Bridgewater Associates Careers Applications
I'm applying to Bridgewater Associates, but don't really know much about it. What do you all think - is it a good place to start one's career?
In the short run, I'm concerned about pay. In the longer run, I'm concerned also about how the name looks on a resume or on an MBA app.
Bridgewater Overview
Bridgewater is a global hedge fund operator, founded by Ray Dalio, an infamous billionaire. His hedge fund, located in Westport, CT, has at one point been the largest in the world. The company is known for its policy called radical transparency, which is described in the picture below from the company website.
Bridgewater Analyst Salary & Bonus
- Strategy: Global Macro
- AUM: $160.0 billion
Analyst Compensation
- Average base: $108.9k
- Average bonus: 22.0k
- Total average compensation: $130.9k
Read more about Hedge Fund Rankings on WSO.
Culture of Bridgewater Associates
Our users shared positive and negative culture points about BWA below.
Many users shared that the firm wants people who will question processes and suggest ways to do things better. Going against the grain and questioning conventional wisdom is critical for employees at the firm.
Bridgewater attempts to access this in the interview process as described by a user below. For one of the earlier rounds, there is a group debate on a common topic that doesn't require a lot of previous knowledge (ex. "Television hurts American community"). You then debate it with 6-8 other people for a period of time. This is obviously a forum in which to test your ability to question the group. This is not an experience that you can prepare for; however, our users highlighted that prior speech/debate experience will come in handy for these interviews.
However, not all Bridgewater employees enjoy the firm’s odd culture.
One user shared that they felt that Ray Dalio is the only real draw of the firm and that those that work there are not nearly as intelligent.
Bridgewater Associates Exit Opps
When it comes to exit opportunities for BWA - many users pointed out the unique culture and strategy that the company is known for makes employees somewhat less marketable when they pursue other opportunities.
"Determined"The unique culture and strategies implemented at Bridgewater actually reduce the marketability of its employees. It's a very specialized group of individuals with very specific skill sets. Traders in general don't usually get their pick of b-schools because they develop skills that schools do not necessarily know how to value.
That being said, the company is prestigious and high profile which should be well respected if you are looking to move within the HF world and you are able to get around the non-compete contract that they typically enforce.
Read More About Bridgewater on WSO
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- Need some advice regarding Bridgewater Associates and hedge funds in general
- Bridgewater vs PEAK6 Investment
Looking to Break into the Hedge Fund World?
Want to land at an elite hedge fund use our HF Interview Prep Course which includes 814 questions across 165 hedge funds. The WSO Hedge Fund Interview Prep Course has everything you’ll ever need to land the most coveted jobs on the buyside.
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