Rant: Intel-gathering disguised as "Job" interview
Rant: Competitve intelligence-gathering disguised as "Job" interview
Alright, I'm not going to name any names, because of my predicament, but in broad strokes, I've been on 3 different "job interviews" for trader positions, that were actually just competitive intelligence-gathering operations: they'd start to ask me about my old company's systems, processes, proceedures, products, profitability and strategies.
[The company itself is a unknown middle-of -the-pack Chicago derivatives-trading firm that started in the early-2000s and got big over the past few years thanks to early and continued huge investments in automation; I happened to be on board from when it was literally a single-digit-person operation. Nah, you wouldn't know the name of it, and if I told you, you'd wouldn't care at all anyway. I just don't want this post to show up in anyone's deposition later (the internet is forever!)...;-)]
At first I'd answer their questions, but inevitably, the "interview" would veer from "what can you, as a trader do for [new firm]" to "what do you know about [old firm]'s trading in X" to "what kind of numbers and variance are [old firm] putting up on a daily, weekly, monthly basis in each of these products, and what kind of risk are [firm management] carrying at any given moment?" at which point, I begin answering those types of questions with vagueries, and approximations and try to guide the"job interview" back into "what I, trader, can do for you"-type Q&A until the "interview" concludes.
While I try to close strongly, to really make a connection (one of the people I've met actually remarked "It's clear you know your stuff" that I actually felt the unspoken "but it's a shame we'll never hire you") and promises are made ("we'll make arrangements for the next step") it usually dead-ends with a trail of back-and-forth emails that don't result in anything, and I always end up feeling like a whore that just gave a shipful of sailors freebies...
After 3 go-rounds, I've got to ask: WTF?!?!?
Since all the firms in the space are doing the same thing, the intel-gathering is unnecessary to begin with,;it just burns me that they would use me to try to leech information about [old firm] rather than mind their own mending...
/End rant.
{Sorry. I just had to get that out of my system, or I'd throw something expensive that would need to be replaced!}
Seems like they are being opportunistic.
Anyways. Get long gamma.
trading is not a "job" that is why you're not getting the "standard interview"
they want to know if you can make money for them and its clear that they have their own perspective on the subject (doesn't every shop?)
some firms vary proprietary info a lot more than strategies/skills/personality, if they made out great on automation, they are more likely to value inputs for their algos over real people/abilities/experience...after all, hasn't the big trend in chicago over the past decade been to go after engineering minded guys/quants/robots with a pulse?
as for feeling like a whore... don't let yourself get fucked
i know it's rough and you want a gig but they will not respect you if you do not respect yourself first
stand firmly by your principles, cliche as it may sound
The cruel irony of the situation is that I used to be a programmer for an online brokerage, but almost nobody would hire me as a trader then ("Programmer, eh? Which Starbucks?" or "Coding, hah, we outsource all that!") or when I was finishing my Masters' degrees ("Programmers lack the characteristics we find in our best traders" or "coders code/traders trade, and that's that") I still have those emails; now they only want dedicated programmers...
Since everyone's doing exactly the same thing at the same time, in the same markets (outliers either make a billion or they vanish), I don't exactly see the point or value to any deception.
I get it, it's a slog to get another gig, and I've come to terms with that (been there, done that); I was just feeling a little "AAAAaaauuuuuggghhhh...!"-moment from a once-chatty contact that has abruptly fallen silent....
this is quite common. if you feel they're just fishing for info tell them to go f themselves and dont waste your time
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