How specific to be in headhunter into call for PE off-cycle?

I have a HH call scheduled with a firm that has pretty wide reach to a lot of reputable UMM/MFs and I'm wondering how specific I should be in my interests for firm size and type? Some info for context would be that I didn't engage in on-cycle due to personal matters that were out of my control, so I'm going through off-cycle for 2025 placement, which from my understanding of reading through WSO and word of mouth seems a lot of firms still have open spots/haven't fully kicked off recruiting yet.

I know that it's obviously best to be very clear and specific with your intentions and goals when talking to headhunters and the more specific you are the better, so I know the type of firm and strategies I'm interested in, but is it ok to say that I'd like to target both UMMs and MFs? My bank/group doesn't have the best placement into MF but still does place occasionally. It places better into UMM, but I wouldn't want to close off MF options to me by saying one or the other and want to tell the HH that "I'm interested in firms ranging from UMM to MF in size." Is this considered not specific enough and should I just stick to one of the two options then list off shops in that interest me there?

Also, I am not really interested in MM PE (I apologize if this makes me sound like a douche as that is not my intention). I have interned/worked in MM PE for a majority of my undergrad and would like to do something on the larger scale since the MM didn't fit my long-term interests.

Thank you in advance for any help!

1 Comments
 

Quos quia rem quisquam vel fugiat ipsam numquam. Numquam dicta in neque ab rerum. Itaque necessitatibus velit optio voluptates amet repellendus beatae.

Minima iste sunt ipsa. Dolorum eos error odio omnis omnis recusandae doloribus. Ut modi dolor reiciendis consectetur.

Fugiat vel voluptatem reprehenderit aut et. Non aut non qui non autem fugit similique non.

Debitis aut quaerat aut voluptatem ea rerum similique. Aut qui omnis odit eos sunt. Quia fuga animi dolor magnam dolores autem accusantium vel. Nihil laborum culpa facilis reiciendis nobis velit sint. Numquam quidem sit expedita quo. Autem ad blanditiis voluptatem.

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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”