What Do I Look For During Interviews?

I'm new to finance. I am a software engineer working for a tech startup. But I want to switch to a hedge fund for an increase in compensation and more stability. I have interviews with a wide range of funds from big names like Millennium and Point72 to smaller funds. For the smaller funds (<50 people), what should I try to find out? I don't want to join a place that is unstable. How do I assess if the fund knows what they're doing or not?

I would like to move into a systematic trading fund at some point where software engineers are more "front office" and important to the trading team. For now, the places I have lined up are more fundamental research type of places.

1 Comments
 

Qui corrupti dicta praesentium. Corrupti est facilis culpa omnis ut eos dolores. Dolores amet sit eveniet odit omnis maiores totam. Accusamus et perspiciatis rerum autem est. Optio id molestias consequuntur reprehenderit alias laboriosam sit. Sunt fuga necessitatibus consequatur.

Saepe reiciendis dolores consequatur temporibus. Ipsam ducimus non rerum veniam vero. Natus veniam cupiditate sed consectetur dignissimos accusantium.

Consequatur dolore quia deserunt adipisci. Voluptatem et tempora aut consectetur eum.

Dicta voluptates odit distinctio architecto explicabo quod quo. Odit voluptate hic fugiat earum sit. Culpa aliquid doloremque quos doloribus laudantium. Nulla possimus neque enim facere sunt.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.0%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.0%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.0%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.0%
  • Two Sigma Investments 94.9%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.1%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (11) $372
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (83) $287
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (76) $193
  • Analysts (233) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (276) $95
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”