Serving the Quantitative Finance Community

 
User avatar
IB
Topic Author
Posts: 0
Joined: June 20th, 2007, 2:57 pm

What should one expect at a hedge fund interview?

February 14th, 2008, 1:07 pm

Vague question, but then the details about the post & requirements were very vague too.I think the P&D guide is aimed primarily at quant analyst positions at investment banks. What about hedge funds which are looking to take on new graduates? Do they test you on the same sort of theory, or are they looking for something else more specific? Anyone had an interview at a hedge fund, and what stuff were you tested on?I've a feeling hedge fund interviews might be even more exacting than investment banking interviews.Cheers.
 
User avatar
twofish
Posts: 0
Joined: February 18th, 2005, 6:51 pm

What should one expect at a hedge fund interview?

February 15th, 2008, 12:53 pm

The type of questions that hedge funds ask you are mostly much the same as investment banks. (brainteasers, C++, personality questions) My experience is that some hedge funds put quite a bit more emphasis on C++ coding style and ability than IB's and are less interested in financial theory knowledge, but this may be a biased sample.
 
User avatar
spice
Posts: 0
Joined: March 22nd, 2006, 11:53 am

What should one expect at a hedge fund interview?

February 15th, 2008, 6:45 pm

C++ coding? I would expect hedge funds to be the last place to place an emphasis on it?
 
User avatar
TraderJoe
Posts: 1
Joined: February 1st, 2005, 11:21 pm

What should one expect at a hedge fund interview?

February 16th, 2008, 12:42 am

QuoteOriginally posted by: spiceC++ coding? I would expect hedge funds to be the last place to place an emphasis on it?Rule of thumb: Take everything twofish says, and then do the opposite.
 
User avatar
twofish
Posts: 0
Joined: February 18th, 2005, 6:51 pm

What should one expect at a hedge fund interview?

February 19th, 2008, 5:47 pm

QuoteOriginally posted by: spiceC++ coding? I would expect hedge funds to be the last place to place an emphasis on it?There are lots of different types of hedge funds. Those that do high frequency quantitative trading require very, very good C++ coding skills. One common thing that you will hear from some hedge funds is "we are not a finance company, we are a high-technology software company that does finance."
 
User avatar
Hinstings
Posts: 0
Joined: November 28th, 2005, 8:39 pm

What should one expect at a hedge fund interview?

February 20th, 2008, 10:24 pm

QuoteOriginally posted by: twofishQuoteOriginally posted by: spiceC++ coding? I would expect hedge funds to be the last place to place an emphasis on it?There are lots of different types of hedge funds. Those that do high frequency quantitative trading require very, very good C++ coding skills. One common thing that you will hear from some hedge funds is "we are not a finance company, we are a high-technology software company that does finance."That is true. For example, see the quote from Two Sigma:Technology is an integral part of the trading strategies, corporate functions and life in general at Two Sigma. To us, technology is a profit center, not merely a cost item, and it continues to be a driving force behind our company structure. Each day, our staff works in small teams to develop and improve analytical and measurement tools for the financial markets, and we encourage collaboration - a structure that seems rare in the financial field. In fact, many have observed that we look and feel a lot like a software firm. Sounds good to us.
 
User avatar
player
Posts: 0
Joined: August 5th, 2002, 10:00 am

What should one expect at a hedge fund interview?

February 21st, 2008, 12:43 pm

Rule of thumb: Take everything twofish says, and then do the oppositelol
 
User avatar
twofish
Posts: 0
Joined: February 18th, 2005, 6:51 pm

What should one expect at a hedge fund interview?

February 24th, 2008, 6:46 am

Also one type of test that I've seen done by hedge funds that I've never seen done by an IB is a "tactical coding" test as part of a phone screen. At a specific time you are e-mailed a C++ mathematical problem and you are asked to code a solution to that problem in 2-4 hours and e-mail your code back to employer. I found that sort of test to be great fun.This is different from the type of C++ knowledge that IB's are looking for in which you are generally quizzed on language syntax.