| "It's something very personal, a very | | | | quantitative questions but it's crucial that |
| important thing. Hell! It's a family motto. | | | | you show them you have had a strong and |
| Are you ready Jerry? I wanna make sure you're | | | | consistent interest in finance. Have some |
| ready, brother. Here it is: Show me the | | | | good stories prepared, especially on personal |
| money. SHOW! ME! THE! MONEY! Jerry, it is | | | | investing and why you're particularly |
| such a pleasure to say that! Say it with me | | | | well-suited to be a trader. |
| one time, Jerry." | | | | |
| | | | For trading jobs the "fit" part of the |
| -Rod Tidwell, "Jerry Maguire" (1996) | | | | interview is even more important than it is |
| | | | for banking. If you don't trade stocks in |
| "If I'm an engineering major, how can I get | | | | between classes and wake up early each |
| into finance? Show me the money!" | | | | morning to read financial news, gambling is a |
| | | | good hobby to mention. I was asked if I |
| I find myself answering this question a lot, | | | | played video poker/online poker and other |
| possibly because I'm from a non-finance | | | | casino games when interviewing for hedge fund |
| background myself. Or maybe just because | | | | jobs. You want to emphasize hobbies |
| everyone wants to get into finance. | | | | interests that show you can think about risk |
| | | | vs. reward. |
| How you can leverage your technical | | | | |
| background to land a job in the jungle of | | | | No Thanks, I Really Want To Be A Banker |
| finance? As a technical person right out of | | | | |
| school, you have two ways of breaking in: | | | | Full disclosure: you can do this, but the |
| | | | hours are going to be far worse than trading, |
| | | | the pay won't be much better and you'll have |
| | | | to do truly menial, low-value-add work. The |
| 1. Get an investment banking analyst position | | | | advantage is you do have a wider variety of |
| in the technology or TMT (Technology, Media & | | | | exit options - doing engineering and then |
| Telecom) group of a bank. You will use none | | | | banking sets you up very well for venture |
| of your quantitative/analytical background | | | | capital, for example. And the perks are |
| and instead use your interest in the industry | | | | nice. |
| work ethic to get in. | | | | |
| | | | As a technical person, you have several |
| 2. Get a quantitative job at a hedge fund or | | | | things going for you right away: no one will |
| doing trading/fixed income at a bank. You | | | | question your intelligence, and they probably |
| will leverage your quantitative and | | | | won't ask you brain teasers or math |
| probability skills to get in. | | | | questions. If you can get a degree in |
| | | | Electrical Engineering, you can do Excel |
| Of the two, the second is easiest for most | | | | calculations in your sleep. And no one will |
| engineers. Wall Street has never been more | | | | question your attention to detail (or at |
| quantitative, and it's only getting more | | | | least not as much as if you were an English |
| quant-focused each day. Even with some | | | | major). |
| recent problems in the credit market and some | | | | |
| high-profile difficulties at prestigious | | | | What you will need to focus on in recruiting |
| funds such as Goldman Global Alpha, this | | | | and interviewing is demonstrating your 1) |
| trend will not stop anytime soon. | | | | interest in finance and 2) ability to handle |
| | | | the hours/stress of the job, which are |
| Hedge Fund And Related Jobs | | | | considerably worse than those of an |
| | | | engineering/tech company. |
| On-campus recruiting for these positions is | | | | |
| less common than it is for banking analysts, | | | | A few more specific tips: when you discuss |
| but it's there if you seek it out. Citadel, | | | | your interest in finance you need to mention |
| one of the largest hedge funds in the world, | | | | tech companies if you're applying to a tech |
| does undergraduate recruiting for its | | | | group in a bank. And don't just mention |
| rotational program, as does Jump Trading, | | | | Google or Facebook. These are the most |
| based out of Chicago. | | | | visible tech companies by far, but anyone can |
| | | | learn about them by reading TechCrunch or by |
| The good news is that if you're an | | | | listening to friends. |
| engineering major at a top university, you | | | | |
| have a good chance of landing one of these | | | | You need to show real interest in the |
| jobs, even with no previous finance | | | | industry, which means taking the initiative |
| experience. If you're in this position and | | | | and talking about less well-known companies. |
| go through on-campus recruiting, you need to | | | | Before my interviews at tech groups in banks |
| emphasize your interest in finance because | | | | I made a list of less well-known startups |
| this is how they select candidates. Here's a | | | | other companies I found interesting and had a |
| direct quote from a Citadel recruiter: | | | | story prepared around each of them. You |
| | | | should do the same. |
| "To be honest, we know you're all pretty good | | | | |
| quantitatively... after all you got an | | | | As far as the second point about handling the |
| engineering degree at one of the top programs | | | | stress/hours, as an engineering major you |
| in the country. You need to show us that | | | | should have had many extended project |
| you're interested in finance because that's | | | | classes... these are all good to mention, as |
| what differentiates you." | | | | are any internships where you launched a |
| | | | product that required "crunch time" at the |
| During interviews they will ask you | | | | end. |