Recruiting from Chicago IB to NYC PE - how difficult?

Question

Has anybody made the above transition?  Seems like it would be tough, what with the inability to interview during lunch, or right before/after work.  Also, is it difficult getting the attention of NYC PE firms if one is from another city?

MBBKilla · Accepted Answer

I recruited from a Chicago consulting firm to an UMM/MF NY PE firm. To be honest, it's quite tough. I was on a case in Florida when on-cycle kicked off so had to fly to New york ASAP, but still wasn't able to quite get there before the rush of interviews started. 
For off cycle, I was constantly flying to NYC for coffee chats and interviews. Honestly,it's doable. You just have to be very upfront with the recruiters that you only want NYC. Most PE firms won't actually care that you're in Chicago as long as you have solid credentials.

Rages_Polk_LLP · Answer

It'll make life a lot easier if your firm has an NYC office. I recruited for NYC PE on-cycle way back during my analyst days (I was in a BB regional office) and I basically got myself a spare cube at our HQ where I worked at night while doing interviews during the day. The tough part is dropping everything the instant you get a whiff of interviews kicking off and flying to New York either that night or first thing the next morning.

Rages_Polk_LLP · Answer

That's a good point. My firm was very open about recruiting (I literally just sent an email to my associates saying I was interviewing for PE jobs in NYC and would be out of pocket for a couple days), but that's obviously not the case everywhere. Having office space really helps though because these processes can stretch a couple of days. I remember when I interviewed (this was several years ago so who knows how it works now) Apollo and Carlyle interviewed on day 1, TPG and Warburg on day 2, and a bunch of MM/UMM funds day 3.

MBBKilla · Answer

I told them that I was recruiting. It's hard to disappear for a day without telling folks where you are. I tried to keep it between me and my consultant (associate equivalent). But word spread and everyone knew I was recruiting. I had a funny moment where a VP-equivalent that I had worked with asked me how ibankign recruiting was going cause she heard I was trying to do something finance related.

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Recruiting from Chicago IB to NYC PE - how difficult?

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