Leland+ for Private Equity

Technical Interview Guide (40 Questions)

This guide provides 40 questions from topics such as LBO modeling and returns, valuations, accounting, and fundamental business and diligence.

Private Equity Networking & Firm Outreach Strategy

Supporting slides from free event on best practices & strategies for private equity recruiting

Breaking into Private Equity Operations

Private equity operations roles offer a unique opportunity to drive value creation from inside portfolio companies—but the path in isn’t always clear. In this workshop, top Leland coach and Ops Team at Accel-KKR Naman S. will break down what PE operations teams actually do, the backgrounds they look for, and how recruiting differs from traditional investing roles. You’ll learn how to position your experience, build the right skill set, and pursue PE ops opportunities with a clear, actionable strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions About Resume Writing

Many people have asked me a set of questions frequently. These questions will answer some of your questions quickly!

Wine Import Venture Feasibility Model (Excel)

Excel-based feasibility and financial model for planning a wine import venture. Enter SKU-level pricing, landed costs, shipment size, channel mix.

Break into Investment Banking + Private Equity

Join this discussion moderated by @YourAverageFinanceBro, a leading finance comedy creator on Instagram and LinkedIn! A panel of expert Leland coaches who help candidates land roles in investment banking and private equity will break down these industries' complex recruiting processes into clear, actionable advice. This session will cover what it really takes to break into highly competitive finance careers through practical guidance on recruiting strategy, preparation, and common pitfalls, providing insights you can apply immediately to stand out and secure interviews at the top firms.

How to Network Effectively for Competitive Finance Roles

Networking is a critical differentiator in competitive finance recruiting, but most candidates approach it inefficiently or inconsistently. This session breaks down how to build genuine relationships, conduct high-impact outreach, and turn conversations into real opportunities across investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, and related roles. You’ll learn how to prepare for networking conversations, follow up strategically, and avoid common mistakes that quietly hurt your chances.

Headhunter Preferred Resume Format for PE/HF

This resume is an example of the preferred resume format from a top PE/HF headhunter. This is a good format to match in making your own resume.

The Comprehensive Guide to PE Secondaries Recruiting

Interested in recruiting for private equity secondaries? This PDF is a 25-page guide to private equity secondaries written by a former Blackstone Strategic Partners Associate who spent 4 years executing GP-led continuation funds and co-investments. Covers everything you need to land a secondaries role: what secondaries are and why the market exists, a deep dive into LP-led vs. GP-led transactions with walkthrough examples, the J-curve and how secondaries mitigate it, a ranked table of the top 25 secondaries firms by AUM, which major PE firms are launching secondaries practices (and why), 2024–2025 market data and trends ($226B+ in volume, the rise of single-asset CVs, credit and VC secondaries), 15+ technical interview questions with detailed answers, 10 behavioral questions with full sample answers, and a 'Why Secondaries' framework you can adapt to any firm. Updated March 2026.

How to Crush your Finance Behavioral Interviews

In finance interviews, technical skills get you in the room—but behavioral answers often decide who gets the offer. Your ability to tell clear, confident stories about leadership, resilience, and impact can make all the difference. In this session, you’ll learn how to structure powerful answers, anticipate the questions firms consistently ask, and turn your experiences into memorable, results-driven narratives. We’ll break down what interviewers are truly assessing and how to respond with clarity, confidence, and credibility. If you want to walk into your next finance interview prepared to stand out, this is where to start.

How to Prepare and Standout for PE Interviews

Breaking into private equity is competitive, and strong technical skills alone won’t separate you from the pack. This session is for candidates preparing for PE interviews who want to understand what actually stands out in the room—and the subtle mistakes that can quietly weaken your candidacy. You’ll learn how to position your deal experience with clarity, master the nuances of case studies and LBO discussions, and communicate investor judgment in a way that reflects how firms truly evaluate talent. Join live to ask your specific questions about headhunters, modeling tests, or navigating on-cycle and off-cycle processes, and get real-time feedback grounded in 20+ years as a principal and investor. The speaker works 1:1 with candidates and will share the patterns they see across successful applicants and what they personally look for when evaluating hires. If you’re serious about breaking into PE, this is a conversation worth being in live.

