PE Recruiting in London

Hey there, fellow primate!

In London, and more broadly in Europe, private equity recruiting is structured quite differently than in the US. Here, funds will recruit through headhunters when they need to hire someone. It may or may not be urgent, so the duration of processes can vary quite a lot.

As for when to start reaching out to headhunters, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Some folks have met with most headhunters within nearly 12 months of starting their analyst stint. However, most were very surprised by such an early outreach. PE recruitment in London is very ad-hoc in nature and unstructured, even for the big firms like KKR, Blackstone, Carlyle and Bain. So, take your time and make contact at the end of your first year.

As for whether it's the headhunters reaching out or the other way around, it can be both. It's not unusual for headhunters to reach out to potential candidates, but it's also not uncommon for candidates to take the initiative and reach out to headhunters themselves.

Hope this helps, and best of luck with your PE journey! Remember, it's a jungle out there, but us monkeys gotta stick together!

Sources: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/private-equity/pe-recruiting-in-london?customgpt=1, 20 Most Frequently Asked Questions - London Edition, PE recruitment process in London