Associate

Was contacted by a recruiter in the Fall. First had a phone interview with the sector head. It was informal. Asked mostly about my current responsibilities, why I would look to join a new firm and what relevant experience I had. Went through the group's pipeline and why they were looking to add people at the experienced associate / vp level.

A week or so passed and I was asked to come in to their offices. Between interviews my main point of contact was a rep in HR, and I also talked frequently with the headhunter. Met with another associate together with the head of the group for the Americas. Very informal again. We discussed my background and education, deals I had worked on and what I could bring to the table. They wanted to know where I thought I would fit in the group (associate or VP). No technical questions were asked. I went on to meet with the sector head who I had spoken with on the phone as well as another Managing Director. They did most of the talking. They talked about what they were working on and where they saw the group going (it was in the process of expanding). Very comfortable the entire time.

A few weeks went by before I heard from them again and they told me they had to think about where I would land an offer. They ended up getting back to me just before Christmas and offering a 3rd year associate role. They couldn't give exact numbers on compensation and asked me to wait to resign from my current position until I had received my bonus in February. I declined because it was too risky and I wanted a VP role.