Bankers with exploding offers are battling for private equity jobs

It's private equity recruitment season in Europe and America. This time last year, major private equity firms in America were camped out in hotels in New York City, interviewing candidates through the night. One year on, a chill wind is blowing, but private equity firms are pressuring candidates all the same. 

"The private equity recruiting cycle is continuing and firms are giving out exploding offers in the usual way," says Anthony Keizner, a partner at Odyssey Search Partners in New York. At top firms like KKR and Blackstone, this typically means candidates have just 24-hours to decide whether to accept, or not. "Candidates aren't allowed to sit on offers because there's a big opportunity cost to losing out on other candidates if the candidate with an offer decides not to accept," Keizner explains. READ MORE