How to go about on cycle and off cycle PE recruiting from a nontraditional background (analyst at a MM PE firm)

I am a 1st year analyst at a MM PE firm and I really want to move to another firm. I say I come from a nontraditional background because I went straight into MM PE after graduating from college. I want to move to a UMM PE firm if possible in a year, but I have no idea how on-cycle or off-cycle PE recruiting works. It's not like headhunters are reaching out to me like my peers who are working in IB. I probably start looking for opportunities now because I want to leave by at least the end of next year. 

Do you suggest I start reaching out to headhunters? If so, which ones? 

It's also trickier for me because I am an international student with visa sponsorship. So I would need to look for firms that provide sponsorship. 

Anyone who could provide any advice or insight - it'd be much appreciated!

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3 Comments
 
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I’m in a similar boat and curious. I wasn’t in banking very long and quickly transitioned into a PE analyst program. Currently a 1/2 year since I graduated college over a year ago.

I think I should notch about a year at this LMM place before doing off cycle. Headhunters got my email during on cycle at my bank last year but I didn’t participate. I still get emails from Oxbridge, SG, CPI regularly about off cycle opportunities because they have my email.

I think if you want to participate in on cycle you should ask anyone you know at a bank to send you the HH emails and just email them yourself asking to be considered. They won’t know your email otherwise, unless you’re part of a large traditional analyst program. We are definitely on a less common path. It’s been tough to tell what I should be doing.

 

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