Buyside Recruiting for Consultants: Growth, Distressed, Buyout

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to know what the PE recruiting scene for consultants is like, across buyout, growth, and distressed. Are there so called target consulting firms that PE firms look at for each category, similar to IB?

How about headhunters…do they even reach out to consultants / what shops do they look consistently at for all three categories? Timelines: any insights would be appreciated (when to expect HH communication, how to go about it, are there both on and off cycle processes, what criteria do they consider etc). Finally, how robust or established is the PE hiring process for consultants as compared to IB?

I also know some PE firms are consultant friendly…does that mean they hire more consultants? Would love any insights or anecdotes

8 Comments
 

Would search the forums, there are some good threads on consultants breaking into PE, and with the target lists of firms etc.

To answer your questions, like 80%+ of consultants who go into PE are from MBB. There are a few exceptions with a handful of placements from LEK, EYP, and OW(Lee Equity mostly for OW i think). 

Consultant friendly can mean a number of things depending on the firm, but at the bear minimum means that the firm will even interview you. The vast majority of PE firms will not even interview you if you are a consultant, which is where the term comes from.

Given your operational skillset, the majority of PE placements are in growthier themed buyout funds or growth funds. Distressed generally speaking will not consider consultants. 

Again for some of your other questions would really searchthe  forums 

 

That might be the best bet lol, I was curious about the outlook for guys in more niche consulting areas (econ, litigation, RX, PR, comms, PEPI etc), because some of them are more quant and technically driven than operational, and there isn't a lot of info abt that stuff on here.

 

Got it-- but I think you're getting a bit too caught up in the breadth here, respectfully. Why are you asking? e.g., what kind of consulting are you in? Why do you want to go to PE and what kind of PE interests you the most? If you are able to be more specific here on those dimensions it will be easier for people to give you advice 

 

Qui ipsa numquam ut ea. Architecto ipsa voluptatem officiis aut tempora alias pariatur molestiae. Nihil nemo qui qui maiores.

Perspiciatis a sunt fuga deserunt quibusdam officia in. Rerum et perferendis hic.

Deleniti sint aut quaerat corrupti laborum. Eius quia laboriosam accusamus et dignissimos tenetur odio provident. Occaecati non mollitia in debitis consequatur. Quisquam ad et voluptatem praesentium et odio.

Nihil tempore fuga perspiciatis aspernatur. Veniam ratione cumque dolor. Omnis aut corrupti placeat non suscipit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (356) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”