Hedge Funds seeking Japanese speaking Analysts?

Dear all,

I have been contacted by a headhunter for a junior analyst/research role at a hedge fund. The headhunter gave me a generic description "Very successful New York-based hedge fund with over $1bn assets under management. The fund's primary strategy is Long/Short Equity and they are currently in the process of building out their Asia team and therefore looking for a junior level talent to focus on Japan."

The headhunter mentioned a laundry list of the usual qualifications - "passionate about investing, strong quantitative and analytical skills, etc." However, what distinguishes this particular opportunity is that the analyst needs to be able to speak Japanese... which as luck would have it, I am.

I asked the headhunter if they could tell me the name of the fund, but was told they could only tell me if I commit to the interview.

I realize this is a bit of a shot in the dark, but does anyone in the industry know either directly or through one's network of any $1bn Long/Short funds that are currently looking to hire a Japanese speaking analyst?

If this fund was just a $1bn Long/Short Equity, I wouldn't even bother asking, but I feel that the "Japanese speaker" criterion is enough of a differentiator to narrow things down signficantly. If there was anyway someone on here could help me narrow down some of the possible funds that fit this description, I would greatly appreciate it.

 
Best Response
CoochieMane:

I've heard of a few firms hiring for this exact role.

Take the interview. I assume you know the Japanese language well?

Many thanks for your response. Yes, I know the Japanese language well. Not just speaking, but reading and writing as well. The only thing that I am worried about is career development/job security, since there seems to be a lot of funds with $1bn AUM.

If this was an opportunity to go to a premier fund like Third Point or Greenlight Capital with a proven track record, I would pounce on the opportunity in a heartbeat. However, I am much less inclined to do so if it's an unknown fund that for all I know could close down a year after I join them.

 
Deo et Patriae:
CoochieMane:

I've heard of a few firms hiring for this exact role.
Take the interview. I assume you know the Japanese language well?

Many thanks for your response. Yes, I know the Japanese language well. Not just speaking, but reading and writing as well. The only thing that I am worried about is career development/job security, since there seems to be a lot of funds with $1bn AUM.

If this was an opportunity to go to a premier fund like Third Point or Greenlight Capital with a proven track record, I would pounce on the opportunity in a heartbeat. However, I am much less inclined to do so if it's an unknown fund that for all I know could close down a year after I join them.

Come on... You seriously think that someone can raise a 1 BILLION fund without track record ?

 

haha get the job first man. You are thinking too far ahead. Take the Interview, learn about the fund/manager, their style and how they think about investing before you asses the opportunity. Its unlikely that its a Greenlight or Third Point, but a billion dollars is nothing to sneeze at...

 
theworks9:

haha get the job first man. You are thinking too far ahead. Take the Interview, learn about the fund/manager, their style and how they think about investing before you asses the opportunity. Its unlikely that its a Greenlight or Third Point, but a billion dollars is nothing to sneeze at...

+1. This is something that you shouldn't worry about unless you get the offer. If you get the offer and feel that it's not a place you would thrive at, as long as you tactfully decline them, no bridges should be burned (unless they're jerks, but then you probably wouldn't have wanted to work for them anyway).
 

@ theworks9, kidflash

Thank you for the helpful responses. You are both right, I am getting a little bit ahead of myself... As you can probably tell, this is the first time a headhunter has approached me regarding a hedge fund position... so I am excited. I will go into this with an open mind, learn more about the opportunity and see if it would be a good fit.

Thanks again.

 

He's right to be worried. Nobody on this site wants to hear it but the data shows that ~50% of funds stop reporting in 5 years (anywhere between 40 - 60 depending on source). Now that could be funds pulling a Soros and going private but I doubt that most willingly give back outside money.

The one thing I've seen in this industry is that people act irrationally and it is a feature and not a bug of the industry. Capital is never truly long term or stable unless it's your own.

 

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