Entry Level Buy-Side Position

Point72 offers a program known as the Point72 academy (https://www.point72.com/careers/campus-point72-ac…). It is essentially a 15-month crash course for college graduates to the buy side. I was wondering if anyone is aware of any similar entry level programs that the big asset managers/HFs offer?

6 Comments
 
Best Response

Citadel and Bridgewater do as well. All three funds have a high track record of success and expect the same from any undergraduate candidates they consider. If your school does not have an OCR presence with these firms, it is highly unlikely you will even get an interview without knowing someone.

That said, from my experience, they look more at quantitative aptitude/analytical ability, SAT scores, GPA, and overall raw intellect over work experience. Reason being is that most likely anything you have learned will have little transferability to their work on the buy side. Every fund is different and they will put you through the grinder to determine whether you are smart enough to learn quickly.

 

I am wondering the same thing. It almost seems like long only funds (asset managers) provide entry level positions for those with less than 3 years experience and the hedge funds take the talent after you have complete a program, or have gotten a few years experience on the buy-side.

 

Hedge funds don't have a lot of incentive to train new analysts who are that raw (undergraduate). It's just the way the business works. Larger places (Fidelity, Wellington, BlackRock, etc.) and some of the very large HFs (Citadel, P72) will have these programs but most funds will require you to have gotten training somewhere else beforehand.

 

Your networking needs to be targeted. These cold calls to alumni need to turn into referrals, hopefully to other people who are decision makers or who can connect you to them. Same deal with these networking events. Collecting business cards doesn't mean shit. Each new contact should eventually lead to a connection to another contact. It's all a numbers game

 

Quaerat ut ea doloribus voluptas. Eum quod earum doloribus vero sit aliquam consectetur omnis. Ea ipsa quas quaerat vitae commodi animi. Aut non quibusdam inventore provident vel. Ut porro sapiente dolorem dolorem sit sequi ducimus. Sapiente dolorem iusto nesciunt.

Optio vel enim neque. Nam dolores laudantium quo aut assumenda blanditiis. Quo fugit enim consectetur.

Quisquam accusamus quas nihil et sed sed. Temporibus temporibus sint nemo qui nihil. Magni non quibusdam quis velit. Earum tempore reprehenderit voluptate quaerat aspernatur assumenda iure totam. Voluptates dolor non nihil harum aliquam nihil. Totam maxime sed quo. Earum vero vel aliquam ea doloribus eum ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.1%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • Millennium Partners 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Blackstone Group 96.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 95.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.1%
  • Point72 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.2%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.3%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (12) $423
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (86) $288
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (76) $192
  • Analysts (240) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (28) $146
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (282) $96
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”