Private Equity Resume
Private Equity Resume Advice
Writing a private equity resume is unique from other resumes because it generally requires experience in finance as a prerequisite for being considered for a position in private equity, so here is an article with suggestions on how to compose a great resume.I just found a great article on crafting the ideal private equity resume from Mergers and Inquisitions. The presumption is that the applicant has worked in the investment banking sector or currently works as an investment banker. Another presumption is that you hold an MBA from a good school, these two elements are not necessarily required but they are highly recommended for entering the private equity industry.
Here are some tips from M&I as well as my own on creating a great private equity resume:
- Resume Appearance: There is no excuse for a poorly written or incorrectly structured resume. If you are having trouble composing your resume seek help. There are a lot of resources that can help you make a winning resume. Here are just a few:
- Contact your old professors, or better yet, speak with someone who has a job in private equity. Even if you're confident in your resume it doesn't hurt to have it edited by someone you respect.
- Look online for guidelines to writing a resume, but be careful to get your advice from qualified sources like Vault which focuses specifically on business careers.
- Check out a career advice book to get good tips on writing a resume, it may seem like a lot of work but resumes are your first impression with your employer, why not put in the extra effort?
- Focus on Professional Experience: While other employers in other industries focus on academic standing, personality and other things, not strictly your professional experience, private equity is different. A potential employer wants to know everything about what you've done at your former job, so don't spare any details that can help you appear as experienced as possible. There is a reason that private equity firms want to hire people that have worked in investment banking or a similar financial area for at least two years: they don't want train you, they want a prepared associate who is experienced enough to enter private equity and immediately produce results. Showing significant work experience by emphasizing the deals you worked on and how you contributed are key in this resume. Here are some key elements to highlight when explaining your past work experience:
- The number of deals you have worked on
- The types of deals you have worked on - M&A (sellside and buyside), IPOs, Follow-Ons, Convertibles, Debt
- The skills you gained - LBO modeling, accretion/dilution modeling, DCF skills, valuation.
- How to Write About Your Deals: The key for writing about your past deals that you've been involved in is to be unique and demonstrate how you specifically influenced and contributed to the deal process. Rather than just listing your duties that you carried out during the deal process, specifically mention how you helped in the deal. M&I has a great example of what NOT to do and then a re-write of what to do:
- Poor example:
- $5B Sale Of Company Y To Company X
- Drafted Offering Memorandum and Management Presentation and tracked status of deal with potential buyers
- Managed due diligence process between Company Y and different buyers and responded to all inquiries
- Better example:
- 5B Sale Of Company Y To Company X
- Worked directly with CFO to build complex operating model of company involving 40 different properties across multiple states
- Created market analysis showing favorable trends in casino construction despite subprime-related problems; led to 2 private equity buyers remaining in the auction process until the final round
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Link to This Resource: Private Equity Resume
http://privateequityblogger.com/2008/09/private-equity-resume.html
