Leland+ for Private Equity
Popular on Leland+
Private Equity Recruiting & Preparation Timeline
See a typical investment banking to private equity recruiting timeline and ensure you're prepared for networking, headhunter meetings, and interviews.
Top 5 Tips to Break Into PE
Private equity is one of the most competitive and sought-after careers in finance—but with the right strategy, it’s absolutely within reach. In this session, expert Leland coach and PE investor at KKR Kenny J. will share their top five tips for breaking into PE, from building the right technical foundation to navigating the recruiting process strategically. You’ll learn what top firms look for, how to stand out in interviews, and how to position your background for success in this high-stakes industry.
Private Equity Resume Example - IB Background
See a resume that landed an offer at Onex Partners. Learn to craft a resume that gets you noticed for top private equity roles.
Practice DCF Model
Private Equity Interview Prep Crash Course
How to Structure a Deal Walkthrough for PE Interviews
Deal walkthroughs in Private Equity interviews are among the toughest hurdles candidates face—interviewers expect you to walk through the logic, assumptions, and risks of an entire investment, often on the spot. To excel, you need a repeatable structure, sharp instincts, and clarity under pressure. Join Max M., a former tech investor turned Wharton MBA and one of Leland’s Top 50 Coaches, who has worked on deals at Thomas H. Lee Partners and Goldman Sachs. Max has coached hundreds of candidates across PE, IB, and hedge funds, helping them land offers at top firms. In this session, Max will break down a clear framework you can apply during deal walkthroughs: how to decompose the investment thesis, model growth and margins, identify key value levers, and address deal risks. He’ll also walk through common “curve ball” questions and teach you how to think on your feet.
Craft Winning Cover Letters & Resumes for PE: How to Tell a Deal Story
In private equity recruiting, your deal experience is your story—and how you tell it can make or break your candidacy. In this workshop, James W.—a Wharton MBA with experience as an M&A attorney at Kirkland & Ellis and Paul Weiss, an investment banker at Guggenheim Securities, and a private equity operator at GenNx360—will walk you through how to craft resumes and cover letters that showcase your deal experience with clarity and impact. Having sat on every side of the table, James will share what recruiters and hiring managers actually look for, how to structure your deal descriptions, and how to highlight the strategic thinking behind your work. Whether you’re recruiting for your first on-cycle role or positioning yourself for a post-MBA move, this session will give you the insider perspective and tools to stand out in the competitive PE hiring process.
Answering “Why Private Equity?”
Avoid vague or recycled answers. Use a tested framework to build a compelling, specific answer that ties together your skillset, interest in investing, and long-term goals.
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.
Your PE Recruiting Plan: What You Need to Know to Ace Recruiting
Get a clear, no-nonsense roadmap for navigating the intense Private Equity recruiting process. In this session, you'll learn what top firms actually look for, how to prepare for the fast-moving timeline, and the technical and networking strategies that separate successful candidates from the rest. You'll walk away with a focused, actionable PE recruiting plan you can start executing immediately.
Behavioural interviews: Overview
Behavioural interviews often make or break candidates - especially when everyone has similar technical backgrounds. In this module, you’ll learn how to craft compelling, authentic stories that show maturity, motivation, and fit for Private Equity. We'll cover all the most common questions, along with frameworks to deliver standout answers.
How to Nail “Why This Fund?”
Learn how to research a fund beyond their website - including their strategy, culture, and recent deals - and turn that insight into a response that shows deep alignment.
How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself”
Craft a concise, confident pitch that walks through your background, your "why PE" story, and what makes you different - using the 3-part Narrative Arc framework.
Strengths & Weaknesses: What to Say (and Avoid)
Break down high-impact strength answers and how to position weaknesses honestly without hurting your candidacy. Includes a list of examples that work in high-stakes settings.
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.
Technical interviews: Overview
This module is all about mastering the finance concepts and frameworks tested in PE interviews - but without wasting time memorizing every textbook definition. You’ll learn how to approach technical questions like an investor, communicate with clarity, and avoid over-complication.
The Funnel Framework: A Tool for Any Technical Question
Use this simple but powerful 3-step thinking structure to break down any investment or business analysis question (e.g., "Would you invest in XYZ?", “How would you evaluate a company?”).
Deal Walk-Throughs: How to Present Your Experience
Learn how to structure a walk-through of your deal or project experience - even if you had limited exposure - by focusing on key drivers, your contribution, and commercial impact.
Verbal Case Studies: Structure & Strategy
How to structure your thinking under pressure - what questions to ask, what assumptions to make, and how to adapt frameworks.
How to crush your HireVue
Common questions and approaches for HireVue
