Canadian PE Phone Interview

Hi everyone, I just got a PE phone interview from a Canadian PE fund. I knew that I had a weak background compared to other candidates (Did maths in undergrad + accounting in master + BIG 4 Acct Experience + 0 deal experience). I knew that my chance was not big. But still I want to do something. I signed up for the PE course offered by WSO and learnt the technical. Is there any other things I can do/prepare? The most challenging part for me is that I do not have any deal to talk about. Any advice is welcome. Thank you!

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Some comments. If it's a pension fund and it's with HR, this is likely a very standard behavioral interview (why PE, why this firm, walk me through your resume, etc.). You are correct that the lack of deal experience is going to be a significant hurdle to overcome, so you'll need to find another convincing way to illustrate that you are able to think like an investor and how'd you evaluate an opportunity, convince them that you possess the baseline technical acumen to be successful (valuation, financial modeling, and to a lesser extent accounting given your Big 4 experience).

I would make sure you demonstrate your interest and passion for investing, such as knowing which public companies you'd invest in right now and your views on the market. Given your background, you need to be actively seeking an appropriate way to integrate this into the interview if they don't explicitly ask to give yourself a decent shot

 

Thank you for the advice! It is a pension fund and it is with the Senior Principal. I would assume this could be a mixed of behavioral and technical interview? The interview will be around 30 minutes. I was thinking about two approaches and am not sure which one is better. 1. Prepare a pitch on the public companies I invested in and my views on the market. 2. Try to find some PE deals and know the details. I am feeling pretty confident about the first option. For the second option, I am not sure if it is a good idea. Any thoughts?

 

Dolorem repudiandae sit iure sit qui et sint. Laborum pariatur voluptatem sed nulla qui laborum fugiat. Fugit quisquam quis eaque quibusdam. Consequuntur libero labore voluptatem officia laborum minus. Aut iusto quam corporis delectus. Est illo ut doloribus. Eos in at commodi beatae quam in omnis.

Et odit itaque aut quis ut atque in explicabo. Reprehenderit illo ab autem dolorem architecto dolorem est.

Libero voluptas recusandae distinctio recusandae. Repudiandae asperiores omnis autem nisi nam delectus. Dolor voluptatem sit porro ipsam beatae sit assumenda.

Veritatis sapiente sed libero cupiditate pariatur in ipsa qui. Omnis consequuntur aliquid officia ullam maxime quia et. In quidem sapiente recusandae in corporis eos asperiores. Quia sed dolor est saepe natus perspiciatis est. Eligendi autem et quia incidunt et voluptatem voluptas. Rerum omnis sequi libero ut. Voluptates quas numquam recusandae ad.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 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

July 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

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 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 (356) $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

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...”