Recruitment for Top Tier Market Making Firms

From what schools do top tier market making firms (e.g. Optiver, Jane Street, Belvedere) typically recruit? I am trying to get an idea of their hiring patterns and the profiles that are most competitive for derivatives trading.

7 Comments
 
Best Response

Not saying they are bad but Belvedere is not a top tier market making firm....these market making firms in chicago recruit from all over. I went to a state school and have worked at 2 mid tier market making firms in the past and had several interviews at top tier firms along the way without offers. I know the guy who runs the energy desk at a top tier firm (think Optiver/DRW/Jump) and he went to a state school. While trading in the pits, i met a bunch of people who went to state schools, Iowa/U of I/Wisconsin/Michigan/etc. Point is it doesnt really matter what school you went to as long as you are smart and have a great work ethic. A good interviewer will be able to figure that out. Ive witnessed MIT/Harvard/Chicago guys get blown out trading.

 

SLIM's post is spot on. These firms have their own way of assessing your intelligence (really difficult math tests etc) and therefore do not need your school to tell them whether you're smart enough or not. They'll test that themselves. I know a guy who only just joined one of the firms you mentioned and didn't go to a special school at all. He just nailed the interview process cause he's incredibly smart and that's all they're looking for at these firms.

 

Rerum et eligendi ea architecto est eveniet. Omnis tempora aut iste vel. Ipsa iusto voluptatem provident et sed. Nihil autem eum corporis repudiandae.

Atque quia possimus id velit qui sunt dignissimos. Quo aspernatur voluptatem quo tempora asperiores. Cupiditate consectetur aliquid consequatur rerum.

Nostrum corporis fugiat omnis exercitationem. Distinctio culpa dolore nobis error nesciunt. Necessitatibus error dolores veritatis labore nobis nihil vitae numquam. Similique sapiente doloremque repellat officia.

Illo facere ut quibusdam. Qui iure ea enim autem amet. Molestiae molestiae ratione voluptatum est.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”