Vault’s Verdict

PJT Partners is looking for intellectually curious, collaborative, confident, mature candidates with strong technical and communication skills who are genuinely passionate about advisory work. For students, the firm runs a valuable internship program in which interns get hands-on live-deal experience and access to senior bankers (since interns are treated like full-time analysts, hours can be long). For its full-time professionals, PJT Partners offers extensive career development opportunities, including strong initial training, early responsibility on large and complex transactions, mentorship, and fast-track promotions.

Although hours can be long and unpredictable, PJT Partners takes work-life balance very seriously. Vacations are encouraged, and employees in some locations have the option to work remotely on Fridays, during late August, and around the end of year holiday season. Compensation is top of the Street, as insiders are extremely satisfied with their salaries and bonuses. Perks and benefits are said to be in line with the Street average, with some benefits getting better ratings than others.

PJT Partners fosters an inclusive culture, and insiders say the firm is very supportive of women and LGBTQ+ individuals. Employees note that there are women in senior positions and many impactful inclusion-related events. With respect to the firm’s business outlook, PJT Partners has a strong and hands-on senior leadership team in place and the firm is well positioned to continue to grow and take market share.

EMPLOYEE REVIEWS

Hiring Process

• “Generally, PJT’s interview process is very rigorous and transparent. The process is designed to assess candidates on their technical skills and behavioral competencies. There’s also a focus on cultural fit and how candidates can contribute to the culture of the firm. The process is transparent—candidates are informed about process and associated key deadline dates.”
• “PJT’s interview process is highly personalized and respectful of candidates’ time, with quick turnarounds on callbacks and direct access to senior bankers throughout. The firm looks for candidates who are intellectually curious, collaborative, and genuinely passionate about advisory work rather than just checking the banking box.”
• “First-round screening interviews are typically conducted by associates (such as myself). We submit our feedback on each candidate through a survey and then HR/senior team members decide who to advance to the next round in the interview process. The ideal candidate we are seeking is one who is multi-faceted—ideally an individual with a high IQ and EQ and who is able to think on the fly.”
• “The firm is looking for analysts and associates who can make an impact from the outset of their careers—those with strong technical skills but also strong communication/confidence/maturity to deal with the dynamic deal environment.”

Interview Questions

• “Conducted 72-hour intense case study highly relevant to role. Discussion of M&A, activism, and corporate governance trends. What is your experience with Excel/technical skills? What is your view on the advisor landscape? Why do you want to switch to/work on the banking side? Why PJT? How do you view career development? What experience do you have managing teams?”
• “Accounting, LBO, M&A, DCF questions, and a JV modeling test. Walk me through the effects on the three financial statements. Assume a tax rate of 33.3%.”
• “Analyst roles: Tell me about a case you’re following with specific follow-ups. Associate roles: How would people who have worked for you and who you have worked for describe your working style?”
• “Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now? What has prepared you to succeed in a competitive environment? What are the macroeconomic factors impacting a business that you follow?”

Intern Experience

• “I had exposure to interesting high-profile deals and got exposure to all aspects of the firm. The hours and high expectations sometimes made it a difficult adjustment but also made for a great learning experience.”
• “Best aspects included the exposure to high impact live projects, senior exposure, and firm culture. Worst aspects were that the working hours were much longer than had been communicated.”
• “Best aspects: Direct exposure to deal flow with high responsibility, supportive mentorship from associates even outside of official mentorship program, summer internship project was actually very informative and representative of actual tasks as an Analyst. Worst: Nothing really, but mentorship across groups at the firm/opportunities to interact with summer analysts of other groups could have been more structured.”
• “Great senior involvement and hands-on deal experience made you feel like you were actually in the role. No real downsides, other than the fact that they made us come in every day even though Fridays are WFH for the firm.”

Career Development

• “The training program as part of the onboarding process is very extensive. There’s also a deliberate effort around staffing on high quality transactions to enhance one’s on-the-job experience. One thing I would encourage the firm to do more of is continuous training and development similar to the quality of training given when a new joiner is onboarded.”
• “Opportunities for accelerated career trajectory, including faster promotion path to managing director than most firms. Opportunity to play up significantly. Work on the largest and most interesting/most complex transactions in our industry.”
• “Strong mentorship culture—regular check-ins and feedback sessions. Positive reinforcement and peers give credit where its due. Talented, experienced senior team members are willing to devote their time to development of more junior talent.”
• “Immediate feedback loop to let you know where you are excelling and where you need improvement. There are rarely any surprises when it comes to promotion day because performance and feedback have been well documented throughout each banker’s careers.”

Quality of Life

• “The firm clearly takes work-life balance very seriously. Vacations are encouraged, employees in some locations have the option to work remotely every Friday, in late August, and around the end of year holiday season. Junior bankers’ hours are monitored closely to ensure they’re getting adequate sleep and time away from the desk.”
• “Our group works intensely during the week, but Friday evenings are typically quieter and offer a bit more balance. The team is also very supportive and understanding, which helps maintain a positive quality of life.”
• “Best aspects include the people, culture, and mentorship received from senior bankers across the firm. Much of this is driven by how we operate on small, lean deal teams, which creates a closer-knit culture, more autonomy, and better development opportunities than many other places. However, this is a double-edged sword and can cause stress and unrealistic expectations when teams are stretched thin.”
• “Best: No facetime culture, okay to work remote, no strict dress code, time off after a big assignment. Worst: A few people may have unreal expectations on timelines.”

Salary and Benefits

• “PJT pays top of the Street. I’m very pleased with how they pay each year relative to other banks.”
• “Generally I think compensation and benefits are strong. Some of the better perks include being able to expense dinners and Ubers home (after 9 p.m.).”
• “Salary and bonus are very competitive, but other banks are starting to level the playing field. Benefits could be stronger in terms of healthcare and childcare options.”
• “Salary is great, no complaints at all. Benefits are a little lacking; 401(k) match is poor and insurance is on the pricier side.”

Inclusion Efforts

• “The firm hosts an annual women’s forum that is well represented by female leadership across Wall Street. The firm prioritizes inclusion for people from every under-represented category.”
• “Women are in senior positions here, which has a positive influence on the firm’s culture.”
• “I think the firm fosters a very inclusive culture, hosting multiple events. One event I particularly liked was the one for Diwali last year at a very nice restaurant called Ishq.”
• “The firm supports LGBTQ+ individuals!”

Business Outlook

• “PJT has been performing well and that is celebrated here. We have a very visible CEO dedicated to the culture of the firm and expansion of our global footprint.”
• “PJT is anchored in its restructuring business, which has seen a notable uptick in corporate filings as of recent. That said, the firm’s strategic advisory and M&A/capital markets practice continues to grow and take market share from bulge and alike boutique banks.”
• “The firm is constantly discussing ways to provide value to clients in changing business environments with a lot of macroeconomic uncertainty, and I think our business units outside of M&A (restructuring, private placement/secondary advisory, and shareholder advisory) support the firm tremendously, particularly when the M&A markets are compressed.”
• “CEO and founder is a world class banker, has a strong work ethic, and stays true to his vision.”

UPPERS

• “Brilliant, hardworking, top-notch people genuinely invested in your development.”
• “Quality of the deal flow is exceptional—meaningful exposure to complex, high-profile advisory mandates from day one.”
• “Top of Street compensation.”

DOWNERS

• “Hours can be demanding and the work can be intense.”
• “Lean deal teams.”
• “Some senior bankers are tough to work with.”