intern

Stage 1: Resume Sharing
My school's career services team shared my resume with Aquamarine Fund as part of their partnership with the firm. Aquamarine received access to the resume book from the school, which enabled them to identify candidates from the program.
It's worth noting that being part of the specialized investment program at my school was crucial - the firm primarily recruits from this specific program and doesn't typically consider candidates from other programs or schools.
Stage 2: Initial Contact
The Chief of Staff at Aquamarine surfaced my profile from the resume book and reached out to initiate the interview process. The COS plays a key role in identifying and vetting candidates who would be a good fit for the firm's culture and needs.
Stage 3: First Interview - Cultural Fit
The initial interview focused heavily on personality and cultural fit rather than just technical skills. Key questions included:

What books have you read, and why did you read them?
Why are you here - what draws you to this firm specifically?
What do you want to achieve in your career?

The primary objectives were to:

Assess whether I would be a valuable resource to the firm above all else
Evaluate my personality and how I would integrate with the team
Understand my motivations, learning approach, and intellectual curiosity
Determine my flexibility and willingness to travel globally, as the role would require working across different locations

The interview emphasized that the firm looks for candidates who can be adaptable team members first, with the understanding that international travel and working from various locations (particularly Zurich) would be part of the role.
Stage 4: Second Interview - Communication Skills
After the personality assessment went well, I moved to another conversation with a key member of the firm, the CFO. This interview focused primarily on:

How I distill and communicate business ideas (keeping explanations straightforward rather than overly complicated)
My communication skills and clarity of thought
Less emphasis on modeling or technical financial skills

The goal was to see if I could articulate investment concepts clearly and communicate effectively with the team, reinforcing that communication ability and personality fit were the firm's top priorities over pure technical prowess.