Partners Group Associate Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process included a 30-minute phone interview with an associate. It was the first round and was all behavioral, focusing more on getting to know you as a person rather than technical questions. The role requires you to work in Denver and is a 3-year program.

First, I talked to the recruiter. Then, I spoke with a team member. After that, I had a conversation with the hiring manager. I then spoke with the recruiter again. Next, I chatted with another team member. Then, I had another conversation with the hiring manager. Finally, there was a super day on-site that lasted 7 hours and included 7 VPs and above. I was really liking the role and the company until the full day interview. I did a case study and then 6 behavioral interviews, which also included some case questions. The first thing I noticed was that I only met with white men. Some of them seemed surprised when I mentioned I'm gay. In my last talk, I asked about parental leave, and I was surprised to hear that women get three months off while men only get 5 days at this company. When I asked how that works for same-sex couples, the interviewer said 'you know the Swiss' before realizing I was asking for myself. After that, I didn't hear anything for three weeks. Then I got an automated email saying, 'Your application arrived too late to be considered.' I took that as a rejection. I did meet some smart, thoughtful, hard-working people during the interview process, but if the application process is any indication, I would caution others applying.

The team was not very communicative and the interviews spanned many weeks between them. Interviewers asked good, role-specific questions during 1:1 interviews, but this felt like a misrepresentation of their focus and culture in the final round. I removed myself from the process after the final round.