On Cycle 2025 Kickoff
On Cycle kicking off on Monday. Good luck all and god save this industry. The number of funds participating is at an all time low this year
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heard it’s thursday / friday? Could be wrong, my buddy at H&F made me think it could be tomorrow though
can confirm someone at H&F made it sound like it would start this week
personally have the impression it's thurs/fri too. chats and webinars definitely picking up but not to the point of kicking off yet imo
This is not true and misinformation. Stop fanning the flames, this post was made by a troll anon account
Have a hard time believing this. At a top target / group and have multiple chats scheduled for later in the week with the MFs that usually go on cycle (APO/KKR/Bain/H&F/etc).
buddy the way it works is that one kicks off and then the coffee chats turn into interviews or get canceled. same thing as the past 3 cycles.
Yes but top MFs are not kicking unless a similar caliber fund does - they are not competing the kids that go to AmSec....
The fact that no one I know, at the funds or in my class, has any tangible proof of the above suggests its a lie. Also, just goes to show how a single account can cause so much anxiety
Bro is anyone even prepared it's literally May
Not sure if this means oncycle has semi-kicked off, but I've had a couple chats turn into interviews already...
at what firms
gotta be cap. if you just mean them just asking behavorials, no that happens every year. only kicked off if you're being asked techs
Godspeed soldiers
Pretty soon On Cycle 2037’s gonna kick off straight out the womb, and HHs will show opportunities depending on how prestigious your mother’s credentials were
Which firms have started coffee chatting? List right now is H&F, Apollo, Searchlight, Bain Cap, CD&R. Any word on Berkshire or TA?
KKR has started coffee chats
When did you received the invite
.
Does this include Apollo HVF, KKR Strategic Investments and Bain SS?
Carlyle has too
TA has started coffee chats…
TA has started coffee chats…
Is this recent?
No firm can start it right now except for H&F - they're the only ones who have done official pre-process chats and info sessions. The coffee chats you have been hearing about were informational and/or alumni and not "expect an interview soon" chats. @ the hardos above, you "getting ahead" is the reason H&F would feel comfortable kicking off while we're trying to enjoy our graduations.
While I agree that it makes little sense to kick off this early, it caught people off guard last year despite people saying things like this on WSO. If I were a candidate, I’d just mentally prepare for the worst. Hopefully I’m wrong - good luck to all.
Not commenting on timing, only that H&F is ready but no other firm is. Not sure what you're arguing.
My first interview I had no traction with the sponsor let alone even spoken to their head hunter yet so I would not say pre-process chats are neccescary
FWIW, had some HH follow-ups recently and they all mentioned that firms are aware that many students might not have graduated, so the current goal is to kick off early June but convos are happening now to plan. I guess that means nothing if one firm suddenly kicks off this/next week though...
They said this about firms not kicking off before training in July for 2026, and then it happened in June
Past events all point to a May kickoff
Know of a few firms scheduling “follow up coffee chats” as a way to more or less schedule interviews without formally kicking the process off.
do you mind saying a few of the ones specifically?
Advent scheduled a lot for Thursday.
Are these real interviews? Or still coffee chats?
these are coffee chats with some soft behavioral questions like "why PE". lmao
KKR also scheduled follow up ccs last week, but clearly did not kick off yet
Has anyone heard anything on Sycamore this year? Are they confirmed doing on-cycle recruiting? If so, have they started coffee chats yet?
confirmed they are doing coffee chats
Genuinely confused -- how do you get "invited" to PE coffee chats/webinars? Do you just cold email, or do these funds post stuff on their site for you to sign up. So interviews for college seniors/full time analysts are starting now? Or just the networking? When do interviews typically stop (July/August/September, etc.)?
The invites largely go out to top banks GS/MS/JPM/EB and then top colleges HYPSW. Again, not entirely, but seems like largely. There’s nothing to be done in terms of getting them, it’s all the headhunters and the firms. Your best bet would be to reach out to someone you know at the firm.
