US PE Recruiting 2026 / 2027

Hey all,

Canvassing views on recruitment in the US for the rest of 2026 / 2027, particularly for someone with a less traditional background but still very solid BB IB M&A experience.

I have ~5 years of experience across S&T and M&A at BB banks outside the US, with the majority spent in M&A, most recently at senior associate level. My path hasn’t been entirely linear, but I’ve gained solid deal experience, including cross-border US transactions.

The plan was always to go from IB to PE, but I honestly burnt out pretty hard after several years in a very intense IB team, regularly working 80-100+ hours a week. I wasn’t clear on my next step anymore, and rather than jump into recruitment or a role, I took the past year off to travel, reflect and do some finance-related project work on the side for some coin. Having had time to recover and think through my next steps, I’ve come full circle and decided I do actually want to pursue the move into the buyside.

I'm specifically interested in buyout PE, but remain open to growth buyout strategies or secondaries / GP-leds at a strong platform. Not doing this for clout or a two-year stint - I genuinely want to build a long-term career as a professional investor focused on private markets. I'm comfortable with the MM / UMM space and would probably prefer to focus there, as the MF name / route isn’t a priority for me.

Planning to move to the US for personal reasons (partner), so there are no visa / sponsorship constraints.

Would appreciate candid views on:

• What are my realistic odds of breaking into PE given my international background, experience and career break?
• Where should I actually start - headhunters, networking, or direct outreach to funds?
• Should I solely focus on off-cycle / lateral, or is there any reason to pursue on-cycle?
• What would make my candidacy more credible? Would returning to IB first materially improve my chances? I'm hesitant to do this given I already have considerable experience.
• Is it worth including my finance-related project work on my CV? I'd say it’s very relevant to the roles I’m targeting and would demonstrate my skills, but I'm not sure if it would weaken my IB background.

I’m very aware this isn’t the standard US IB-to-PE path. Candid (and constructive) views are welcome, especially from anyone who has made a similar move or hired candidates with international IB backgrounds. Also keen to hear how people are finding the broader US finance recruitment market heading into 2027- how active hiring is, particularly for experienced candidates.

Thanks