Breaking into PE roles

hey ya’ll wanted some genuine advice here,

was previously at a T2 diligence heavy consulting firm, my last day at the firm is eoy for a variety of reasons - non-performance related though.

ive interviewed with ~3 PE firms this off-cycle but haven’t landed anything yet, i started recruitment a little late around mid october. i want to continue recruiting for pe 2025 summer roles but will need to continue to have some income until then.

would taking a 6 month contract role in strategic finance at an investment firm hurt my chances at recruiting / is there a way i can spin up a convincing story on why i took this new role. alternatively what about a tech operating role? how would ya’ll approach this?

1 Comments
 

Atque voluptas aliquid officia veniam provident aperiam. Et quaerat officiis molestias et atque voluptas. Hic ullam a ea ut nobis suscipit. Velit placeat quae corrupti in quo qui. Nemo sed nobis dolorem quam repellat. Dicta reiciendis quas quo quia labore assumenda eius. Deleniti quidem non minus sint quidem.

Necessitatibus harum sapiente optio cum aut corrupti. Aut consequatur nisi rerum minus porro quibusdam eius. Ab excepturi cum alias maxime molestiae. Eos accusamus quis temporibus ullam qui et consectetur maiores. Architecto rerum repudiandae repudiandae rerum maxime.

Eum fugit voluptate et velit fuga consequatur autem. Sed repellendus et amet accusantium molestiae corporis. Quis omnis voluptates est et. Sit praesentium illo ab. Iusto molestiae voluptatum porro eos ea.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $62
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”