Move to PE

The answer, according to me, primarily depends on your current age / seniority. 

- Secondary factors are the Size of fund and geographies you are targeting that could make a difference (e.g. large international PE funds vs. small mid-market of local funds).

Also, take my answer with a grain of salt: I have knowledge from many friends in PE, but I have never work IN the industry. 

That said: the general tendency is the older you are without PE experience the harder (exponentially harder) becomes to enter the industry. Exceptions can always occur, but that tends to be the norm in my observing sample.

A) Scenario A: 2-3 ys work experience (e.g. Business Analysts in Kearney, associate in BCG)

→ Move to investment banking is your best option to then transition to PE, but this is a very competitive arena and most Consulting to IB move I have seen come after an Top MBA

- CFA increases your odds but not a game changer according to me

→ Top MBA Program (ideally Top 3 think Hardvard, Wharton otherwise becomes harder w/out previous exp.) is the “easiest to achieve” bet. Maybe less sure than move to investment banking, but definitely doable given Kearney on your CV

→ The Bain move would to me make sense only if you are 100% sure to be allocated in the “PE practice” (in BCG is the PIPE practice) - but happy to hear the opinion of Bain people here

Given this Top MBA seems the “umbrella solution” here both to transition to IB and to get into PE

B) Scenario B: 3+ ys work experience (e.g. Associate in Kearney, etc…)

→ You can still try the top MBA route but after age > 29 gets significantly harder to get in ceteris paribus (especially in US) + you have big “opportunity cost”

→ Your  bet is really to specialize in the Due Diligence practice in Kearney (if any in your location), multiple contact with the local / international PE funds you will work with in DDs, until you have connections to approach them from a “job opportunity” point of view

→ The Bain move would to me make sense only if you are 100% sure to be allocated in the “PE practice” (in BCG is the PIPE practice) - but happy to hear the opinion of Bain people here

C) Scenario C: Manager and above (e.g. MAnager in Kearney, Project LEader in BCG, …)

→ Unless you are specialized in Deals/DD practice, I would say very very hard. Exceptions do occur since PE funds search for your specific mix of background / experience for a particular “tactical” situation.

I would certainly also 

→ write on WallStreetOasis, Mergers and Inquisitions and other such platform to hear the advices of professional on the finance side

→ contact PE guys here on the platform to give you internal perspective

Hope this helps!

P.

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the career trajectory with Kearney so far!

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• Generally speaking, I would advise you to always take information like how hard it is to go from Kearney to into the PE industry with a pinch of salt for the simple reason: People telling you this have either failed themselves in making the move or have not failed but do not want you to make the same move.
• Moreover, I feel that none of these options is necessary or meaningful to get into the PE industry. On the contrary, I would advise you to first clarify your ambitions regarding your target companies. For instance, if you want to get into small- or mid-cap PE companies, you might as well try with your current professional experience.
• Lastly, I would advise you to simply apply since whatever additional experiences (e.g. MBA program, Bain PEG) you might gain, chances will always be very low to get the job since the PE industry is relatively small as a whole.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best move from consulting to the PE industry, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

Hi there,

Honestly, you skipped step 1 and 2!

1) Network network network. Get out there and start talking to people at PE firms right now! See if they'd hire you. Apply. At least give it a shot now.

2) Pivot within Kearney. Get put on projects that will give you exposure. Build your reputation. Then see point #1 again.

Sure try your options 1-3, but first see what you can do now!

Hello!

I would for sure not do point 3, 100%. 

Regarding the other two, none of them really guarantee you anything, so make sure that the path itself is something you would enjoy. 

Why not trying directly, applying leveraging the PE experience that you already have? The partners you worked with can for sure help you with this. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

1. Take CFA and make a move to Investment Banking

Moving to IB is the option that gives you the best chances here, by far. The skillset that PE looks for is primarily one of a financial expert, and you need to be in IB for that.

2. Pursue MBA and switch to PE

Only a very few MBAs are able to do this move. But most of them will have previous finance experience. This is risky. It's easier to do the MBA to get into IB and then try to switch to PE.

3. Move to Big 4 / Bain and try to switch to PE again

Moving to a Big4 would be a big mistake, as you would be devaluing your own CV - and make it similar to the huge number of people that have a Big4 stamp on their resume. Moreover, going down does not show high quality. This would eliminate your chances of being succesful.

Moving to Bain… is not the best option compared to the above. You make yourself more valuable, but still the chances of being successful are low.

….. Now what you have to understand is that most PE jobs are obtained through networking. You have to couple networking with #1 or #2 option.