Kids have been meeting with headhunters all year. The rumor is the true interviews “on-cycle” will start very soon. Nobody actually knows. These firms fill spots for the next year or so, but traditionally the most spots go out during the “on-cycle.”
Any recs for HHs/PEs coming from a MM (HL, Baird, Lincoln, RJ)?
to clarify- who are they reaching out to? college seniors who are graduating? i.e. people who haven't hit the desk yet? How do they know who to contact? personally, this is just interesting, i have no dog in the fight.
right now firms are reaching out to college seniors who are about to graduate, headhunters have been reaching out since start of senior year tho
some HH do campus visists to get some resume books
For MF on cycle, what level of modeling + case study on PF should we feel comfortable with? Do they usually provide template or start from scratch ?
bumping this
DM me if anyone is looking to trade model tests from last years cycle!
Have a bunch so happy to trade if anyone has some as well and is looking for practice material
.
Why? PE is no longer a viable asset class...
KKR asking for group preferences…
People still thinking it'll kick off tomorrow/Friday?
GCSP (which works with KKR) and HSP both mentioned that their clients don’t anticipate on-cycle starting this week due to all the graduations taking place
Confirming that from my HH calls this week. It seems like it's just up to APO/H&F/Bain then...
associates from APO / H&F / Bain have have said they are not planning to interview until after graduation, as of yesterday
Happening tomorrow , get ready
Source? Hope you aren’t just fear mongering
Literally already happening right now, I'm writing this in the middle of my KKR superday right before I head to my CVC first round after I washed out at H&F earlier this morning.
what do you gain from lying bro
Talked to some industry people today; it seems like everyone, including the headhunters and firms, are monitoring this thread.
... wouldn't it be funny if we just lied and said H&F kicked off, just to kick it off mid-May for no reason? :D
dear HR: the earlier you recruit, the worse your associates will be (see how in just a few years on-cycle participation and offer rates plummeted to now a very small %). on-cycle used to be competing for the best talent, but that's not true anymore - you'll end up offering a couple future mid-bucket analysts but pre-maturely / permanently reject those who would have made top bucket associates (FOMO)
just because Firm 1 interviews doesn't mean you need to follow to "get the best talent." it's now a severely limited candidate pool, especially considering your favorite associates were traveling Europe post-grad around this time
Doesn’t matter. Give the victory to those who prepare. Doesn’t matter if they are in EU and are going to Evercore or if they sacrificed months on end to prep as they found this career path exciting and interesting and are willing to be an underdog come from a top group at a BB. Victory should go to those who prevail.
Don’t know why this is getting MS. All that was said was those who are prepared should be rewarded if they can perform. We all know the HHs will place the “prestigious groups” first and rightfully so because of historical precedent. But what’s to say the non prestigious groups who have enough grit to show they want it bad enough won’t continue to demonstrate that mentality in the future.you should exactly take a bet on those candidates, those are the ones who will stick it out no matter what. But then again that’s just one perspective so I could be wrong.
Any updates or processes kick off? Seems like coffee chats are still being scheduled so doubt that anything would start till next week.
Would make a ton of sense if it kicks off tomorrow to be honest. More graduations happening early/mid next week and waiting until a holiday weekend doesn’t seem logical
Confirmed kicking off now. A couple of my buddies and I just got H&F interviews around 5pm. Good luck all!
you wish you had an H&F interview
can anyone confirm this?
It's false, H&F will not be the one to kick (as anyone who got a cc knows)
H&F has never in 40 years of its existence kicked of on-cycle recruiting and I can guarantee this is just rumors. Go enjoy your graduations!
Kicked off?
this true?
It did not kick off
Can confirm it did not kick off today — everyone relax
Does anyone know how BX recruit associates since they have no HH?
their go to HH is SG so yes they do
I heard they stopped using SG?
I can confirm an UMM has given out interviews for tomorrow afternoon
dm, got one too
Which UMM
LMAO so much for waiting for graduation. Looks like it’s all happening this weekend unfortunately
Everyone — calm down. I’m not one to normally post on WSO threads, but I wanted to share this to provide some help amidst the chaos. I was in contact with six megafunds going on-cycle and four headhunter firms today. None of the megafunds I spoke with said they planned to be the ones initiating on-cycle.
fair if true but I doubt they thought anyone would kick off tomorrow then. you don’t think that changes things at all?
