What kind of role do references play in PE recruiting? A senior banker is offering to go to bat for me at a specific fund. What should my next steps be? I will be working in IB next year at JP/MS/GS.
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Bumping, thanks
Can only speak to how my UMM firm does it, but I would think other firms have a similar philosophy.
Given how early PE recruiting has gotten, we depend heavily on references and input from contacts that we trust. Everyone's resume looks the exact same (Top university, top bank, high GPA, etc.) and everyone has limited banking / deal experience, so the only differentiators are 1) if we get along with the candidate during interviews and 2) qualitative reviews from past employers, educators, or contacts in the industry.
My advice would be to leverage this contact as much as possible if you have interest in the firm they are connected with. I would try to get ahead of the recruiting wave through some informal networking via your contact, then see if he or she is willing to put in a good word once formal interviews start.
Thank you for the informative reply.
Why did you delete your original post? That could have been helpful to other folks in the same position.
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