How to Prepare for your Interview

How can we help you?

  • While PE firms represent a significant portion of buy-side investors, other entities also fall into this category, such as Mutual Funds, Hedge Funds, Venture Capital Funds, Strategic Acquirers, and Family Offices. We will assist you in determining which of these options aligns best with your goals and preferences.

  • A strong investment requires a balance of factors: a suitable purchase price, successful implementation of growth initiatives, and identifying the right exit strategy. We will furnish you with tools to develop a fundamental understanding of how these factors intersect. This includes arranging workshops on executing 30-minute and 60-minute LBOs.

    Additionally, we will host workshops where you will gain insights into constructing an investment thesis, conducting due diligence, and how PE firms evaluate companies.

  • PE recruitment can be challenging without a plan in place. We will introduce you to some of the top practices adopted by Sloan students for identifying firms where they can contribute value and securing internship opportunities.

    We will also guide you on reaching out to potential employers, offering tips on crafting effective cold emails, engaging in productive coffee chats, and preparing for interviews.

Main resources to prepare for your interviews

Wall Street Prep

As an MIT Sloan student, you have complimentary access to Wall Street Prep (WSP). The simplest way to kick-start your training is by enrolling in the Private Equity Masterclass offered on WSP.

Although WSP offers a dedicated PE course, we recommend that you explore the Wall Street Prep Premium Package entirely.

Breaking Into Wall Street

Breaking Into Wall Street is another online platform that offers a wealth of resources to help you prepare for Private Equity recruiting. If you have the means to invest in BIW’s Core Financial Modeling Course, we recommend focusing on the customized PE training, which includes modules 1, 6, 7, 9, and 11.

HBR: Buying a Small Business

This book provides a comprehensive view of how to source target companies, approach sellers, conduct due diligence, and close deals. Although the book is primarily centered on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition, the process mirrors that of Private Equity firms during an acquisition.

The 2-Hour Job Search

This book will guide you on seeking job opportunities, which is particularly useful when searching for summer internship positions in PE. It covers various topics including sourcing job opportunities, crafting effective cold emails, sending follow-up messages, and constructing a compelling narrative for potential employers.

LBO and PE Industry Workshops

In preparation for coffee chats and interviews, during the Fall semester we will host two LBO modeling workshops. Purpose is to show club members how a 30-minute LBO model and a 60-minute LBO model are built from scratch.

In addition, we will host a PE Industry workshop in which we will discuss how deal sourcing is made, how investment thesis are built, and how due diligence is performed for potential target companies.

Club Workshops

Discussion Panels with MIT Students

We will host two discussion panels where MIT Sloan students will talk about their experience as analysts or associates in Private Equity firms and will talk about their experience in recruiting for 2024 summer internship opportunities. 

Case Studies and Interview Prep

In case you you are interested in obtaining preparation materials for interviews, please email the club at vcpe.officers@sloangroups.mit.edu using your MIT email address. We can provide you with additional case studies to those in Wall Street Prep and Breaking Into Wall Street, some guidelines to prepare for your behavioral interviews, and some guidelines for sending cold emails and emails reaching out to PE firms.

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The path to PE often values a strong foundation in investment banking, not for the title, but for the rigor and discipline it instills. In the insightful video, "The Making of an Investment Banker," Jim Donovan (UVA Law Adjunct Professor; Vice Chairman of global client coverage at Goldman Sachs) unveils the key habits and skills that are essential for a succeeding career in private markets. Embracing these practices can provide a formidable start for anyone aspiring to make their mark in the PE industry. Discover what it takes to excel and how these skills translate into the art of PE investing.

Stay connected for more resources!