Deal discussions in interviews

How in depth do these tend to go? Honestly haven’t had much live deal experience so far in my 1st year so worried I don’t have a lot to talk about.

It seems like most guides highlight certain aspects of the deal that don’t really come into play unless things are further along (buyer rationale, financing, process dynamics).

If the majority of my work has been related to bake-offs that have recently turned to mandates, what is the best way to frame these discussions given I don’t have datapoints around buyer behavior and limited diligence on the target?

For a SaaS business, what metrics should I be able to talk to if I only have access to basic company info provided during the bake-off?

Basically is using the basic material sufficient for these conversations or should I spend some time on my own diving deeper into buyers, projections, assumptions, ARR waterfalls, etc.? My concern is that I don’t have much data around customers, sales cycles, and other inputs for SaaS projections so defending the forecasts we made is throwing me a bit.

I haven’t had a chance to interview yet so not sure how much they grill candidates on these things.

Thanks in advance!

3 Comments
 

Eius deleniti eius doloribus. Optio enim cumque quis harum. Ipsa unde necessitatibus ipsa.

Sed qui natus reiciendis numquam eveniet. Minima dolore et odit doloribus ducimus. Laudantium ducimus eos et et. Aut nostrum qui fugiat dolore quibusdam et animi. Id repellendus libero mollitia qui. Excepturi debitis laborum et impedit.

Repudiandae eum et iure numquam est doloribus. Magni eius eos enim. Voluptatem sint aut labore ipsa et doloremque.

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) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 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 (355) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”