    GutShot:
    I really appreciate the response, SB for you. One more. Does being from a complete nontarget undergrad still count heavily against you? Assuming you work in a strong group at GS/MS/JP/BX/LAZ, how much will school brand restrict exit opps?

    Once you make it to one of those top groups, the target thing goes out the door (so long as you don't have a noticeable chip on your shoulder about it, which you shouldn't). Put it this way, a michigan kid (semi-target) from BX restructuring (all else being equal) will probably place better than a harvard kid from citi sponsors. Preferably though you are the best of both worlds and are a harvard kid from bx restructuring (let's be honest here), but nobody's perfect. School brand certainly helps, everyone loves hanging around with ivy leaguers (no they're not all douchebags), so it is certainly a positive, but will not hold you down if you were able to get into a good group. There are plenty of kids from semi-targets (wisconsin, notre dame, michigan) who are at the top ibd groups and pe firms. Unsurprisingly though, PE firms have a lot of ivy leaguers though, so the network will help, it's just the way it is.

     
    everythingsucks:
    I have a pretty solid lead at getting into the preMBA associate program at a place called Denham Capital. Any thoughts about this place, and would this open decent opportunities at a place like KKR after the MBA?

    If everything checks out, good UG grades, good IBD experience, good grades at b-school (hopefully HBS), yes you would have a shot, still not very good though, because there will be plenty of ivy/gs/ms/top pe/hbs types also looking for this job. Again though, if you get an interview I have no reason to see why you wouldn't stand a shot. MM PE would probably be a better target (and depending on which one, could be more attractive to you from an upside potential and work/life balance angle).

     
    10xleverage:
    everythingsucks:
    I have a pretty solid lead at getting into the preMBA associate program at a place called Denham Capital. Any thoughts about this place, and would this open decent opportunities at a place like KKR after the MBA?

    If everything checks out, good UG grades, good IBD experience, good grades at b-school (hopefully HBS), yes you would have a shot, still not very good though, because there will be plenty of ivy/gs/ms/top pe/hbs types also looking for this job. Again though, if you get an interview I have no reason to see why you wouldn't stand a shot. MM PE would probably be a better target (and depending on which one, could be more attractive to you from an upside potential and work/life balance angle).

    Thanks dude, but unfortunately I'm not from an IBD background. I'm a consultant at deloitte so I'm really far down the prestige ladder. Have a lead at Denham only because a managing partner is a close family friend. Does that heavily change your opinion?

    -MBP
     
    hc2494:
    How do Merchant Banking divisions of a top BB (MS/GS) compare to megafunds like KKR/BX in terms of compensation/learning curve/doors open?

    I think I basically answered this, it will be similar work but KKR/BX pack more punch and have more cache. Goldman PIA for instance basically tags along at sponsor led buyouts, they are very rarely doing their own deals. Both will teach you plenty and will open doors to you, but a top mega fund is better. Comp will probably be a little better to at a mega.

     
    1. I was wondering if you could comment at all the educational backgrounds of your peers in PE? I know that in VC, technical degrees are preferred (engineering is very common from what I've seen). For PE, is there a premium placed on such backgrounds, or is it your 'typical' (and I use the word loosely) Summa Cum Laude Ivy league econ majors?

    2. Also second hand, but I've heard from friends that VC is by far the worst lot of the 3 (VC/PE/HFs), because you're literally just investing in dozens of companies that come through the door without any real valuation, and going off of "gut" or "entrepreneurial experience", in the hopes that 1/30 will turn into something real. Could you comment on this? I'm just curious what the "consensus" is, if any.

     
    GutShot:
    1. I was wondering if you could comment at all the educational backgrounds of your peers in PE? I know that in VC, technical degrees are preferred (engineering is very common from what I've seen). For PE, is there a premium placed on such backgrounds, or is it your 'typical' (and I use the word loosely) Summa Cum Laude Ivy league econ majors?
    1. Also second hand, but I've heard from friends that VC is by far the worst lot of the 3 (VC/PE/HFs), because you're literally just investing in dozens of companies that come through the door without any real valuation, and going off of "gut" or "entrepreneurial experience", in the hopes that 1/30 will turn into something real. Could you comment on this? I'm just curious what the "consensus" is, if any.

