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As a finance Phd student I have a few questions and I appreciate every answer.My dissertation is on empirical market microstructure using options and futures data. I would like to keep doing this type of job in private sector when I finish my degree. I am not aiming for trader positions.What would you recommend to me in terms of where to apply and how to apply(directly or via headhunters)? What do you think the necessary skills are for this type of positions.I have been using R, Matlab and Java for my research and I have CFA level 1, but I am not sure if I should take level 2 exam.

tell us, why would your research be USEFUL in industry?

For someone with degrees in finance, you should be able to see the obvious applications of game theory here-If you are just out of school, there is a huge information asymmetry - you have no idea what is needed in industry right now, but your interviewers can look at all the resumes they have in front of them. So you should talk to every firm that will interview you, even if it means talking about some positions that might not be your preferred ones. You will get a much better understanding of the industry and if you get several offers, you will have a basis for making decisions.Apply via recruiters, from message boards, job sites, personal contacts, linkedin, however you might be able to find them!List all your skills, apply to a large number of jobs, and see which interviews you get called for, that will tell you what kind of jobs you can get with your skills.

I did not mean that my research/dissertation would be useful, but I hope my skills/knowledge would be useful in industry.Do you mean the only type of research that is going on in industry is theoretical O_oBesides this how can I understand whether a job is in the back office or in the front office? Are research jobs mostly in the back office?