Hedge Fund Application/Interview/Offer Timeline

Hi, sorry for the standard question but I'd love some input.

I've applied to a few hedge fund postings on my Masters degree (HYPS) school's career website over the past two weeks and was curious about the usual turnaround times before I figure I've been dinged.

I understand that many hedge funds don't have dedicated HR and many more rely on headhunters...

Anyways, what is the usual length of time from when you apply to that first email/call to the offer in your experience?

Thanks a lot!

5 Comments
 
Best Response

There are so many unknown variables in that question, there is no way to accurately answer it.

I can share my experience though. I used to work at a small credit fund ( AUM $1Bln, ~20 people), and when we interviewed through campus career services the process went like this:

-- secretary printed out resumes/cover letters from each school for the COO, usually on a Friday -- the COO then reviewed the docs over the weekend and following week and contacted applicants who he thought would be a good fit -- first round interviews were conducted by the COO via phone, skype, or on-site if the applicant lived nearby.

This process would repeat about every two weeks, but there was always a constant flow of people interviewing. Note: This is when things moved FAST. It depends on whether the firm you're talking about is recruiting for a summer internship or full-time. If it's the former, the process will move like a snail since it's only January. If the latter, then it depends on how fast they want to fill the position. For us we didn't really care about time. We wanted the right person.

If the applicant passed the first round, they would continue:

-- second & third rounds were conducted by the investment team.
-- fourth round was a social event. we would invite the applicant to grab dinner or few drinks with the team. we'd want to make sure you're the right fit for us and we're the right fit for you, both personally and professionally.

 

Thanks man! That's really helpful.

All of what I applied for are ft. They all have different application deadlines (some going into April) but what you say about a rolling review makes sense.

 

App submission--> HR contacts me to schedule telephone interview with HR--> HR follows up to schedule phone interview with the investment team--> HR follows up again for in an office visit with team --> In office pitch--> Offer

~2 week gap between each step. Offer received about 2 weeks after my pitch. Background check took another couple of weeks.

Disclaimer for the Kids: Any forward-looking statements are solely for informational purposes and cannot be taken as investment advice. Consult your moms before deciding where to invest.
 

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