Interviewing for a Private Equity Job

December 7, 2009

If you think getting a job at Google is tough, try surviving the interview process at a top private equity firm. One banking analyst who went through the process at megafirms KKR (Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts) and TPG (Texas Pacific Group), says compared to those interviews, a Google job interview is a walk in the park.

According to an article by Business Insider’s online blog, Clusterstock, the typical interviewee is plunked down at a desk and given two hours to write out all the steps necessary for a leveraged buy-out. Or told to select a company he or she thinks the firm should choose for an LBO or IPO, and how and exactly why they should do it.

That’s the easy part. Once finished with the writing, you’re walked into a room full of senior executives as asked to present each step of the process and justify every word in front of the group. If you get past this grilling, the prize is another interview with someone else. You’re even handed a rigid minute-by-minute schedule for the whole day. Screw up the time spent on any section, and you’re toast.

Of course, if you have some time on your hands and want to bone up for your next private equity job interview with a few easy questions, you can always check out 15 Google Interview Questions That Will Make You Feel Stupid.

{ 1 comment }

Charlie December 12, 2009 at 7:33 am

Both the interviews are of different type. Google questions as mentioned in the link will trickle you brain. You can have no preparation, only way to answer them are what you could do at the moment. There can always be a practice before facing the banking or PE guys who we might already be dealing with in our current position.

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