How to Stand Out in Private Equity Recruiting - March 2026

Private equity recruiting is intensely competitive, and strong technical skills alone are rarely enough to secure an offer. In this session, you’ll learn how top candidates differentiate themselves through sharper deal narratives, stronger investment judgment, and more strategic networking. We’ll break down what firms are really evaluating at each stage of the process and how to position your background, whether from banking, consulting, or another path, to stand out in a crowded field.

How to Land a Role as a Growth Equity Analyst

Breaking into growth equity is competitive, and most candidates struggle because they don't know how the role differs from traditional private equity or what firms are actually evaluating. This session is for undergraduates, MBA students, and early-career professionals who are actively recruiting for growth equity analyst positions. You'll leave with a clearer understanding of how to position your deal experience, what frameworks interviewers use to assess market sizing and company evaluation, and how to tailor your story for growth-stage investing roles specifically. Attending live gives you the chance to ask questions about your specific background and get real-time feedback that a recording simply can't offer. The insights shared here reflect the patterns seen across successful candidates, the kind of guidance that typically comes up in one-on-one coaching conversations. If you're actively recruiting or plan to start soon, this is worth your time.

Positioning for PE and the Buy Side in EMEA

Breaking into private equity and buy-side roles across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa requires a clear understanding of regional recruiting dynamics, fund structures, and candidate expectations. In this session, you’ll learn how EMEA recruiting timelines differ from the US, what firms prioritize in backgrounds and deal experience, and how to position yourself effectively whether you’re coming from banking, consulting, or another pathway. You’ll leave with a practical strategy for networking, technical preparation, and crafting a narrative that resonates with buy-side firms across the region.

How to Network Your Way Into Private Equity

After this session, you will know how to build a PE network that actually generates referrals, not just connections. We will cover how to identify and approach associates and principals at target firms, what to say in outreach emails that get responses, and how to turn informational calls into relationships that move your candidacy forward.

Break into Private Equity: Event Week Kickoff April 2026

Private equity is one of the most competitive paths in finance, and breaking in often requires more than strong credentials alone. This kickoff session is designed for candidates attending Private Equity Week who want a clear view of what the recruiting landscape actually looks like and how to approach it strategically. You’ll learn how professionals in the industry evaluate candidates, what strong applicants tend to do differently during recruiting, and how to make the most of the sessions and resources throughout the week.

Build Your PE Recruiting Plan

After this session, you will know how to build a realistic, timeline-driven recruiting plan for private equity, including when to target firms, how to sequence outreach, and what milestones to hit before your first interviews. Most candidates underestimate how early the process starts and how much the structure of their plan shapes their outcomes.

Inside Private Equity: Ask a PE Founder and Former BlackRock Director Anything

Private equity can be hard to break into and even harder to fully understand from the outside. This session is for candidates who want a candid look into the industry from someone who has operated at a high level and built their own firm. You’ll learn how private equity professionals think about investing, what the day-to-day actually involves, and how candidates can better position themselves for roles in the field.

Turning a Non-Traditional Background Into a PE Offer: Retail Banking to PE [4/30/2026] (Recording)

If your background is non-traditional for PE, this session will show you exactly how to reframe that experience into a compelling PE narrative, how to identify the right funds to target given your profile, and how to position your deal exposure in a way that resonates with PE interviewers. Non-traditional candidates often lose ground in the screening phase, and this session addresses the specific signals that help you clear it. Attending live means you can ask how your particular background maps to this framework and hear a direct response, not a general one. The coach works with candidates navigating this exact transition regularly, and the patterns they share about what separates successful non-traditional hires are worth showing up to hear firsthand.

Situational Questions: Handling “Tell Me About a Time...”

Master the STAR+ framework for behavioural stories (Situation, Task, Action, Result + Reflection). Tackle common questions around leadership, failure, teamwork, and ethical dilemmas.