Criteria for Acceptance into TDPs at Oil Majors and Top Trading Houses (Commodities)

Hey everyone,


I'm a junior at a semi-target in the US who recently became enamored by the field of physical commodity trading. I became interested in this field because I interned this past summer for a small LO that likes to invest in commodities companies or commodities adjacent companies, and then I read The King of Oil and The World for Sale, which now both rank in my top 5 fav books of all time, as well as Trafigura's Commodities Demystified. 

I'm most likely going to be completing a similar type of internship for this summer in LO public equities, but was wondering how I could optimize my chances of being accepted into one of the TDP programs at the likes of Gunvor, Shell, BP, or how I could start gaining some experience or demonstrating interest in the field in general. I'm not in a commodities hotspot like Texas so I don't know many other people at my school or in my area who can provide me with some guidance, and therefore I'd appreciate if anyone would be willing to offer some insight into the types of candidates that are generally accepted in terms of GPA, coursework subject matter, internship experiences, etc. Also, if anyone has any insight into some of the alternative paths people have taken to become a physical commodities trader, I would appreciate that as well. 

Thanks, and Happy Holidays to everyone!

4 Comments
 

Since you are still in school, participate in a commodity trading competition. An investment club at the University of Houston puts one on every year and teams come from all over the globe to participate in it. I competed in it this past year and was able to make many connections in the industry as the competition judges were all from top shops. They also had a networking dinner the day before the competition and companies recruited from it.

Having something like that on your resume is great as it shows interest and provides a talking point. Your interviewer will most likely ask you about it and you can show your knowledge and creativity through that.

 

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