Anyone else in PE have to do this? Am I not cut out?
I will be blunt and outright say I strongly believe I am not smart, but have always gotten by just being a grinder or being very likeable (personality hire).
Got top bucket reviews in banking (seriously think I just played politics very well) and went into PE, and so far I think I will get exposed and fired soon lol.
There are countless times where a VP will just have me swing by his office, He'll just ramble some analysis he wants put together, but will not give great directions and will go super super fast. They go so lightning fast I write down as much as I can and just need a second to process everything. Once he finishes talking he says any questions and Ill clarify and ask some at first that instantly jump out to me, but like I mentioned I still need to even process and think through the ask so once I sit down like boom 5+ new questions come as soon as I "process" everything and think it over and read over my notes more closely.
I know you guys are probably reading this and are like dude are you just an idiot? Maybe I am. I am just so nerve wracked because I think I have insane imposter syndrome where I know every other associate in my class is getting these lighting fast directions and concepts and instantly know what to do, how to approach it, etc, and return flawless work. They don't have to "scramble" and keep going back to VP, asking dumb clarifying questions, etc.
Anyone else able to relate?
Listen closely - there is nothing wrong with you, you’re smart, and this is fully within your capabilities.
Banking and PE overly emphasize speed as a proxy for intelligence and capability. By the same token, feeling slow at something can definitely trigger feelings of inadequacy, but they’re misplaced and not constructive. Claude AI is already faster than any analyst in your class at anything a VP could ask it to do. That’s not what you need to prioritize.
My recommendation is this - go SLOW, but understand every piece of what you’re being asked for and why. Write down what you’re being asked, go back to your desk and think through it slowly, and then come back once with clear and specific clarifying questions. At the beginning you’ll be slower, but if you listen carefully and don’t give up until you understand every cell in the excel, the knowledge compounds, and pretty quickly you’ll understand everything that’s being asked much faster than anyone just doing it by template / precedent. Keep it cool and don’t get flustered or emotional if people are impatient with you, that’s their own stress and problem to manage.
Doing the above will get you to a level of mastery which enables you to actually have insight into what matters, and position you to be the most actually strategic and thoughtful junior professional on the team. This is how you’ll eventually replace your VP and then run into your next challenge - finding and advising clients on actual real business issues. Enjoy :)
Thank you so much I needed this so badly... I appreciate you.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast
I am objectively smart (top grades from hyps etc) but still went through 100% of what you just described when I started in PE. Totally normal.
Really appreciate it, I was down in the dumps crazy... Thanks for the comment.
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Currently a PE asso and I do this multiples times a week also lol. Glad I am not the only one...
Ignore title; associate 2 who got the senior promote at my fund. I felt the same way and I am sure most people do. It's generally fine to ask questions to your VP and I think most people are understanding that usually questions come up whilst doing tasks that take a long-time. Would just make sure you have thoroughly checked notes, prepared something with the outstanding stuff clearly labelled, and then asking all your questions in one-go with all the outstanding stuff labelled for your seniors. The goal as an associate is to do work seamless and hopefully by year 2 developing your own ideas on how to evaluate a company.
Agree with above. I'd also add that you should exhaust other resources (albeit efficiently/expediently) and use your VP for only the remaining questions that you couldn't answer.
Specifically, get help from other associates in your class and class above you, peek at templates and precedent work available on your shared drive, Google/ChatGPT as necessary, ask questions on WSO, etc.
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having imposter syndrome means you are aware of your shortcomings and wanting to get better. The worst thing is when you think you have mastered everything and thats the time to get out and switch fields. you are on track bro
You a real one.
A couple months ago I had the same issue my boss explained things very quickly and it wasn’t always clear so I just communicated and asked if he could slow down a bit, made a huge difference in helping me process the information, take accurate notes and ask better questions. Just communicate that you need him to go a little slower it will make a huge difference.
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