Placement Agent - Breaking in from industry or grad school

Hi all -

Was curious to see what anyone's thoughts would be on how frequently non-ibd background candidates join on at the analyst/associate level at placement agents?

I have spent 2 yrs in institutional sales and then 1.5 yrs trading, both in commodities, but I want to find something a bit more different where I can keep using my biz dev muscles.

There seems to be a lot of ex-athletes in the business (i played FBS football at semi target), could that be worth something? Or will a T20 MBA be needed for a rebrand?

I get this is a niche question, so feel free to send over some thoughts/anecdotes/experiences

Thanks ---

506 WSO Academy Private Equity Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Class of '23 Oct 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Private Equity Short Resume Review / Recap

“Very good planning prior to the meeting and effective notes that allowed the session to go quickly and effectively. We covered a lot of topics on the resume and I recieved a good amount of notes that I can correct my resume in order to make it more specific for the PE companies I will work with. Was very helpful in the way of bringing out niche skills I have in order to maximise my chances at differentiating myself from more typical IB candidates. Also provided good insights on the MBA process, what is valuable and the WHY side of P.E. which I will go into depth with in my WHY statements that I am going to do. ”

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

Class of '18 Nov 2026 Cohort

4.56/5

Private Equity Mock Coffee Chat

“Very useful session. Jorge went straight to the point and gave me a concrete action plan for breaking into infra funds in London. Key takeaways: tighten my elevator pitch (past-present-future, under 2 min), do one case study per week (model + presentation + recommendation) and send it to him for feedback, and prepare technical, market and behavioral questions separately. His networking advice was the most valuable part: always end each conversation by asking for 1–2 more contacts, map and message headhunters directly, and follow fund news (closings, launches) to time my outreach. He also offered to refer me to open roles at his fund. Highly recommended.”

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Authored by: Certified Private Equity Professional - Vice PresidentCertified Private Equity Pro

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Placement Agent - Breaking in from industry or grad school

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Placement Agent - Breaking in from industry or grad school

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