Leland+ for Private Equity
Popular on Leland+
Crushing PE Behavioural Interviews
The most commonly asked questions and model answers for them.
Private Equity Week (August 18-21) Kickoff
Join us for Leland's Private Equity Week (August 18–21) Kickoff! Come hear from Arielle F., Kenny J., and Julia M. - expert private equity coaches with years of experience in the field. You’re invited to a week of actionable support designed to help you break into the world of private equity with clarity and confidence. Throughout the week, we’ll host a series of virtual sessions led by top Leland coaches and industry professionals, covering everything from building relevant experience and networking effectively to acing interviews and crafting a standout PE resume.
Landing a Job in Private Equity: How to Stand Out in a Competitive Market
Breaking into private equity is one of the toughest transitions in finance—and standing out requires more than just strong technical skills. In this session, you’ll learn what top firms really look for in candidates and how to set yourself apart at every stage of the recruiting process. In this session, Max A, Isha A., and Kenny J. will cover how to highlight the right experiences on your resume, sharpen your technical and investing skill set, and prepare for the types of interviews PE firms use to identify top talent. Whether you’re currently in investment banking, exploring a career switch, or just starting to learn about the industry, this session will give you actionable strategies to position yourself for success in a highly competitive market.
How to Crush Your HireVue
This resource reviews common HireVue interview questions and outlines effective approaches for answering them. It focuses on structuring responses, managing timing, and communicating clearly in a recorded interview format.
IB/PE Networking Tracker Tool
This networking tracker helps you organize and track outreach to investment banking and private equity professionals. It provides a structured way to log contacts, conversations, and follow-up actions throughout the recruiting process.
PE 101 for Interviewees and Professionals: Deal Dynamics, Diligence, & Value Creation
Private equity can feel complex from the outside, but understanding deal flow, diligence, and value creation is essential—whether you're preparing for interviews or entering the industry. In this session, Saleem H., an early graduate from a non-target school who has built a career in private equity after consulting, will break down the fundamentals in a way that’s approachable and practical. Having mentored dozens of candidates into top MBA programs, MBB and Tier-2 consultancies, boutique firms, and competitive PE roles, Saleem brings hands-on experience and a passion for supporting nontraditional, first-gen, and early-career professionals. He’ll walk you through how firms evaluate deals, where analysts and associates drive the most impact, and what interviewers expect you to know about value creation from day one.
Ask Me Anything: Excelling in PE Interviews
Join us for an interactive AMA with a John C., a seasoned private equity professional who has successfully navigated the industry’s most competitive recruiting processes. In this session, you’ll get insider insights on how to stand out in both technical and behavioral interviews, master case studies and modeling tests, and convey your fit for a PE role with confidence. Whether you’re preparing for your first interview or looking to refine your approach, this is your chance to get your most pressing questions answered directly by an expert.
Private Equity Full LBO Model Test
60-minute model test to prepare you for Private Equity interviews
Superday Technicals for IB and PE
Get ready to crush your Superdays! This session dives deep into the technical interview prep needed to stand out in final-round IB and PE interviews. Hosted by Max A. (Former Senior Associate @ Vector Capital Management) you'll review must-know concepts—from valuation and accounting to LBOs and market questions—and learn how to approach complex technicals under pressure. Max will also share real examples and insights from his own experience helping candidates break into top-tier firms.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
