Signs an Interview Went Well...

[talisman]

I don't generally spend 90 minutes showing someone around if I'm not going to hire them. I can usually spot the people I need to GTFO of my office in about 1 minute these days. 90 minutes is a lot of a COOs time.

[Shorty]

Good advice so far. I always ask what's the next step or when they plan on making a decision.

[0 GT 2]

Yeah, like Shorty said, thanks for the input so far. My initial plan was to follow up on Thursday but I will be sending a thank you email tomorrow morning before I do that.

[slow99]

I don't generally spend 90 minutes showing someone around if I'm not going to hire them. I can usually spot the people I need to GTFO of my office in about 1 minute these days. 90 minutes is a lot of a COOs time.

I think I've seen just about all there is to see on the interview front over the last year and a half but this isn't always the case. Some of the ones I thought went well, I never got a 2nd round. It's really tough at McCombs b/c you had to be top 1 or 2 from your class (they'd interview about 12), then they'd go to Harvard, Columbia, Chicago, Wharton, NYU and then you had to beat those guys as well.

In the last year and a half I interviewed with 28 companies. Many of those were 2nd, 3rd round (Morningstar - I made it five rounds, flew to Chicago, interviewed for 9 hours) and didn't make the final round cut.

Some of the ones I made the most progress with, I thought I bombed the initial interview. Interviews I knew I aced...never heard squat.

[talisman]

I think I've seen just about all there is to see on the interview front over the last year and a half but this isn't always the case. Some of the ones I thought went well, I never got a 2nd round. It's really tough at McCombs b/c you had to be top 1 or 2 from your class (they'd interview about 12), then they'd go to Harvard, Columbia, Chicago, Wharton, NYU and then you had to beat those guys as well.

In the last year and a half I interviewed with 28 companies. Many of those were 2nd, 3rd round (Morningstar - I made it five rounds, flew to Chicago, interviewed for 9 hours) and didn't make the final round cut.

Some of the ones I made the most progress with, I thought I bombed the initial interview. Interviews I knew I aced...never heard squat.

Well, you're much more educated than most of the people I have the pleasure of dealing with.

[slow99]

To the OP - The business model and what you're seeing with this firm is the classic Private Equity (PE) /Venture Capital (VC) model. These PE/VC guys find a portfolio of companies with solid cash flow generation and a solid, tangible asset base, take them out (purchase them), lever them up (throw a whole lot of debt on them), run them for a 5-7 years, then look for a "liquidity event".

Solid cash flow generation and a solid asset base make it easier to lever (take debt against), and then service the additional debt (interest payments made with the solid cash flows), while juicing returns to the equity investors. The equity investors in this case will be a General Partner (GP) and a group of Limited Partners (LPs).

After years of solid cash flow generation, paying down the debt, the GP and LPs hope for multiple expansion. Multiple expansion - Let's say the business/portfolio generates $1 Bln a year in cash flow...similar businesses might go for 3x, 5x, 7x next year's cash flow...implying a selling price of $3 billion, $5 billion, $7 billion, respectively. Obviously the GP and LPs want this multiple to be as high as possible. The higher margins they can generate, debt paydown (less risk), and efficiency they can generate, the higher the multiple they can get with their "liquidity event".


If you get the opportunity to ask in a 2nd round, good questions would be:

- What the company looks for in a potential takeout (how do they identify companies that they think can generate sufficient cash flow)?

- What type of liquidity events they usually seek (IPO, take out by another company - private or public, ESOP)?

- How do they feel the current interest rate environment will project into the future (when they need a liquidity event)?

- How have they balance aggression with diligence given the current interest rate environment (cheap borrowing)?

- How are the GP's interests aligned with the LPs and other investors (is he incentivized to perform...)?

[cobrajet69]

Perhaps it went well enough to not warrant a second interview. Maybe HR is getting your offer paperwork together.

This would be my guess as well.

ALWAYS establish next steps before leaving. Close every step of the process.

You need to follow up via email to clarify next steps ASAP. If no response within 24 hours, call.

But ^ this ^ is what you need to do - now!

Good luck man.


David

[90GT50]

Meh, I've had one interview where they showed me around, what I'd be doing, how much I'd be paid, what to wear, when I would probably start, even met the guy that would be my supervisor and STILL didn't get the job.

[cobrajet69]

Meh, I've had one interview where they showed me around, what I'd be doing, how much I'd be paid, what to wear, when I would probably start, even met the guy that would be my supervisor and STILL didn't get the job.

"♫ long haired freaky people need not apply!♫"

Should have tucked your hair up under your hat..


David

[90GT50]

"♫ long haired freaky people need not apply!♫"

Should have tucked your hair up under your hat..


David

Ha! I did have long hair at the time.

[0 GT 2]

Speaking of which...



Johnny Unitas>Joe Namath

And thank you slow99, I have been reading about the questions so I will be more versed when I talk to them again.

[0 GT 2]

Well, it went well. They extended an official offer this morning.

Thanks for all the input!

[yellowstang]

Congrats!!!

[Hobie]

Speaking of which...



Johnny Unitas>Joe Namath

And thank you slow99, I have been reading about the questions so I will be more versed when I talk to them again.

OMG OMG - is that...JESUS????

[Skidmark]

Well, it went well. They extended an official offer this morning.

Thanks for all the input!

Very cool! Congrats