Recruiting for On/Off-cycle PE while in PE

Hi everyone, I'll keep this brief.

I was fortunate to land a PE role right out of undergrad after doing a summer at a BB IB, though it's not in buyout (doing minority investments). I know I'd prefer to move into buyout, but I'm unsure if recruiters or PE firms will consider me without a formal FT IB background.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Thanks for any advice.

15 Comments
 

That's not far from the truth. It was also partly because I'd already completed an IB summer and felt I had learned enough - especially after the Director told me in week three that I'd get a return offer and that I didn't need to re-recruit. So, I wasn't just being delusional as to my ability to skip those two years and instead joining a PE shop with a strong analyst program.

 

Seems your full time experience is exclusively doing minority investments. This isn’t going to translate into buyouts as well as investment banking experience would. As a result, you’re essentially behind the hundreds of kids looking for PE Associate jobs when they finish their banking years. You’re definitely at a disadvantage and this will likely be reflected in how recruiters present you. Focusing strictly on career optimization, I’d say you’d be well served to try to do a couple of years in banking rather than recruiting direct for buyouts now unless you’re willing to consider smaller, regional players.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 
Most Helpful

Depends on the role exactly. Are you working for a reputable firm, getting good investment experience (meaning learning how to due diligence), etc.? People will judge you on the reputation if your fund in the same way bankers are judged on the reputation of their bank.

The problem you face is that a huge part of the junior role (outside of modeling) is process management, so you’ll need to convince a future employer that the skills you’ve developed are relevant to the buyout role. The fact that the job is ‘harder to get’ won’t really be relevant.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

Minus omnis fuga dolore quo. Reiciendis ea rerum possimus nobis et distinctio fuga. Officia eos nesciunt dignissimos rerum maiores. Non sed earum voluptatum et quasi incidunt error est.

Corporis consequuntur porro aut doloribus commodi iure. Voluptatem in fugiat occaecati sed ducimus fuga voluptas accusantium. Molestiae recusandae alias corporis libero et at voluptatem. Consequatur sunt itaque molestias ullam est ipsum eius. Est sint ut labore. Saepe impedit delectus fugiat fuga.

Vel consequatur sit qui sit ratione hic aut qui. Tempora sed illum voluptatem aut aut. Cupiditate est accusantium rem hic. Commodi voluptatum nihil beatae possimus quia vel harum. Qui quas quasi blanditiis possimus expedita doloribus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 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

June 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

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 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 (355) $62
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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”