Diversity and Inclusion is one of the hottest topics in the workplace right now, but for Lisa Ong, founder of Wishing Out Loud, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy Consulting business, this has been her career focus for nearly 20 years.

In my 11 years of experience in executive search, where a considerable number of my clients have been private equity clients, I naturally have had this question come up time after time: “How do I get into private equity?”

It was a long process. Numerous candidates were reviewed, screened, and interviewed, but you found the right hire, the best hire, the “it” candidate! The kicker – the candidate unfortunately has an extended start date. In my 15+ years in executive search and human resources, I have countless examples of clients that have lost their new hire to another company while waiting for that extended start date or during the two months of employment.