What Institutional LPs (QuadReal, Oxford, etc) Want to Hear From Candidates?

The same thing that any employer wants to hear: a genuine interest in the industry and the specific role; an understanding of why you want to work for that company / what makes that company unique and attractive to you; why you’re a good fit based on your skills/interests/prior experiences; it’s also good to avoid rambling, so practice interviewing and have well thought out responses to questions that are articulate and succinct (it’s often good to have the interviewer press you for more info as opposed to continuing to talk and talk).

If I’m having an initial info call with a candidate, I think it’s important that he/she has intelligent questions (not some canned soft ball questions to fill time, but something deeper that the candidate can use to help him/her with career decisions). It’s also always a big positive to ask questions that demonstrate that you’ve done your homework on a company (e.g, maybe you ask something specific about an interesting deal the company did that you found in the news, or you ask about an attribute that’s unique to the company, etc).

Non-traditional backgrounds can definitely break into top LP shops, but it’s obviously a more difficult road simply because recruiting for top jobs is very competitive. It’s always easier to give the kid with the perfect resume who went to the target school an offer, but if you have grit, are proactive about your recruiting efforts, don’t take no for an answer, and are genuinely passionate about this business and investing, then that will shine through and you will have the same opportunities available to you. Of course, you usually need to check the basic boxes like having a high GPA, but there are always exceptions.