  • It's what you would expect, a lot of ivy leaguers with very good grades. When you are picking up a handful of kids, you can afford to take your pick. Outside of the ivy league, there are kids from wisconsin, michigan, texas, etc. but good grades is definitely a big plus especially as your school becomes less of a target. Nobody really has a technical degree like in VC, quite frankly nobody there is that academically inclined to get phds as might happen in VC, but there are plenty of MBAs and some law degrees (very rarely has anyone practiced, usually came directly to finance). You don't have to be a finance major from wharton, but it is helpful to have at least an econish or some background in something that might be a little quantitative (math might be overkill, but you don't see many philosophy majors running around). That said, nobody looks down on a harvard government major who can do all the work.

  • That's kind of true, I don't know if it's the worst, depends on your perspective and point of view I suppose. VC is interesting because often times you are meeting entrepreneurs and reading business models and are very close to the business at the grassroots level. You may be modeling to the extent that you need to look at scenario analysis and weight various scenarios with different probabilities, but it's not like fine tuning your coupon assumption by 50bps to change your IRR by 25bps which happens in PE. It is true that VC funds expect to lose all their principal on many of their investments while getting a 10x cash on cash return (or more) on a handful. That's just the nature of the business, it actually seems fairly exciting in some regards, but it is certainly a different type of investing. A lot of these VC guys though are former entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, doctors, etc. (not typically the people running around wallstreetoasis .com). Look, if you are at kleiner perkins or sequoia, they are the kkr and blackstone of their field, but the types of people who would work at each are very different.
  •  

    Looking back at your experience, do you feel that working at MS/KKR has made you as happy or content as you once may have thought?

    If you could start all over again in college, knowing what you know now, would you still aggressively pursue this same career path?

     
    ibhopeful532:
    Looking back at your experience, do you feel that working at MS/KKR has made you as happy or content as you once may have thought?

    If you could start all over again in college, knowing what you know now, would you still aggressively pursue this same career path?

    Yes, but it's easy for me to say because it worked out. If I was at lehman and got laid off and was living in my mom's basement, I probably wouldn't feel this way.

     

    Can you broadly discuss KKR's Infrastructure team, or more other large players investing in the infrastructure? I understand KKR's team has had some issues since launching the fund in 2008. Also, would my current background as an associate equity analyst researching infrastructure-related companies give me a leg-up in such an interview?

    Thanks for your help.

     
    cleanalyst:
    Can you broadly discuss KKR's Infrastructure team, or more other large players investing in the infrastructure? I understand KKR's team has had some issues since launching the fund in 2008. Also, would my current background as an associate equity analyst researching infrastructure-related companies give me a leg-up in such an interview?

    Thanks for your help.

    Yeah, a lot of the large funds have somewhat separate infrastructure groups, I haven't done any work on infrastructure so can't comment with too much certainty. I imagine your background would be applcable since not as many people have infrastructure backgrounds, that said, it is not as niche as fig or power, so someone with a more traditional background (maybe in industrials) would also be able to compete against you.

     

    Guys I just want to say that this has been fun, but it has been difficult for me to keep up with all the posts and PMs although I have tried my best to respond to all of them. Especially as I have to get back to the real world this Monday I will not have nearly enough time to be as active as I have been for this past day or two. However, I would be open to creating a blog where I could post at my own leisure and respond to questions (again, when I have time) if there is adequate interest. If 25 or so people reply to this, and think that this would be of interest to them, I will probably go ahead and do this. Let me know.

     
    10xleverage:
    Guys I just want to say that this has been fun, but it has been difficult for me to keep up with all the posts and PMs although I have tried my best to respond to all of them. Especially as I have to get back to the real world this Monday I will not have nearly enough time to be as active as I have been for this past day or two. However, I would be open to creating a blog where I could post at my own leisure and respond to questions (again, when I have time) if there is adequate interest. If 25 or so people reply to this, and think that this would be of interest to them, I will probably go ahead and do this. Let me know.

