MF Final Rounds Keep Ending in Rejection Market or Me
Hey everyone, looking for some honest advice here.
Background is two years in IB at a BB in Consumer and Retail. I then moved into an Investor Relations role at a multi strategy private markets firm. The move was intentional. I wanted exposure to LPs, fundraising, and firm level strategy. Unfortunately my role was eliminated at the end of October as part of a restructuring. My boss was laid off along with several others and the firm has shifted more toward using third party fund administrators and placement agents.
Since then I have been recruiting actively and while I am getting traction on paper the outcomes have been frustrating.
Over the last few months I have reached final rounds or superdays with four different funds. Two megafunds and two smaller platforms. Each time I have been cut at the last stage. Most recently this happened with a MF platform like KKR BX Apollo etc. In that case HR actually called me to deliver the decision, gave very positive feedback, and explicitly mentioned staying in touch as the team continues to grow. Still tough to process given the outcome.
In another case a megafund went with someone from their internal network who did not require a recruiter.
At this point I am trying to understand whether this is mostly market timing or if I need to change my approach or even rethink the path I am targeting.
A few questions I would really appreciate thoughts on:
- Layoff story. Is my explanation clean enough or should I be tightening it further
IR role eliminated in a restructuring, manager laid off, firm moving toward outsourced admin and placement model - Banking to IR move. Could this be hurting me at the margin in MF processes and if so how would you frame it more effectively
- Repeated final round rejections. At what point is this a signal that something needs to change versus just bad luck in a tight market
- Recruiter versus network hires. How much does using a recruiter actually hurt when decisions are close at the MF level
- Industry pivot. Would you stay focused on buy side IR and strategy roles given the macro backdrop or start seriously exploring adjacent paths like corp dev, strategic finance, or operating roles
Not looking for sympathy. Just trying to figure out whether this is execution, positioning, or the market being brutal right now.
Appreciate any perspectives, especially from people who have been on the hiring side or seen similar situations.
Keep your head up — its just a tough market at the moment
Are you interviewing for investing or IR roles?
Do you list and end date for last job or show was current? How much were they grilling you on layoff? Hard to opine in a vacum
I’ve been interviewing mostly for IR and strategy roles, not investing. My resume shows my IR role ending in October and I explain it as a restructuring. The layoff hasn’t really been grilled. Usually a quick question and we move on.
That’s why I’m trying to understand if this is mostly the market or something I need to adjust in how I’m positioning myself.
Appreciate any thoughts.
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