EXPERT TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL MOVE TO A DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUND

KNOW YOUR MARKET

Digital Infrastructure primarily encompasses fast-moving and forward-thinking elements of the Infrastructure market, such as Fibre, Telecoms and Datacentres. Demonstrating a thorough understanding of these assets, the market dynamics, and the technological trends driving their growth is crucial to passing initial interviews.

EMPHASISE SECTOR EXPOSURE

Top Digital Infrastructure funds will likely want to see evidence of any such transactions on your CV, so these should be clearly highlighted, and you should be ready to provide demonstrable exposure to the financial modelling aspects of deals in the Digital Infrastructure space.

PRACTICE CASE STUDIES

Top funds will put you through your paces by giving you a Digital Infrastructure investment mandate, and ask you to make a decision on further investment by constructing financial models and slides. These will then be presented back to members of the team, so you must be confident not just in your ability to model, but also to reason through your decisions. Be prepared to be put under scrutiny! Practice case studies for infrastructure are often available to complete online.

CONSIDER YOUR MOTIVATIONS

Digital Infrastructure funds seek candidates who can clearly explain their specific motivation for joining the sector, as many fail to convince interviewers why they are interested in the digital side. Many candidates can say why they like Infrastructure in general, but fail keep their reasons relevant to the sector. You must be able to articulate why you wish to move into Digital Infrastructure, and not just Infrastructure more generally.

CONSIDER EMERGING MARKETS

The sector is faster moving than core infrastructure, and as such has greater ties to emerging markets like smart cities, sustainability and the energy transition. An important factor to consider in choosing the right fund for you, and choosing a sector that will only grow in relevancy as time goes on.

DONT WAIT UNTIL ASSOCIATE

Many firms prefer to hire at Analyst level, and then promote upwards to Associate from within, preferring those of that level to have some buyside experience under their belts. By waiting for an Associate promotion, you might be closing the door on funds like this, and could be letting the ideal opportunity pass you by! The best tactic is to keep an eye on the market, and if you find a fund that feels like a great fit for the long term, go for it.