How Do You Write a CV for a Private Equity Job?

Crafting a targeted and technically proficient CV is the single most critical step in securing a private equity (PE) interview. A successful PE CV must instantly demonstrate your analytical prowess, financial modeling expertise, and direct experience with deals, often quantified with specific metrics to capture a recruiter's attention in under 30 seconds.

What is Private Equity and What Do Firms Look For?

Private equity involves firms raising capital from institutional investors to acquire ownership stakes in companies. The goal is to improve the company's operations and financial performance over a typical holding period of 4-7 years before selling it for a profit. Based on our assessment experience, PE firms prioritize candidates who can immediately contribute to sourcing deals, conducting due diligence, and monitoring portfolio companies. This requires a foundation in fields like finance, economics, or accounting, but the CV must translate that knowledge into tangible, results-oriented achievements.

PE investments generally fall into three categories:

• Venture Capital: Providing start-up capital to high-growth potential early-stage companies.
• Buyout: Acquiring a controlling interest, often 100%, in mature companies to restructuring operations.
• Growth Equity: Investing in established companies seeking capital to expand or enter new markets without a change of control.

How Can You Structure Your Private Equity CV for Maximum Impact?

The chronological CV format is the industry standard for private equity roles. It lists your professional experience in reverse-chronological order, prioritizing your most recent and relevant roles. This format is preferred because it allows hiring managers to quickly trace your career progression and see a clear history of relevant responsibilities. For those transitioning from investment banking or related fields, this format directly highlights your applicable deal experience.

A well-structured PE CV should include these sections:

1. Contact Information: Your name, professional email, and phone number. A LinkedIn profile URL is highly recommended.
2. Professional Summary: A 2-3 line elevator pitch at the top, highlighting your years of experience, key skills (e.g., "LBO modeling," "due diligence"), and notable achievements (e.g., "executed over $500M in transactions").
3. Professional Experience: The core of your CV, detailed in the next section.
4. Education: List degrees, universities, and graduation dates. Include a high GPA if it is strong (e.g., 3.7/4.0 or higher).
5. Technical Skills & Certifications: Detail relevant skills like financial modeling, valuation methods, and software (Excel, Bloomberg Terminal). List certifications such as the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
6. Additional Information: Languages or other relevant distinctions can be included here.

What Specific Experience Should You Highlight on a Private Equity CV?

When detailing your experience, focus on action-oriented bullet points that start with strong verbs and are supported by quantifiable results. Hiring managers look for evidence of your direct involvement in the deal process. Instead of vague statements, provide specific, outcome-based descriptions.

Focus on including experience like:

• Financial Modeling: "Built and maintained a suite of LBO (Leveraged Buyout) models for potential acquisitions, analyzing IRR and cash-on-cash returns."
• Deal Execution: "Played a key role in the due diligence process for a $50M growth equity investment, analyzing customer concentration and market trends."
• Company Analysis: "Perounced discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis and comparable company analysis for 15+ target companies in the SaaS sector."
• Portfolio Management: "Monitored the financial performance of 3 portfolio companies, preparing quarterly reports for investment committee review."

A table can help contrast ineffective statements with powerful, optimized ones:

How Do You Optimize Your CV for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and Recruiters?

Most large firms use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen CVs before they reach a human. These systems scan for specific keywords related to the job description. To optimize your CV, carefully review the PE job posting and mirror the language used. Integrate relevant keywords naturally throughout your CV, particularly in the professional summary and experience sections.

Key private equity keywords include: leveraged buyout (LBO), due diligence, financial modeling, mergers & acquisitions (M&A), valuation, internal rate of return (IRR), and capital raising.

Final proofreading is non-negotiable. A single typo can signal a lack of attention to detail and result in immediate rejection. Before submitting your CV:

• Review for consistency in formatting, dates, and fonts.
• Quantify your achievements wherever possible (e.g., "analyzed 30+ companies," "modeled deals worth $500M+").
• Ask a mentor or colleague in the industry to review it for clarity and impact.

A compelling private equity CV is a marketing document that sells your technical skills and deal-specific accomplishments. By focusing on a clean structure, quantified results, and relevant keyword optimization, you significantly increase your chances of landing an interview.