How can I get a hedge fund job?

well, i think first off you have to have a genuine interest in financial markets or at least come across as you do.

2. Get in with some headhunters / recruiters or post your resume in our Jobs section under Hedge Funds and anywhere else you can

3. learn about the different hedge funds strategies - our Hedge Fund Forum is a good place to start

4. When you interview, try to learn as much about that particular hedge fund as possible PRE interview. You want to be able to sell yourself based on the specific strategy they emply and why you would be a good fit.

Good Luck!

Good luck!

Hedge funds generally try to steal talent from other hedge funds, prop trading desks, sell-side research, and i-banking/consulting (for the very junior levels), in declining order. Knowing some of your background might be helpful to give more relevant advice, but here are a couple of thoughts regardless.

Even though it's the obvious first step in order to get your bases covered, I think it will actually be very difficult to find a good hedge fund position through a headhunter. Headhunters have very specific assignments and will not waste any time thinking about helping you. If you meet the criteria of a position they have in mind, then you're in luck and things will move forward; otherwise, you will get to the backburner.

One strategy that works -- and has worked for me -- is to contact alumni from your school's network who are in the field and ask them for advice in penetrating the industry. Never approach them and ask for a job or even an internship. Try to only get some advice and be sure to follow up (send an email every few months updating them on what you've been up to and, ideally following up on a comment of theirs during your initial discussion), build some goodwill, and eventually good things may come.

Keep in mind that hedge funds are a very closed circle -- most know each other, discuss ideas, etc. -- and constantly ask people within the network if they know of good guys. I was recently at an event and must have heard 5 hedge funds hiring, but they are not very active in their search. I mean, if another hedge fund recommends a guy they know (even if he's in i-banking, for example), they will look at him. Otherwise, they will just wait.

Another piece of advice is to include an investment idea writeup when you apply for a job. Even if you don't meet the exact qualifications, the PM may contact you if you have an interesting idea or if he just likes the way you think. I've heard a couple of people that got jobs that way. It works particularly well with smaller hedge funds, e.g., <$200mm assets.

Another thing to consider might be to join your local NYSSA chapter and then join their investment communities and attend some of their meetings. You will meet some likeminded people there. Don't feel an outsider, because many are after the same thing as you.

Hope that helps.

If you want to get a job at a hedge fund, you should first start out doing restructuring work for a creditor side i-bank like Houlihan, Lazard, Blackstone, etc.

Hedge funds invest in distressed bonds and are the ones that team up with restructuring professionals such as Houlihan. Therefore, it makes sense to build client relationships with these hedge funds by doing restructuring work with the hopes of being hired sometime down the road.

know markets, come with trade ideas

This is a very good idea, and the fund I just worked at hired someone from Houlihan. Some of the credit advisory firms are great entry points and much easier to get into than hedge funds. However, if you go that route, then you will appeal to credit-related hedge funds, i.e., you won't have contacts and you won't necessarily be a good candidate for long/short hedge funds. Depends on what you find more exciting and what investment style you believe in more. The credit shops teach you a lot about the process, but not necessarily much about the markets and investing. It's the same as with other advisory business.

this is a double edged sword. especially if you are right out of school as most the time whoever your interviewing has 1000x more experience and they might teven have the trade on. Unless given a project, or asked, I wouldnt give my 'trade ideas'.

Plus, most the time you wont be putting trades on anyways, just doing the background analysis.

He's right.

Did someone really just reference Houlihan in the same sentence as Lazard and Blackstone? I'll just assume this was in reference to hedge fund admin recruiting...

Can I contact alums working in the hedge fund industry for advice on getting a HF job out of undergrad? Ridiculous!?

Lazard and Blackstone do more work on the debtor side than creditor. HLHZ does creditor work.