VP interviews // HH ghosting after 1st round?
Had 3 first-round interviews for VP positions at MM PE shops in London over the past few months. All decent funds. In 2 of the 3 cases I've been ghosted by the HH after the interview (which I thought went pretty well), and it's been impossible to get any feedback — which at this stage would be incredibly valuable. I'm thinking about reaching out directly to the MDs I interviewed with to ask for their feedback. What do you think?
They most likely won't give any beyond saying they just found a better "fit" or (more likely) even respond frankly. It's a frustrating reality of mid-level recruiting.
Agreed. It's insane recruiters will just ghost you instead of giving any real feedback. Many of them are so transactional and the reality is there are so many candidates that they ~can~ get away it.
Have you ever interviewed mid-levels? The reality is that there are hundreds of qualified candidates. What puts one candidate above others is often very trivial. Folks on my team have dinged great candidates based simply on their mood that week. It's BS, but it is what it is.
That's why mid-level recruiting is a numbers game. Try to research a couple of dozen firms where your experience has good overlap and then try to network to give yourself an inside track. Be prepared for your search to take 6-18 months, that's what I've seen from my friends in the lateral market. Not impossible, but overall, it's a shit time to be mid-level.
Other piece of advice would be to keep your nose clean and keep crushing it at your current firm. If they get word that you're recruiting, you could be shown the door (have seen it happen firsthand twice now).
Thanks for the advice. And no, it’s my first serious time on the market since I joined PE, so I’m trying to understand how to move around — also because I feel I’m doing well at interviews.
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