The best recruiters in private equity & private credit
Everyone wants a job in private equity or private credit. They’re difficult to get – a top private equity firm like Blackstone has an internship three times most competitive than a top investment bank, and the firm only accepted one in 500 applicants for 2025. But if you’re already an established, you have a slightly different way into (or around) the industry.
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That is where the 2026 eFinancialCareers Ideal Recruiter Report comes in. Based on a survey of over 7,500 financial services professionals that we held across the entirety of 2025, we asked people with experience in private equity and private credit (collectively known as private capital) who they would trust to get them a job in the industry.
Their first choice was the London-based recruiter Private Equity Recruitment (PER). Aside from London, the firm has offices in Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Mexico, and New York.
PER’s own literature says that they “live and breathe private markets every day,” and respondents who selected PER in our survey agreed. “Well-balanced,” said one respondent, “and always looking for a win-win for both - the hirer and the hiree.” Another respondent, based in London, agreed, noting that the firm’s head of UK, Europe, and Middle East – Oliver Gilkes – is “highly regarded”.
PER was founded by Gail McManus, the "queen of private equity recruitment". She led the firm for thirty years before stepping down last year. McManus told us that PER receives 12,000 to 15,000 CVs a month.
In second place was New York-based DMC Partners. The firm, which recruits across the buy-side, was highly rated by respondents. “They were professional,” said one respondent based in the Caribbean, “and they had a good system in place.” Still, he only gave the firm a score of 6.5 out of ten on average.
Ferguson Partners came third. Based in Chicago with offices in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, and others, the firm specialises in both real estate and private equity placements. Founder of the firm William Ferguson was a managing director at Russell Reynolds and head of its national real estate practice before leaving to strike out on his own in 1989.
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