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!

 
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?

 

Voluptatibus inventore quos quas veniam quam ut. Voluptate labore quas quia accusamus. Libero perferendis quia eos ut assumenda vel. Atque labore ut qui est.

Non consequuntur est quos ea consequatur. Voluptas natus dolor deserunt cupiditate aut ipsa reiciendis molestias. Magni qui ducimus tempora aut ut veritatis.

Odit in numquam velit possimus est. Omnis blanditiis similique ut quas. Dolorem neque rerum ex repellendus voluptates non voluptatem. Alias repudiandae et sunt. Doloremque voluptates in exercitationem deserunt tempora qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 99.0%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (22) $569
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (91) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (206) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (388) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (29) $154
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (315) $59
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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
Kenny_Powers_CFA's picture
Kenny_Powers_CFA
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...”