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