So what are traders personalities really like?
So the media and general opinion of those who have never worked in the industry is that most traders are loud, laddish, hard-drinking, fast-living bachelors.
But after interning this summer at a BB I found that whilst most traders are confident and laddy for geeks, they are really just the nerds from high school which went to top schools and have done well for themselves. I definitely wouldn't compare them to the loud, laddy playboys like the sporty/good-looking but stupid guys at uni.
What would you say the 'typical' personality of a trader outside work is? and when answering, remember to compare to ALL men - not just the ones that studied engineering at top schools!
You're a complete tool.
I like where this is going!
I thought they all looked like Shia Lebeouf
Good ones look like this: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6F03PfIlLpg/RpuVmzU5ewI/AAAAAAAAAI0/egVa6vYXb…
Bad ones look like this: http://tradinghumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/stockmarket-going-he…-trading.jpg
Especially after THIS happened: http://www.tradinghumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/wall-street-2008…
Things are getting better, so they're almost as happy as these guys: http://piddleville.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/trading_places03.jpg
The goal is to get back to here: http://investingtipsandinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Day-Trading…
its a mix. Where I did my SA stint i met some of the derivatives traders and they were pretty geeky but super smart and quiet. FX guy seemed more "broish". Head of fixed income was a woman, she seemed pretty serious/intimidating and another fixed income guy i met was kinda of loud/obnoxious. But overall all nice people willing to help you out.
Many of the traders I know are smart, broish, and the most fun guys I have ever been around. At family parties they are the ones that are the most drunk, and also the guys that walk into the backyard to go peeing in the woods. When they smile their teeth are blood red from all the red wine they have been consuming. They also have the most intense personalities. When they do something they do it hard (party) or effectively (working). They just like to blow off a lot of steam. Mix the traders in with some brokers and the weekends become ridiculous.
good times.
We are great people :) Some of us are real playboys like me. Others are as people say boring geeks, neither is wright or wrong imo, but I think the former have more fun ;p
Trader Personalities (Originally Posted: 09/05/2008)
I have no experience on Wall Street and had a few general questions...
Do most successful sell-side traders have more of an extroverted, intense type-A personality or does it differ greatly from person to person? How much do personalities vary between different products?
I'm very interested in entry level market maker positions but am not sure how my personality would align. I'm moderately introverted, methodical and patient, and probably more risk-averse than the average 21 year old - things which may be viewed as negatives for trader. But, I'm also competitive and hard working, having played sports throughout college.
Are there any specific products/desks that may suit my personality better than others? Or, do I sound more suited for an area like equity research, which also interests me?
Any comments are appreciated.
traders all need to be cool under pressure (sports is good conditioning for this); I think most traders are opinionated, but you need to be to take risk. at the same time, you can't be stubborn because you need to change what you're doing (often quickly) if it isn't working.
that said, I think personalities vary greatly - some people are loud, some are reserved, and I haven't seen any trend across product groups. my general observation is that the nicest people are invariably the most talented; some guys may be assholes on the floor, but they should always be cool when they take you for a beer after work. if a guy is a tool all the time, he better be a top producer.
Personalities in trading? (Originally Posted: 09/14/2013)
Hello everyone,
I'm a junior at a target, and at the moment, trading or research is my top career preference directly after graduation. I'm really quantitative and think that I'd thrive on the work in trading. However, I'm really worried about the types of personalities that might be present on the trading floor.
Many of the finance types at my university are super douchey and are really abrasive/pretentious personalities, and I've read a few comments on this website about women that have made me feel uncomfortable. I can definitely deal with comments along these lines, but I'd rather not be completely surrounded by people always making comments that make me feel awkward about my gender. However, I completely understand that the students at my school might just be being pretentious for the sake of it and that some of the comments in some threads on this website might not actually reflect the personalities of actual employees (+ self selection in commenting on some threads).
So I was wondering, how diverse are the personalities on the trading floor? Is the trading floor a friendly and supportive place, and is it welcoming to minority groups such as women?
Simply put, there are some really nice people and some real jerks. Some may seem like jerks but are just intensely focused on the task at hand and then are different at the end of the day. Yea there are comments that are sexist. There are definitely abrasive personalities. You'll need to rely on your thick skin at some point in your time there.
Honestly trading isn't quantitative unless you're a real quant trader. Can you add 3 digit numbers in your head? Can you do division with simple numbers? I would hardly call that quantitative. What concerns me more is that you are "very worried" about the personalities on the floor. I think a successful person in trading is conscious of what they're getting into but otherwise indifferent re: the personalities of coworkers. People are there to make money; most other things are secondary or not important, including reporting each other to HR for slightly offensive comments (of course not ridiculously offensive things). Having the personality is 10x more important than being "quantitative".
Also, do some more research on the difference between trading and research. They couldn't be more different as far as actual job and environment.
"Simply put, there are some really nice people and some real jerks. Some may seem like jerks but are just intensely focused on the task at hand and then are different at the end of the day. Yea there are comments that are sexist. There are definitely abrasive personalities. You'll need to rely on your thick skin at some point in your time there."
Very well said - definitely sage advice on this topic
duplicate
lol, not to so sound like one of the pretentious d-bags you are referring to, but believe me this will be the very least of your concerns as a trader.
If you go into quantitative trading and work at a quant/algo shop/fund, you probably wouldn't have to worry about toxic personalities as much as if you were elsewhere. The cultures at (most of) these places are similar to those of start ups/tech companies.
The research and trading environments are quite different, and the personalities of people in each are as well. Of course it also depends a lot on which product you’re trading and in the case of research your product area as well, eg if you’re doing quant research, equity research, credit research, etc. For example, equity research puts a lot of emphasis on writing skills and most equity research folks would never want to spend a day on the trading floor. Quant researchers are, for lack of a better word, more nerdy and often come from engineering or math backgrounds (often did not study finance, accounting, etc.). I’ve never met a douchey quant. Then you even have some research people sit on the trading desk and serve as desk analysts. I’d suggest you pick up a Vault guide or read through some more of the forums here to try and understand the big differences between trading and research.
One more suggestion for you, try and connect with alums in trading and research. Speak to them for informational interviews. Understand their personality, ask what personality traits are valued on their team, what backgrounds they look for, and ask them candidly about any other concerns. You’ll find you can learn a lot through informational interviews, especially on the personality side.
Lastly, if you are in New York and can manage to meet any alums for these informational interviews on their trading desk I think that would be eye opening for you. I did it in undergrad many times as each firm is different, so it is possible, you just need to find the right people through your alum network. Good luck!
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