Just want to see other people's thoughts on trying to leave a hedge fund without it getting back to your employer. Ideally I would like to get somewhere to start 2019, but don't want to ruin my bonus this year. When I see messages from HHs for roles that are similar to what I do, I am nervous to respond because HFs are a small world to begin with and having a particular strategy narrows it down even further. Even if the HH doesn't front run my resume to other places, not knowing which firm they are trying to place for is a risk because it could be some place my firm is close with. Is this fear irrational? How do you guys think about this?
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Agree completely with what Acidophilus said above. What you need to do is improve your network within the space you work in. Lets imagine you work in the distressed debt space, you probably see the same few funds involved in every name/situation. You can ask your sales guy who is your counterpart at other funds and if he can introduce you guys. If you don't have a good relationship with your sales coverage just ask for the names and reach out to those guys yourself. 9 times out of 10 an analyst will agree to meet up to grab a drink/dinner and chat about new ideas due to (i) it looks good for him to tell his PM that he's out there building contacts that could lead to more/better info and idea generation, and (ii) he will also be curious to know what other funds are doing. I would aim to meet a new guy every week until you know all the analysts in your space and are on first name terms. After a while you will be able to use that network to source jobs and will have a better insight into what funds are like from the inside and who is hiring.
I appreciate this method takes time but well worth it regardless is you stay or leave your current fund. Given how close we are to year end you might want to wait until your bonus is in the account before looking.