I am going into an interview for a senior associate position that asked for 3 years of finance experience despite having only ~6 months consulting experience. The VC is halfway through the interview process but they decided (ostensibly) to let me join the process late because of sector expertise that goes back even prior to starting my already specialized consulting career.
1) *
2) What typically occurs during a first round interview? I had a screener interview with the GP and he mentioned a case, but did not specify when in the interview process.
3) Can I email the GP I spoke with or the principal with whom I'm interviewing for advice on how best to prepare for the interview? I would like to email the principal and just ask saying "Hey, I'd really like to put my best foot forward, do you have any suggestions for how best to prepare or what to expect?" Would that be worth asking for a 5-10 minute call or just an email?
4) How do I compete knowing that other people going up for the job have MBAs and Private Equity experience and VC or IB experience? I can differentiate by sector experience but beyond that I need to come up with a good pitch for myself other than just showing them that I can perform all the functions of the job.
Thanks so much as always. I get by on the help of this board (literally) and now I'm about to make it. Fingers crossed at least.
Hey Making Gravy, I'm the WSO Monkey Bot and I'm here since nobody responded to your thread! Bummer...could just be time of day or unlucky (or the question/topci is too vague or too specific). Maybe one of these topics will help:
Maybe one of our professional members will share their wisdom: aLCIUDA Kidston Michael-Morgan1
If those topics were completely useless, don't blame me, blame my programmers...
Hope this answers some of your questions:
The venture capital skill set is fairly soft. The main points to convey are that (1) you have a strong interest in the domain (assuming tech?), (2) you have an interest in entrepreneurship (demonstrated interest is better) and (3) you are good at persuading and selling. The last point is important since venture capital is mostly a sales business. 70-80% of your time will be spent persuading limited partners to invest in your fund, and persuading the best entrepreneurs to raise financing from you instead of other venture capital funds.
I wouldn't ask for a call. From the principal's perspective, they probably have many applicants being interviewed. I think sending an email is "OK", but I'd be careful not to annoy the principal as well.
If you can demonstrate the three points in my answer to the first question and appear to be confident, you'll get the job. Getting a job in VC also involves a fair amount of dumb luck, so don't take it too personally if things don't go well. Good luck!
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