Keeps getting negative feed back
Career switcher from non-finance into pe. Kept getting negative feedback in my 1st year, now getting more lukewarm feedback (as in, not outright negative, but just kind of being ignored / staffed on secondary things).
Should I worry about being fired? has anyone turned this around before? Does that mean I will never become good at this job (and should just leave the industry)?
Thanks in advance
Definitely know people who had a slow start but ended up doing well because they had a positive attitude and put in the work.
There is a large element of luck that you can't control either - which deals your company looks at and whether you are staffed on them.
If the culture is good, you like the people and your fund is performing well it is worth putting in the effort to "prove yourself".
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I think this depends on what kind of negative feedback you are receiving. Is it the technical aspects of the job such as modelling or technical knowledge of the subject, or more soft skills such as performing well in meetings or staying organized throughout the deal?
It's very hard for us to determine if you are about to get fired, as we have no idea about the general churn in your fund. For the second part; No. It is possible to learn most things and the more time you try to improve on your flaws, the better you will become.
almost impossible to get fired as an associate since it's a time-bounded gig usually. wouldn't expect a promotion though.
How did you go from no finance experience at all into a PE associate?
You are certainly prone to getting fired and you should treat the situation as such. Coming from non-finance into PE is a reaching step to begin with so I'm sure you're being watched really closely. Make sure you figure out what exactly the negative feedback pertains to (ask if you have to) and make sure you improve on it the best you can. Be proactive in seeking out feedback after as well so you show you are interested in getting better.
Someone above had a comment about a slow start... I agree but to me a "slow start" entails the first 4-6 months... maybe 8 at max. Not a full year. If you're in your 2nd year you probably won't get fired (there is a slim chance in December perhaps but I would think you have to be severely underperforming for that) but will get told you're not getting promoted / no visibility toward Senior Associate (that is, if your firm even promotes; might just be a 2 and out). If your feedback is more "lukewarm" that could be an indicator that people have given up on your development and have you around to fulfill low-rung work (does your work feel unimportant / lower-responsibility relative to that of your peers?). Generally I think no feedback in finance isn't that good of a thing - people will generally call out great work as equally as they do bad work.
Would probably look for exits over the next few months so you're not hung out to dry come end of 2nd year.
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