Advice Needed: Bad Head Hunter Call :(

I had a head hunter call that went pretty bad yesterday. I did some light prep ahead of time - built some LBOs, reviewed my deals on a high level, and came up with an answer for common questions like "why PE?" and "how'd you get into finance?" I was under the impression that it would be an informational chat and should've paid more attention to the warnings on WSO.
 

Needless to say it wasn't very informational. He asked me about some deals on my resume, which I spoke briefly to but didn't review in depth. I just discussed my role and what I did, but I could tell my answer was unsatisfactory. He also asked me to walk through a case study, and I think I did mediocre. I answered it, but it definitely wasn't as structured as it could've been if I had prepped more. Similarly with some other technical questions, it was correct but I didn't structure it correctly and kept rambling. Now I'm worried that I completely ruined my chances with this HH. I thought the basic prep I had done would be sufficient, but it absolutely wasn't. The chat was mediocre at best, but now I'm worried I didn't make the good impression necessary to get the interviews I want. He also seemed pretty bored during the call. Is there any way I can make it up? Should I schedule a follow-up call later on to show them my improvement? I'm at a good but by no means top bank, think moe/laz/ghl (though I'm honestly not super in touch with how banks rank up to each other), so I'm worried that I'm screwed.

Has anyone else been through this? How did you handle it? Has this interaction actually tarnished my on-cycle chances with this HH (for the firms that I want)? They have a very strong client list of firms I'm interested in, so I'm afraid this wasn't the chat to screw up.

1 Comments
 

Vitae dolorum itaque sunt sunt. Nihil molestiae eveniet consectetur aut et unde. Et illo et dolorem veritatis qui explicabo aut minima. Ut nostrum aperiam repudiandae consectetur temporibus. Dolor optio assumenda rerum cum.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.2%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (413) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (273) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”