3 superdays without offers. What am I doing wrong?

I have had 3 superdays for PE firms so far, all without offers. 

  • 1st one - my fault: I stumbled on the paper LBO
  • 2nd one - they gave the feedback that based on my biomedical engineering background, they weren't sure if I was going to stick around in PE, or use them as a stepping stone - they felt I did not explain rationale well enough
  • 3rd one - no feedback

I have another superday coming up this Friday, and I don't know what to do. In my past superdays, they have been mainly (or entirely) behavioral questions. They know we are competent at this point because we have passed the modeling test. Honestly, it feels like a personality test, and I don't know how to prepare for that. The PE firm I'm interviewing for also has less diversity than a country club, and we don't have any shared colleges or companies. 


The conditions at my group have really deteriorated, and I don't know if I'll 1) I will be employed in another 6 months, and 2) if I can tolerate that long. Honestly, this might be my last chance at PE

Does anyone have any advice? 

 

It’s tough. I think some funds were a bit skeptical too because I had an engineering background but eventually I found a good spot. What kind of background do you have and what funds are you targeting?

 

I studied biomedical engineering in college, targeting MM generalist or healthcare firms. 2) from above was a tech PE firm (which has some investments in healthcare IT). 

The thing that annoys me about 2) is that they liked me enough to invite me to the superday, but ultimately gave me this reason for not extending an offer. 

I really need an offer soon, and I don't know what to do. You're bringing in 5 equally smart people, and hiring 1. I could keep swinging and missing, at this rate, without some advice.

 
Most Helpful

One cautionary note, assuming you're recruiting for 2025 (ignore if not), PE firms will assume that you're going to be employed at your current bank until then. If you end up leaving your bank prematurely after getting a PE offer (whether by choice or not), you're going to have to discuss with your future PE employer. Said differently, while PE can "save you," you'll still need to sort near-term, relevant employment (i.e., current bank or another comparable bank). Otherwise, you may risk your offer being rescinded.

 

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