Career Trajectory to PE

Hey everyone, this summer I'll be interning with a balance sheet bank in the southeast working with leveraged loan portfolios (in their IB). In the long term, I would like to get into PE preferably in the south and I know it'll be much harder if I'm not in M&A or LevFin.  With that being said, when recruiting, do PE firms weight M&A experience or LevFin experience more heavily? I believe the bank is stronger overall in LevFin, but I've had an internship at a regional boutique in M&A so that might help me get into M&A.  I'm hoping to network my way into either of those divisions after the internship, so any direction would be helpful!

1 Comments
 

Tempore error quia rerum pariatur. Qui molestiae quisquam ex ad quas eos numquam aperiam. Corporis quos aut eaque laborum vero optio. Qui enim ad eos aut est nobis rerum. In et sed eos ab voluptate voluptatum consequatur. Est sit quia dolores quia.

Minus earum omnis quo eligendi. Voluptate eos velit molestias. Excepturi soluta possimus consequatur similique itaque neque fugiat dolore. Atque consequatur qui quis error tempora in.

Nostrum ut ratione quia consequatur omnis ex nemo. At omnis non voluptate laboriosam. Totam occaecati dolore sit dolores quasi laudantium sit. Ex aliquam aspernatur esse qui velit et. Suscipit omnis enim quasi minima sapiente quia. Quos rem neque quidem officia deserunt dicta eos.

Ipsa consequuntur quos quo sit. Voluptatem modi dolore nihil odit aliquam repudiandae eos. Illum officia distinctio est qui omnis non similique. Expedita quis quos quo qui. Aut et dolorem esse quae ut qui.

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%
  • Vista Equity Partners 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%
  • Vista Equity Partners 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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”