Nobody knows exactly when things will kick off. Bottom line is that the six firms I spoke with — all major on-cycle megafunds — said they wouldn't be the ones to initiate this early. That’s all I know.
invites out now interviews tomorrow
Which funds? In person? Elaborate
This vague comment with no fund names or details adds no value
Good luck to all ~ may the odds be ever in your favor
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that longer-term interest rates are likely to be higher as the economy changes and policy is in flux. Stay away from PE!!
MF just called and said they will not be interviewing this week
officially kicked off. best of luck
Which firms?
Interviews have started
Feels sad to be at a top group and not getting interviews… well off cycle it is then🫠
Not the end of the world. I skipped on cycle, started interviews a few months later off cycle in Jan and got a role at a MM PE shop where I was then able to lateral to a MF. All to say don’t freak out if you don’t get interviews / land a job now
my question for those who aren't near NYC: are you flying in tomorrow morning? I personally just booked a 6am flight and a return flight on sunday to make it back for graduation.
I don't want to risk missing out on interviews and to me a few hundred bucks is worth it even if wasted. I'm doubtful that firms would hold off for more than a day or two before things snowball and everyone does interviews anyway. Would love to know other people's thoughts though.
Yep I’m personally flying in… only a matter of time before everyone else goes
Also flying in
i thought most initial rounds are on zoom now. are people being asked to go in person?
my understanding was most firms won't give an offer unless you at least do final rounds in person, and given how fast processes move I don't want to risk being caught out
Is everyone flying in to nyc for confirmed interviews or on the off chance that an interview will around soon
I don't have confirmed interviews, wouldn't say it's an off chance lol. more like a coin flip at least imo
Have a confirmed interview, they offered a zoom option but in person preferred (per the HH)
So far only THL confirmed. Any other funds that are doing it?
Let’s wrap this up.
I'm ready to demolish these interviews. Can all the PE firms just come to an agreement and set May 30th as the kick-off date? Or whenever, I don't care. Tired of these games.
fr. just run it, lots of people I know are prepared and ready to go. in my opinion better to do it now than later when people are traveling internationally after grad. got blue balled yesterday fr
Shush hardo some of us are trying to enjoy graduation
This
.
hey man I do too. I also want to enjoy my grad trip and would rather get recruiting out of the way than doing a model test at 6am bangkok time
agreed. having to always be sharp enough and ready to interview on a few hours notice is stressful and unnecessary. either somehow guarantee that on-cycle won't kick off until later, or just start interviewing. either way firms need to stop keeping us guessing, this is destroying goodwill with candidates who are fully prepped
true but the prepped candidates will all participate anyways regardless of kick off time vs go too early and the smart but non hardo kids won't
If you’re gonna do this do late June when everyone gets into NY
Not a bad idea. If you get a bunch of bananas then I'll change it
for a lot of reasons unfortunately there's no way this would happen
FWIW I’m at a MF and have no desire for this to kick off anytime soon. Believe we’ve been having some coffee chats with folks but have not gotten the internal “kick off” email as in past years so not sure what all the noise on here is about. Maybe a few firms have started but I am confident on-cycle has not kicked off in earnest.
It's the trolls who don't have anything better to do, strong candidates / those in the know have already chatted with these firms and it has been communicated that it's not starting soon
has there ever been such a large gap between HH calls + coffee chats to on-cycle kicking off? this seems unprecedented and honestly just drags the process out, making it more difficult on seniors. Feels cruel to leave candidates in limbo like this. just kick it off soon, otherwise you all shouldn't have let the ball start rolling in the first place
Facts
the damage has already been done. firms aren't doing anyone favors by holding out now
As a senior this is true
and I know people who haven't been able to prepare won't like to hear this, and I totally agree that the process is fucked. but you can't send false signals by showing us all the signs that it'll kick off, then delaying it now. that's even more fucked
I had left buyouts earlier but can confirm from at least 2 different UMM VP contacts that some select offers have been given out as of this evening... to college seniors who have not even graduated. Top college / banking group to secure away from MF.
