How to Prepare for Associate Role at "Elite" Growth Equity Shop

Hi all,

To give a bit of background - I had accepted a summer '20 offer at an "elite" growth equity shop (BX, GA, TPG, NEA, etc.) during on-cycle recruiting last year.

As I begin to enter the halfway point through the last year of my analyst stint at an investment bank (PJT/EVR/CVP/LAZ), wanted to get people's thoughts on how best to prepare for the upcoming associate role?

What books did people read to understand the industry better and help build an "investment mindset"? What are things that an analyst can currently do to help transition well to the next role?

Happy to also hear any general advice that people found useful when transitioning over as well.

Thanks!

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

The process traditionally is on the same "cycle" / timeline as the MF/UMM buyout recruiting so the "intensity" is roughly the same as in you still meet the same headhunters, have the same pressure to perform in the interview and secure an offer.

Have many friends who recruited from west coast tech groups this last cycle and placed well for west coast shops (not as many success stories for those who flew out from the west coast to NYC for the weekend).

As per the interviews themselves, have heard they are the same excluding maybe growth equity firms traditionally having a less "intense" modeling exercise as compared to the MF buyout model tests.

 

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