    That would be great.

    [quote=patternfinder]Of course, I would just buy in scales. [/quote] See my WSO Blog | my AMA
     
    10xleverage:
    Guys I just want to say that this has been fun, but it has been difficult for me to keep up with all the posts and PMs although I have tried my best to respond to all of them. Especially as I have to get back to the real world this Monday I will not have nearly enough time to be as active as I have been for this past day or two. However, I would be open to creating a blog where I could post at my own leisure and respond to questions (again, when I have time) if there is adequate interest. If 25 or so people reply to this, and think that this would be of interest to them, I will probably go ahead and do this. Let me know.
    I'm with you. Let me know how I can help.
     
    10xleverage:
    Guys I just want to say that this has been fun, but it has been difficult for me to keep up with all the posts and PMs although I have tried my best to respond to all of them. Especially as I have to get back to the real world this Monday I will not have nearly enough time to be as active as I have been for this past day or two. However, I would be open to creating a blog where I could post at my own leisure and respond to questions (again, when I have time) if there is adequate interest. If 25 or so people reply to this, and think that this would be of interest to them, I will probably go ahead and do this. Let me know.

    that would be awesome. i would also encourage you to just ignore all the PMs since they should be posting publicly anyway!

     
    10xleverage:
    Guys I just want to say that this has been fun, but it has been difficult for me to keep up with all the posts and PMs although I have tried my best to respond to all of them. Especially as I have to get back to the real world this Monday I will not have nearly enough time to be as active as I have been for this past day or two. However, I would be open to creating a blog where I could post at my own leisure and respond to questions (again, when I have time) if there is adequate interest. If 25 or so people reply to this, and think that this would be of interest to them, I will probably go ahead and do this. Let me know.

    I don't have that much interest in pursuing a career in PE but this thread has been the most constructive thing to hit WSO in a long while. I blog (even if its only updated once a week or so) would be a tremendous goldmine of knowledge for users of this forum. Appreciate all the the great info you have provided thus far. Thanks.

     
    10xleverage:
    Guys I just want to say that this has been fun, but it has been difficult for me to keep up with all the posts and PMs although I have tried my best to respond to all of them. Especially as I have to get back to the real world this Monday I will not have nearly enough time to be as active as I have been for this past day or two. However, I would be open to creating a blog where I could post at my own leisure and respond to questions (again, when I have time) if there is adequate interest. If 25 or so people reply to this, and think that this would be of interest to them, I will probably go ahead and do this. Let me know.

    Please do.

     
    10xleverage:
    Guys I just want to say that this has been fun, but it has been difficult for me to keep up with all the posts and PMs although I have tried my best to respond to all of them. Especially as I have to get back to the real world this Monday I will not have nearly enough time to be as active as I have been for this past day or two. However, I would be open to creating a blog where I could post at my own leisure and respond to questions (again, when I have time) if there is adequate interest. If 25 or so people reply to this, and think that this would be of interest to them, I will probably go ahead and do this. Let me know.

    that would be a great idea and we would all appreciate it. meanwhile, I'm pushing my luck here but I would really appreciate an answer to my previous questions. the LAST one I promise. I was writing it whilst you were writing yours and saw your last reply after I already posted my Qs.

     
    10xleverage:
    Guys I just want to say that this has been fun, but it has been difficult for me to keep up with all the posts and PMs although I have tried my best to respond to all of them. Especially as I have to get back to the real world this Monday I will not have nearly enough time to be as active as I have been for this past day or two. However, I would be open to creating a blog where I could post at my own leisure and respond to questions (again, when I have time) if there is adequate interest. If 25 or so people reply to this, and think that this would be of interest to them, I will probably go ahead and do this. Let me know.

    Please do it, it's been a great thread!

