Looking for middle tier HFs

Hello y'all, I am a 1st-year analyst in IB (ignore my title) at a middle-tier MM bank (Cantor, Truist, Oppenheimer, Stifel, Stephens). I am part of the TMT group and I am looking to make my jump to the buy side, looking to land a seat at a HF.

While I would love to end up at a top MM shop (Citadel, Millenium, Point72, BAM) not sure if I can do that out of the bank I am at, I can try, but I would prefer to target a middle-tier HF where I have a higher chance of getting hired. 

My problem is that I am not sure who these middle to low-tier HFs would be. Any help would be appreciated.

24 Comments
 

I’ve seen people break into the top MMs from MM banks tbh, at least in my region. Reach out to BizDev. People at these shops care less about pedigree and more about your ideas/ability to make money

 

HFs aren't based around "prestige," its based on returns. The MM you listed aren't the most prestigious and definitely not where you'll see the highest returns. You're gonna be monkeying away building models, badgering IR to try and read a quarter, all for your PM to trade on price action.

I would much rather work (and learn from) a SM with $500mn-$1bn AUM earning triple digit IRRs (they exist), working 60hr/week. Looking for the most "prestigious" funds is a fools errand. It's more about what style, WLB, Comp works for you - exactly why I went into ER and not IB

 

Sometimes I do not get this site. The two posters above are literally saying the same thing. Except one prefers a larger platform, one a smaller platform. So entire time they spend bashing the other’s platform. During the debate they actually both mention what to look for in a quality seat regardless of the platform. 
OP makes a snarky response cause in their mind they cannot land a job at a large platform but also look down upon smaller platforms. So a mystical middle tier must exist to fit them just like it does on the sell side. No mention of the skills they gaining at their bank and even if they want to focus on TMT just “we middle tier”.

 

It's really exhausting to see MM and Tiger-cub supporters bashing each other on the site instead of providing really useful stuff about the nuance in thought & implementation process

 

Atque molestiae enim quibusdam perspiciatis exercitationem quis placeat. Quis id delectus reprehenderit suscipit.

Amet aut quo est nobis nihil sapiente rerum. Sit et molestiae quia veritatis libero. Aliquam et dolorem dicta quia vel maiores tempore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Millennium Partners 95.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

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

Total Avg Compensation

July 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 (77) $191
  • Analysts (242) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • 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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”