"Why family office?" "Why not PE?" interview questions

I've never worked at a family office (nor interviewed) but a few ideas from the outside-in:

• Can point to "patient capital" - most PE firms have fairly strict hold period mandates (usually 5-7 years max) but family offices have much more flexible mandates, often with ability to hold assets longer which can expand the aperture on investment strategies to pursue and potentially enhance the experience of working with portfolio companies (given possibility of more longitudinal relationship)
• Perhaps can also point to value of the office's legacy and network - if the family is still remotely involved and has relationships in certain sectors (real estate, consumer, etc.), they might be able to uniquely open doors or attract interesting executives or advisors

In your questions, you could probably probe on some of these areas:

• Typical hold periods and approach to portfolio company management
• Key verticals/sectors for investment and relevant prior experience and/or firm network
• Typical team make-up (assume smaller/leaner teams) and typical role of an associate
• Involvement of the family/high net worth individual day-to-day