     
    10xleverage:
    Guys I just want to say that this has been fun, but it has been difficult for me to keep up with all the posts and PMs although I have tried my best to respond to all of them. Especially as I have to get back to the real world this Monday I will not have nearly enough time to be as active as I have been for this past day or two. However, I would be open to creating a blog where I could post at my own leisure and respond to questions (again, when I have time) if there is adequate interest. If 25 or so people reply to this, and think that this would be of interest to them, I will probably go ahead and do this. Let me know.

    Please do it, it's been a great thread!

     
    1. A) Have you done any work for KKR's portfolio companies? Is it normal for an associate in the deal-team (as opposed to Capstone) to work on operational improvement programs or they're just crunching numbers.

    B) You're saying KKR takes very few consultants - do they normally end up in Capstone vs. Deal-team? Also, to what extent are these guys involved in improving operations? I have a feeling they come at the beginning to do the 100 day plan, but from there on its management who's taking control of the most interesting bits (working capital improvement, sg&a reduction, growth strategies, etc). In general, whats your opinion about the guys in Capstone?

    1. Is it fair to say that if you interview with a megafund and for some reason you blow it, there won't be a 2nd chance for an interview next year/recruiting cycle (with the same company) - BB recruiting being the opposite obviously

    2. You're saying partners are deal-makers. But if they receive everything on a plate from bankers (as everybody else does) in the form of auctions (ie not generated by themselves) then what is the partner's value add in this process? How can they justify their $$$$$? I see them as pure execution guys, they know how take a deal from 0 to closing, but everybody knows how to execute a transaction. I was reading that back in the day, when KKR was founded. Kravis was going and talking to executives, convincing them to sell their businesses - now that's value add right there - dealmaking in its purest form, but the partners nowadays receive everything from bankers.

    3. What was the point in you staying late nights and doing any work when I'm sure you could have outsourced most of what you were doing (modelling) to some poor chap in a BB group (you mentioned you were asking them for comps, but im sure you could have used them for more than that)

    4. What stops all these KKR (or megafunds in general) partners/principals opening their own PE shop? They have a track-record behind them and the best brand name on the the street. And as you mentioned there's only 1 Kravis so the real money is to be made at smaller shops anyway. Look at the guys who founded Lion Capital for example. For me personally, the best thing a megafund has to offer is the opportunity to learn how stuff works and 5-7 years later to open my own shop - thats probably the ultimate exit opportunity :) Have you ever thought of doing that?

     
    wamartinu:
    1. A) Have you done any work for KKR's portfolio companies? Is it normal for an associate in the deal-team (as opposed to Capstone) to work on operational improvement programs or they're just crunching numbers.

    B) You're saying KKR takes very few consultants - do they normally end up in Capstone vs. Deal-team? Also, to what extent are these guys involved in improving operations? I have a feeling they come at the beginning to do the 100 day plan, but from there on its management who's taking control of the most interesting bits (working capital improvement, sg&a reduction, growth strategies, etc). In general, whats your opinion about the guys in Capstone?

    1. Is it fair to say that if you interview with a megafund and for some reason you blow it, there won't be a 2nd chance for an interview next year/recruiting cycle (with the same company) - BB recruiting being the opposite obviously

    2. You're saying partners are deal-makers. But if they receive everything on a plate from bankers (as everybody else does) in the form of auctions (ie not generated by themselves) then what is the partner's value add in this process? How can they justify their $$$$$? I see them as pure execution guys, they know how take a deal from 0 to closing, but everybody knows how to execute a transaction. I was reading that back in the day, when KKR was founded. Kravis was going and talking to executives, convincing them to sell their businesses - now that's value add right there - dealmaking in its purest form, but the partners nowadays receive everything from bankers.