This industry has turned into an absolute trash heap. Fear of losing out scarce talent that didn't go to AI or hedge funds straight out of college has resulted in terrible secretary selection problem.
Which one? THL?
Based off absolutely 0 on-the-job success indicators is the crazy part. So desperate to compete
Any updates on the timeline? Should we expect the last week of May?
was thinking next week maybe? most grads will be done by then
im guessing end of next week or start of the week after. imo it just seems unlikely that there's a 2+ week gap between THL and everyone else especially now that the big grad weeks are ending
keep in mind next is memorial day weekend and some seniors might not be at the office - imo would make sense if it kicked off wed/thurs so it doesn't spill into the weekend, but just speculating
Is it worth submitting my resume and candidate profile in a resume drop / meet with HH if I am not entirely committed to on-cycle recruiting?
This industry is intriguing, and I could see myself making the move, but I feel underprepared at the moment and would not want to burn any bridges or miss opportunities because I am not ready. Thank you for any advice.
Hey man. Definitely still worth the conversation, you can be upfront that your interested in PE but not completely sure yet and likely will just participate off-cycle. If you do that, you'll completely rule out on-cycle but HHs will keep in touch, just make a good impression in terms of background, general curiosity, broader interest in buyside (okay not to be specific yet). Hope that helps.
how is the uncertainty of on cycle affecting other people's grad trips? I decided to push my plans back, going to cost me $1k+ in nonrefundable flights and hotels smh
Why is this one kid trying so hard to kick it off?
First the bs “I bought flights to nyc” anon comments, now this
We all know it’s you, give it a rest and go enjoy grad
There is also this loser AN2 who dont have any PE offers and is salty that incoming an1s are getting outreaches from HHs that has been terroizing these threads
not BS my dude, I'm on my flight back to school for grad as I'm typing this. why do you think I'm lying? it was confirmed that a firm started interviews, I assumed that the others would follow. nothing like this has ever happened before, I guessed wrong and I still think I made the right decision with the info I had at the time
I want to enjoy the rest of my summer and not have to check WSO every few hours for updates on on-cycle. I'll actually be able to enjoy grad once on-cycle is over with
I wouldn't exactly call it "one kid"...lots of people I know who have taken the time to prepare just hate how confusing this year's on-cycle has become. Like, I get people who haven't prepared are going to be salty at people who want on-cycle to kick off asap. But kids have already sacrificed part of their last semester to prepare, and waiting around isn't going to change that after all the coffee chats and info sessions and headhunter chats have already started
On-cycle will not kick off until after June 2. Even then, may still be later.
Can confirm. Talked to multiple people across firms that echoed that the muted response to THL gives them confidence that firms are drawing the line at first week of June. People still have a sour taste in their mouth from the candidates last year (who for all intents and purposes were generally better prepared) and feel it a waste of time to kick off now only to barely give out any offers.
Did anyone else got a check in email from ratio about on cycle today ?
Got one but mine’s for a specific client of theirs not general
which client? apollo, ga or gtcr?
Not sure what it means…
I got this - ratio essentially reaffirmed that on cycle will not happen until June
Yep can confirm. Doesn’t look like it’ll kick till more Ivys graduate, but all it takes is one MF
any idea on the timeline for berkshire or AEA? heard aea has been coffee chatting a lot
bump
Has anyone here done the Amity WSP technical assessment? That shit has kicked my ass twice now and I only have one attempt left. I don't even understand where I'm going wrong
What’s it like? Pls dm
Yeah I got a 95. It isn’t horrible if you know what they’re looking for. Just sucks cuz amity gonna prioritize the RSSG GSTMT and others and anyone who doesn’t fit that mold gets fucked during oncycle. Can do everything in your power to show em your good but don’t matter if you don’t fit their prestige bucket…
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