- Why are you looking to leave? Answer Question.
- What made you consider KKR? Answer Question.
- Have you worked with the C suite? Answer Question.
Should you be one of the tiny proportion of junior investment bankers who makes it through to a private equity interview, its easy to assume that itll be the same old fit and motivational questions asked. After all, private equity firms actively hunt down the best analysts in investment banking and interviews are more about ensuring you can fit into smaller investment team than questioning your technical skills.
Its true that private equity firms focus a lot on the beer test of ensuring youre going to fit in with the organisation. They also spend a lot of time testing financial modelling skills during the interview process. But there are also the questions that will throw you. Here are the more difficult questions asked at Blackstone, KKR, Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Principal Investments, based on interviewees on Glassdoor:
When you have two companies that are similar but with different valuation multiples, describe what could be the cause of that. (Blackstone)
Which bond is more valuable, the one with only one payment at maturity or the one with periodic payment along the time till maturity? (Blackstone)
If you had questions that no one had answers to, how would you handle it? (KKR)
If your investment increased 20% and you now have $60 how much did you start with? (Blackstone)
If our firm wanted to sell one of our business units, how would you go about valuing that segment? (Blackstone)
Would you rather win the lottery today and get $1m lump sum now or earn $2,000 every month for the rest of your life? (KKR)
When flipping a coin infinitely, is the pattern HHT or HTH more likely to appear? What is the probability that one appears before the other? (Blackstone)
You operate a trucking company that ships supplies between Las Vegas and Los Angles. How would you think about growing revenues? (Bain Capital)
How would you decide on the expansion strategy for a food catering company subsidiary in France, considering the competitive environment (Bain Capital)
KKR Interview Process – KKR Investor & Goldman Distressed Credit
Interviews for Top Jobs at KKR
Anonymous Interview Candidate in New York, NY
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at KKR (New York, NY) in Aug 2022
Final Round Superday: Super day consisted of four forty – five minute interviews including 2 technical, 1 behavioral, and 1 case study. Met with 6 total higher-ups in the team I was applying for. Overall great experience, although many of them felt they were smarter than they were
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Resume screening, HireVue, two rounds of Zoom interviews. No technical questioning, lots of situational circumstances, and fit tests. Interviewers were very pleasant and easy to keep a conversation going with.
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I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at KKR in Jun 2022
Applied to Global Macro Balance Sheet/Liability Summer Analyst, right after application got invite for hirevue and a week to submit it. Normal hi-revue questions, just personally unprepared. Four questions I believe
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I interviewed with the MD and then 2 analysts on the team. When I started it was a small team of 4, now it has expanded to 6 people. The process was not bad, it was more conversing than interviewing
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Started with an initial resume screen and pre-interview testing (basic logic problems, etc). Then, an initial phone interview with an analyst. That was followed by a Zoom with the team director. Thereafter, I met 4 more team members for casual conversations over Zoom.
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I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at KKR
Interview process took months. Met with an exhausting amount of stakeholders only to be ghosted by the company and recruiter. Follow up was poor and inconsistent on the status of the interview stages.
2 people found this interview helpful
Anonymous Interview Candidate in Philadelphia, PA
I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at KKR (Philadelphia, PA) in Apr 2022
The interview process was quite tedious and difficult. they start off with a 7 question hirevue. If you pass you have a first round interview 30min. finally you have a super day with 3 people.
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It was very nice and friendly, and I passed 1st round interview, which took more than 2 hours.. Interviewers focused on fit interviews. They explained to me that KKR will have more than 9-10 round interviews..
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Anonymous Interview Candidate in New York, NY
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 6 days. I interviewed at KKR (New York, NY)
Met with four different members via Zoom spread out over 2 and a half hours throughout the day. Was told right away two days later that they would not be continuing with my application. Everyone was nice and respectful and appreciated the quick turnaround
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Anonymous Interview Candidate in San Francisco, CA
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at KKR (San Francisco, CA) in Mar 2022
Consisted of 1 hirevue + a second round. did not get past the second round so I cannot speak as to what happens afterwards. Asked me a mix of both technical questions and behavioral questions
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Popular Careers with KKR Job Seekers
How do you believe your coworkers would describe you?
The interviewer would like to know how you are seen by your colleagues. Select approximately three words that truly define who you are. Be sure to choose words that radiate positive thoughts!
“I believe that my coworkers, if asked, would describe me as a reliable person who is always ready to submit the best work possible. My work ethic has never been questioned, and I am very proud with the work that I have submitted in my career, so far.”
“Here are some other great keywords you could use: – Encouraging – Caring – Knowledgeable – Reliable – Focused – Honest – Assertive – Tenacious – Motivated – Ambitions – Conscientious”
Example: “I am extremely organized and detail-oriented, which helps me stay on top of my work. I also have excellent communication skills, so I’m able to clearly explain complex financial concepts to others. Another strength is my ability to think critically and solve problems creatively. This skill has helped me find solutions to challenging situations at previous jobs.”
Example: “I’ve been using Microsoft Excel for over five years now. I started out as an intern at a small investment firm where we used Excel extensively. At my current job, I use Excel to create financial models and analyze data. I find it’s a great way to organize information and perform calculations.”
Example: “At my previous job, I was responsible for communicating with clients about their investments. One day, one of our largest investors called me to ask why they hadn’t received their monthly statement yet. I immediately checked our records and realized we had sent it out late. I apologized to the client and explained what happened. They were understanding and appreciated how quickly I responded.”
Example: “I’ve always been interested in business, but I didn’t know what kind of business I wanted to be in until my senior year of college when I took an accounting class. The professor was so passionate about his work that it inspired me to pursue a career in accounting. After graduation, I worked as an accountant for three years before deciding to go back to school to get my MBA.”
Example: “When I was working as an investment analyst at my previous company, a client asked me for information about a particular stock that we did not have on our database. I told them that I would look into it and get back to them with more information within 24 hours. The next day, I found out that the stock had been removed from the market due to fraud allegations. I apologized to the client and explained that I could no longer provide them with any information.”
FAQ
What are the 10 most common interview questions and answers?
- Tell me about yourself.
- What attracted you to our company?
- Tell me about your strengths.
- Tell me about your strengths.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Tell me about a time where you encountered a business challenge?
What are the 7 most common interview answers?
- Where do you see yourself in five years? …
- What are your strengths/weaknesses? …
- Why should we hire you? …
- Tell me about yourself / your past work experience. …
- Why do you want to work for us? …
- What are your salary expectations? …
- What skills or experience will help you succeed in this role?
What are the 20 most common interview questions and answers?
- Tell me about yourself.
- What are your weaknesses?
- Why should we choose you for this job?
- What are your hobbies outside of work?
- Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
- Why are you leaving your current position?
- What are your main strengths?
What are the top 25 interview questions with answers?
- Why are you interested in working for us?
- What made you apply for this position?
- How did you find out about this position?
- Why are you looking for a new job?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Describe yourself.