    3. What was the point in you staying late nights and doing any work when I'm sure you could have outsourced most of what you were doing (modelling) to some poor chap in a BB group (you mentioned you were asking them for comps, but im sure you could have used them for more than that)

    4. What stops all these KKR (or megafunds in general) partners/principals opening their own PE shop? They have a track-record behind them and the best brand name on the the street. And as you mentioned there's only 1 Kravis so the real money is to be made at smaller shops anyway. Look at the guys who founded Lion Capital for example. For me personally, the best thing a megafund has to offer is the opportunity to learn how stuff works and 5-7 years later to open my own shop - thats probably the ultimate exit opportunity :) Have you ever thought of doing that?

  • A) Your main involvement with portfolio companies will be helping to determine if there are any adjacent acquisition opportunities that would make sense. A trend lately in PE is to use companies as a platform or vehicle to roll other, smaller businesses into. You will have no involvement with the nitty gritty operational aspect of the business, if you want to optimize the supply chain, work at Mckinsey. Companies these days are run fairly efficiently and the days of firing 20% of your people to realize margin expansion are over. There are too many activists and private equity funds that will make you a takeover target if you are run inefficiently, this has never been truer than for publicly traded companies where it is difficult to hide if you are constantly sucking. Back to KKR though, Capstone will do all the operational stuff, most of the PE guys also see themselves as dealmakers and would prefer not to participate in mundane activities like managing a business. B) The capstone guys just come from different backgrounds, the PE guys are dealmakers, the capstone guys are former managers or CEOs or operators. They have actually had experiences managing businesses and their backgrounds are much more diverse than the PE guys. They don't really do much hiring at the junior level and I am not as familiar with the process as the PE group, so I can only speak for the one or two consultants here and there that work in the PE group. It is unlikely that capstone would pick up some kid who has worked at mckinsey for 2 years because you are still far too green to run any type of business. Oftentimes though, the PE guys and capstone will work together to interview potential CEO candidates and select managers if you want to throw out the old management team, so it's really case to case.

  • Yes if you blow it is usually game over. For 99% of people, the main window to get in is to interview in the spring/summer of your first year in banking. Once they fill their class, it's game over.
  • When Kravis was doing deals in the 1970s, it was a different scene. KKR and forstman little were the only games in town and the concept of an LBO hadn't even entered the public conscience. Yes, what he did back then was true dealmaking, and is certainly a far cry from participating in an organized banker-led auction. A partner's value add these days might be his relationships (with both bankers and companies) so that he can get a first look at some deals that might not be as available to everybody. For instance, if a mgmt team needs a $200mm PIPE, they might only go to somebody they trust (i.e. somebody who isn't trying to structure a security with malicious intent - like buying the fulcrum and hoping the company goes belly up). If you have a good reputation, you might get looks at these types of opportunities. But yes, the skills that a partner might have these days might be more of a commodity than it had been in years past.
  • Yes, you use bankers as much as you can. There were plenty of times I was too lazy to model myself and would tell the banker to give me his model and then just use his model.
  • There's plenty of reasons. Many of these partners have very cushy lives where they are (private jets, yachts, power, respect, etc.). Why leave? Yes, it is not their name on the door, but it is tiring to start a new firm and many do not want to deal with the administrative nonsense. I also think that a lot of people like working in large buyouts, and there are only a handful of firms that can buy $10bn companies. If some KKR partner spins out to do his own thing and even raises $1bn (fairly impressive), he is going to be a middle market shop at best, and for many people whose egos sink and swim on the number of zeros behind everything (bonuses, deal sizes, etc.), they would prefer to continue working in big buyouts. A more practical reason that you will see as of late is that with a lot of the IPOs that have (and will) occurred, you will see lock-up periods where partners will not be able to leave for 5-10 years unless they forfeit major equity stakes, so there are more economic incentives. Kids are a bit unreasonable, they think you build up a stellar resume (not track record), and then somebody will write you a check for $100mm and you will be the next julian robertson. It is not that simple, and starting a fund (especially in this environment) takes connections and luck. It is becoming harder these days where LPs prefer to invest in household names since it is more acceptable to get burned by SAC or KKR than get sunk by some upstart hedge fund. That is why you will start to see more internal seeding going on such as at SAC where it effectively functions as a fund of hedge funds.
  •  
    qaz123:
    What about BB Private Equity (GS/MS) vs BB IBD? How does MS PE compare to its top IB groups in terms of placement?

