Applying to a New Job Before Even Starting My First?

I recently graduated from a top target and will be beginning my career in Tier 2 consulting (OW/S&/LEK) this July. I am interested in lateraling to private equity when I get the chance and seeing that I am not at a BB or MBB, I am worried that PE headhunters will not be reaching out to me this winter. I want to be proactive this summer before beginning work (I know the odds are stacked against me coming from my current role) and want to know if it is advisable/ok to reach out to headhunters to ensure that I am on their radars?

I also interviewed with a few PE firms during this past school year and am considering following up with them to talk about their processes moving forward. Is it a bad look to reach out about future opportunities even before I have set foot at my new job?

And lastly, I recently came across a few job postings on my school's career database with 2019 start-dates and am interested in applying. Again, should I not be applying to these before I begin work?

Thanks for the help!

1 Comments
 

Qui voluptatem mollitia repudiandae et mollitia ipsum. Dolor earum sed vero saepe. Soluta veniam dolorem ab illo sed. Dolorum maiores asperiores et doloremque ullam est voluptatem. Aliquid repellat et ullam hic dolorem et.

Ea dicta reiciendis tenetur enim soluta optio. Consequatur qui odio excepturi sequi laborum nobis dolor.

Impedit corporis voluptatem quo doloribus commodi nihil. Consequatur non dolorem expedita magnam sint eligendi amet numquam. Ut unde sapiente corporis sed ea vero. Odio sunt fugit ipsa est animi distinctio voluptas. Ut asperiores veritatis autem voluptatem.

Est sint quia ut sunt eum. Non rerum et in a voluptatem ipsam beatae totam.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”