It's extremely uncommon to land a job at Soros or Paulson. They are very different shops. Soros is a global macro trader, whilst Paulson focuses on merger arbitrage and event-driven strategies. Paulson has recently launched a gold fund, but doesn't actually touch physical gold, and doesn't employ any short-term bullion traders.

It would be more common to move from S&T to Soros and from M&A to Paulson, though you should know they don't really take juniors. Paulson takes a (very) small number of juniors into investment analysis roles. Historically, almost all of those have come from Harvard, though I know they took a Yale kid this year.

With all of that said, the ONLY real way to get a job at either of those two funds is to know someone within the fund. If you don't have a contact there, they're not going to look at your CV. I know a very senior person at Paulson, and he said as much.

 

most big funds like the above-mentioned hire very few junior people. I work at a similar fund and we hire about 3 kids out of college for front-office jobs every year. Quite frankly, i dont know where we get them but i think its from campus recruiting. The jobs, while prestigous, dont pay particularly well, less then investment banking. Experienced hires obviously come in all sorts of places.

 
NOR:
Bondarb:
However, in my experience, IBD is not a feeder into global macro though.

This might be an ignorant question, but why is that?

Macro funds usually trade FX, interest rates, sovereign bonds, sovereign CDS, etc. An IBD background is a poor fit the for the type of macroeconomic analysis (where the term "macro" comes from) that research analysts at funds like this do.

The best backgrounds for an analyst position at a macro fund from my understanding are FX/rates/economics/emerging markets research or trading, or a PhD in an economics-related subject. Sovereign DCM would also probably be a good way into a macro fund.

 
Best Response

yes sometimes...although many more PMs where I work are former sell-side traders. You should also differentiate between a strategist job and a research job. Strategists, who usually work for specific PMs and help them with both idea generation, trade structuring, and risk management are different from research dudes who grind out the numbers. So for example on any given day a strategist or PM might come up with an idea, talk about it together, call the research guy in to run some numbers/charts, then the PM and strategist will talk more about how specifically they want to express this idea in markets, and then the PM makes the final call and the strategist helps manage the position, etc. Strategists often become PMs, research analysts not as often. My progression was from assistant trader at a hedge fund, to analyst on a prop desk and then a hedge fund, to strategist at a hedge fund, to PM.

The issue that hods back research guys is that they usually are so busy grinding out numbers that they dont really learn enough about markets to run money. They are very valuable and can be paid quite well, but to make "the big call" you have to be able to understand the trading instruments inside out, know how to manage risk and size positions, as well as having a good understanding of the fundamentals that drive the trades.

 
Bondarb:
60% stocks? that sounds way high to me. I know they trade stocks but i thought it was more like 25%.

From the book "Soros: World's most influential investor":

According to portfolio manager Robert Johnson, Soros allocated assets in this way:

  • 60% in individual stocks (rarely using margin)
  • 20% macrotrading (sometimes leveraged 12x)
  • 20% "precautionary reserves" (T-bills, bank deposits)

I suppose if you take leverage into account, macro trades will be a much larger part of the portfolio. My bad...

My point is that they still do stock picking, along with currencies, interest rates, indices, etc.

 

for what it is worth, i interviewed at soros, in macro, through one of the major headhunters. I had been on a BB sales desk for a year, and it was for a jr spot. I think that was a rare break, though. unfortunately did not get the gig, but made it to the last round. paulson tried to hire a friend off a BB cmbs trading desk, also through a headhunter.

but really, there are abour 30 investment professionals at paulson and about 75 at soros. they really do not hire many ppl because there is v low turnover and they don't need it.

 

Hey guys. I have a similar question. I currently work at JPM in their Asset Management division. Main goal is to be at one of these top funds in 3-6 years after business school. Am I on the right track? Do you think I should get my CFA before B-school? What do you recommend me doing while I'm working here, eg; cfa, gmat, investing books, etc

thanks,,

-- "Those who say don't know, and those who know don't say."
 

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