How should I go about looking for a LMM Private Equity job, in a secondary market
Hey guys, so I'm at a Tier 3 bank at a small office in the southeast (ATL, CLT, Raleigh). I've got great deal chops, have amazing references from my superiors and have really been an all around work horse and done well for myself here.
My bosses know I want to begin interviewing for PE roles and have given their full blessing (as well as pledged to write glowing references).
All of this to say, I feel like I should be sitting in a great position right now to go out and find myself a good LMM / MM growth equity or buyout PE role. However, the market isn't great obviously, and I'm also not in a market with a ton of shops to chose from / network with. The shops that do exist are fairly small, tight-knit and "good ole boys" clubby.
I'm willing to relocate really anywhere on the east coast, but I'm just not sure how to go about targeting, prospecting and networking with specific PE firms in specific markets.
Should I target one specific market and one specific type of firm and just make sure my story for that particular aspiration is super tight knit instead of spreading myself too thin?
Should I target specific firms or specific people with overlapping backgrounds to network with?
Are there Headhunters I should try to get in touch with? My assumption is that the NYC based recruiters aren't naturally going to look down south for top candidates to pitch to their most illustrious clients in NYC.
Just feeling kinda lost and hoping someone can give me a bit of direction here.
IMO I'd focus on any market that you have some kind of tie to. As someone who was in a t2/t3 market, a big focus was on hiring people with ties to the area so they didn't bolt to NY at the first chance.
Identifying the shops should be easy, either via resources you have access to now or by just searching LinkedIn for people in PE/VC in that city/metro area. Definitely start with anyone you have something in common with (school, bank, from the same area, etc.) but another pro tip is also try to get a call with someone on the BD team if the firm has one. They'll probably be receptive to chat and will have great networks that they might use to help out with if they like you.
Awesome! Exactly what I was looking for, thanks so much for that last tip about reaching out to BD professionals, I will certainly use that!
Dont have much to add as Im based at an LMM shop in NYC. There are some conferences however that are widely attended by LMM shops and Fundless sponsors. If interested I can DM u specifics.
i came to this thread to ask a question, is there appetite for a LMM specific forum for mid career dealmakers? I find this forum to be less and less applicable to my role since I made the move to PE.
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