How to Get Into Private Equity Straight Out of Undergrad (2024)

FAQs

How to Get Into Private Equity Straight Out of Undergrad? ›

Get into private equity right out of college

Nearly all the large private equity firms (“mega-funds”) offer some form of internships to undergrads: KKR, Blackstone, Ares, Silver Lake, Carlyle, TPG, Apollo, and, on the European side, firms like Cinven, CVC, Bridgepoint, EQT, and Permira.

Blackstone considers candidates from schools across the globe. Candidates eligible for full-time opportunities are completing their final year of college or graduate school. Candidates eligible for summer opportunities are completing their third year of university or their junior year in college.

Firms have been hiring more students directly out of undergraduate, so there are now quite a few “Private Equity Analyst” positions in the industry as well. Getting into private equity directly after an MBA is nearly impossible unless you've done investment banking or private equity before the MBA.

KKR is committed to hiring early career talent from both undergraduate and MBA academic programs for internship and full-time roles across our investing and distribution businesses in the U.S. The bedrock of KKR's culture is our spirit of partnership and a shared sense of ownership across the firm.

Internships could be a very effective way of getting to work for a major organization in the industry, but not all private equity firms have open internships so the ones that do are very sought after by students. A finance degree is usually the most valued in the field.

While it may seem challenging to break into this exclusive industry, it is not impossible. With the right skillset, preparation, and strategy, you can land an entry-level role in private equity straight out of college or shortly after.

Bain has a long tradition of recruiting bachelor's graduates from UCLA, and we have a dedicated team to help you make the right career choice.

However, this can vary depending on the specific role and level of experience. Does Carlyle Hire Undergraduates? Yes, The Carlyle Group hires undergraduates for its internship program.

This translates to a selection rate of less than 0.3% and means that getting an entry-level job at Blackstone is 12 times as tough as getting accepted to Harvard, Schwarzman noted. “I doubt I would be able to be hired today; not sure that's a great thing,” he said during the call.

Do you get admitted for a PE? ›

How people are treated depends on whether they are low‐risk or high‐risk, but most people are given blood‐thinning drugs (anticoagulants) in hospital. For some low‐risk cases with sudden onset (acute) pulmonary embolism, treatment at home might be better than keeping them in hospital.

A physical education (PE) major combines the best of interpersonal communication, fitness, and science. It's an excellent choice for anyone interested in sports and fitness who likes working with others.

It is common to have chest pain, breathlessness and fatigue for weeks or even months after a PE. Recovery from PE varies, and it can take many months to return to your previous level of fitness. Sometimes symptoms do not improve over time and further tests may be needed to help work out why.

Analysts at all types of private equity firms earn significantly less than Associates, just as Analysts in IB earn significantly less than Associates. In fact, PE Analysts often earn less than IB Analysts! So, you might initially make less money if you start in private equity.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $277,500 and as low as $43,500, the majority of Vice President Private Equity salaries currently range between $115,000 (25th percentile) to $190,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $244,500 annually across the United States.

Is it hard to get hired at BlackRock? Glassdoor users rated their interview experience at BlackRock as 61.3% positive with a difficulty rating score of 2.97 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty).

Private equity firms usually seek someone with a strong sense of numbers. As such, the majors they generally look for include Finance, Accounting, Statistics, Mathematics, or Economics. GPA will, of course, be a factor here.

Large PE firms target Investment Banking Analysts at bulge-bracket and elite-boutique banks, as well as a few In-Between-a-Banks. Smaller firms may hire IB Analysts at middle-market and boutique banks.

Candidate Profile

The standard profile that private equity firms will look for is a candidate with a top undergrad degree, high GPA, and investment banking experience. With few exceptions, this is the only way in to the largest firms.

Venture Capital Analyst Job Description

Analysts are hired directly out of undergrad. This role is rare, especially in life science VC, and usually not a great idea next to standard options such as consulting, investment banking analyst roles, and corporate finance jobs.