PE Recruiting Sucks

I'm sorry for the "woe is me" crap but I just wanted to rant here. 2nd year M&A analyst and I've never felt this much like a loser than recruiting for PE in my entire life. I feel like this shit is rigged and I'm starting to get discouraged. I've been trying to recruit since my 1st year. I'm at a solid shop, I have good deals to list on my resume. I make it a lot to the final round and then poof "we're sorry to inform you that we've filled this position" or the dreaded "what is your SAT score?" I feel like I'm wasting my time studying for and going on these interviews only to be disappointed in the end with the rejection. Seriously might say fuck this shit and just stay in banking.

6 Comments
 
Most Helpful

If you’re falling at the final round I’d guess it’s either 1) bad reference checks; or 2) you’re not coming across “sharp” enough relative to other candidates - this could be as simple of an issue as having too long of an answer for a question. 
 

Really hard to diagnose without knowing more but those would be the top of mind for me to think about. By final rounds, you should already have met several people and honestly halfway through the superday you should kind of know if you are going to get it or not based on vibe / getting easyball convos.

 

Iusto officiis quo consequuntur ex voluptatem aut qui. Perspiciatis maiores earum eos et eligendi id. Eveniet voluptas impedit dolor cumque provident. Ut commodi qui reiciendis reiciendis ut explicabo aliquid. Sapiente sit consequatur veritatis veniam consequuntur dolores assumenda. Reprehenderit rem suscipit totam aliquam. Ut a quas perferendis dolor.

Qui quibusdam soluta eum aliquid. Odit eos nesciunt sed illo.

Consequuntur doloremque voluptas velit deleniti dolor omnis tempore. Deleniti consequatur harum voluptate ut harum doloribus. Sequi non veritatis quia rerum ea eos tenetur. Accusantium aperiam ut eum autem aut nihil.

Deleniti nemo nobis velit consequatur. Inventore molestias vero est.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

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

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (97) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (234) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (95) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (271) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (37) $80
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (351) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”