Big Four TAS > Lateral IB Analyst - When to Recruit for PE

Hey everyone,

I know there are plenty of relevant threads on here covering this topic, however my experience is slightly unique so I am hoping to get some direct insight.

I recently lateralled to a MM bank in NYC (where I am now a 2nd year analyst) after working in TAS for 1.5 years. I am looking to transition to UMM or MM PE after my analyst stint, but am not sure the best way to go about it since I am off-cycle and a 2nd year already. I have been working in this role for 6 months now, so am wondering if I should begin reaching out to recruiters now, or wait until on-cycle in the fall. The other option is to work for a few more months and then switch to a better known bank for PE, however then I would probably appear as a flight-risk according to my resume (3 jobs in 3 years).

Any advice/insight would be greatly appreciated!

7 Comments
 
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I would wait for on-cycle to begin. Even then, some recruiters may ask why you are already looking when you just moved. Everyone knows why, but in general I have seen that people expect you to commit some time even for a stepping-stone gig. I think you are right about trying to name trade. If you did that you might need to wait until you are up for associate before people stop thinking of you as a flight risk. I went from a no-name after 9 months and ended up having to stay another 3 years, well into my associate years, before people stopped thinking of me as a job hopper. 

 

Is a transition to PE feasible after promotion to Associate? Given your point re: flight risk, as well as lateraling as an Analyst II, it almost seems as if staying on until an Associate promotion is required. With that being said, that is obviously not the typical path to PE. Given the unique situation, I’m curious as to how such a path would be viewed by PE firms. Any thoughts?

 

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