    Thanks so much for the help. I've learned a lot from this thread!

    Like I said earlier, BB private equity does not really lead buyouts. When was the last time you saw a consortium led by GS PIA? They tag along on buyouts led by other mega funds, so it is a little less interesting from that angle. MS PE would place just fine since it is certainly applicable to a job at a megafund, it's just that people are less familiar with it. There are less kids who do PE at a BB right out of undergrad, so it isn't seen as the big pipeline that the major groups on wall street have become. If you had to choose between MS PE and MS M&A, flip a coin and move on with your life, you are splitting hairs.

     

    10xLeverage - just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to answer so many questions. I think a blog would be much appreciated by our members and whether you do it off WSO or decide to create one here (under Monkey See, Monkey Do tab in primary navigation menu you can create Blog Posts under your username), we'll throw up a link to it. -- or if you do it on WSO we'll promote your material to the home page for more exposure.

    I also second the idea to ignore the PMs and reward the people that post their questions publicly for others to benefit...but sounds like you're done for now anyways so doesn't really matter now.

    Thanks Again, Patrick

     

    Just wondering if you know anything about MS in London? They have a M&A execution pool where analyst/associate in the pool will get staffed on deals with the coverage teams (i.e. media and telco, consumers, sponsors etc.)

    Would you say the M&A pool analyst would be exposed to similar exit opps as MS M&A NY guys like your self?

    Also, when you say M&A groups do more “analysis", do you just mean more modeling?

     
    wkc207:
    Just wondering if you know anything about MS in London? They have a M&A execution pool where analyst/associate in the pool will get staffed on deals with the coverage teams (i.e. media and telco, consumers, sponsors etc.)

    Would you say the M&A pool analyst would be exposed to similar exit opps as MS M&A NY guys like your self?

    Also, when you say M&A groups do more “analysis", do you just mean more modeling?

    MS London is strong obviously. The thing is, the finance scene in London (I have friends who have worked in London but I personally have not) is different than in the US. Like I said earlier, it is more unstructured, less people go back for their MBA since business schools aren't as much of an institution there. If you want to be a london banker, go to london, if you want to live in the US, stay in the US, it's pretty simple. Not surprisingly, you will have more exit opps if you are already working in the geographic location you want to be in. It will just physically be easier to meet headhunters, go to interviews, network, etc. I strongly discourage anyone who wants to do NYC PE to start out in London, it will make it unnecessarily difficult to recruit since headhunters are not going to go out of their way to accommodate you. Regarding the M&A group in particular, yes you can get staffed across various industries.

    Regarding the analysis, yes, I generally mean modeling. Banking is not all about modeling as some people here might think, but it is true that you need to pay your dues and you need to crawl before you can walk, so you want to have as analytical of a training ground as possible where you can develop your financial basics. This is why PE firms tend to like M&A groups, if you are a young eugene fama, congrats, for the rest of us, you will need to spend many long nights grinding away on financial models and iterating analysis until it starts clicking.

     

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    "Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
     

    Est ut velit sunt dolore officia. Doloribus explicabo perferendis iste corrupti vero molestiae. Voluptatem dolor ut et et repellat ratione molestias. Ex et accusamus distinctio est pariatur repellat ea. Eligendi error sint quibusdam delectus distinctio sint earum voluptates.

     

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    "Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
     

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    • Blackstone Group 98.4%
    • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
    • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

    Total Avg Compensation

    March 2024 Private Equity

    • Principal (9) $653
    • Director/MD (21) $586
    • Vice President (92) $362
    • 3rd+ Year Associate (89) $280
    • 2nd Year Associate (204) $268
    • 1st Year Associate (386) $229
    • 3rd+ Year Analyst (28) $157
    • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
    • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
    • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
    • Intern/Summer Analyst (313) $59
    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...”

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