It has never been harder to attract top talent to private equity and PE portfolio companies. “We’re seeing a huge reluctance to leave jobs for anything less than top brands, and successfully recruiting out the absolute all-stars is requiring more than just outsized economics,” said Jordan Brugg, global head of private equity for Spencer Stuart. So, what can PE firms do? A recent report from Spencer Stuart lays out a few ideas. Start the process early. “It bears repeating that the war for talent has never been more fierce, so you need to move extremely fast when you see someone who fits,” the Spencer Stuart report said. “As a result, our clients are spending more time at the outset before launching searches to get all the stakeholders in agreement; candidates can smell misalignment. This means you need to iron out the business strategy, the case for the role, and the compensation parameters early on.” READ MORE