Requesting drinks with the juniors post offer?
So I recently received an offer from a PE firm and am trying to decide whether or not to take it. I am currently in one other process and brands aside, I am really just looking for a better WLB and therefor place a big emphasis on team culture. I’ve had several rounds with this company but most have been at with VP+, so has been difficult to get a real gauge of the junior culture and WLB. Would it be completely out of line to request an in-person meeting or drinks with some associates (either formally or informally / directly) to get a better perspective and help inform decision? Or would that come off as weird..
Completely reasonable if you ask me. Would just be conscious about how you phrase it. Something along these lines:"Overall I'm very excited about the offer - I've been impressed with your approach to the private markets and have had positive experiences with everyone I've spoken to. Making a move in my career is a major decision, and one thing I'd like to gauge before I make a final decision is a sense of the junior team I'll be working alongside. Would one or two of your junior team be open to chat informally, be it over drinks for an hour or even a 20-minute phone call?"
Even if they say no, they’re not going to retract your offer for asking this lol
I don't think weird to ask. If anything, i think a firm reacting poorly to a totally fair request like this would actually be a massive red flag in my eyes.
Opposite of this is if a firm says "yes" and is open to you doing so could be a good sign that they have nothing to "hide" or are comfortable knowing juniors will have good things to say.
Agreed. Pretty normal / reasonable request. Surprised they didn’t get you more exposure to juniors to sell you pre-offer.
Echo all of the above -- I was afraid / nervous to do this when I was in your shoes and took the offer. 18 months later when it came time to start, still hadn't heard anything from my firm on events / culture / etc.
Turned out all of the associates were unhappy and half of the class above me quit within my first 6 months. I'd agree it's a red flag if the firm doesn't set anything up themselves, so would prioritize getting in touch with the juniors to have some connectivity before accepting.
I would ask for coffee or if you could grab a quick lunch with them, I think getting drinks with a potential candidate is kind of odd - might just be me. But totally fine to ask for a junior perspective (and honestly smart of you)
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