T10 MM HF Intern to S&T London - Breaking In

My Profile:

Interned this past summer (1–2 months) on a macro pod at a large hedge fund in the US.
Founder/President of a finance/startup society at my university (semi-target).
Previous experience as an academic research intern, with work used by the UK Home Office.
Currently in my final year but planning to pursue a master’s, so I’m applying for summer analyst roles rather than grad schemes.

Applications so far:

Applied to all BBs except GS and ~12 MMs.
Completed all OA’s and HireVues for the ones I’ve applied to.
Currently shifting prep towards ACs (using salesandtrading.org guides + following markets closely).

My Experience So Far:
Coming into this cycle I assumed that having hedge fund experience would give me a big advantage. What I’ve found instead is that the process feels more “democratized”: if you don’t perform well on OAs or HireVues, you get auto-rejected before anyone even sees your CV.

My Question:
Given my profile and the fact that I’ve done decently well (though not perfectly) on most OAs and HireVues (moreso on the HV's as I'm a good speaker and I had good answers prepped), should I expect a materially higher hit rate when it comes to converting OA/HV passes into telephone interviews or AC invites because of my resume? In other words, once I get past the automated gates, how much does my experience actually improve my chances?

277 WSO Academy Sales & Trading Session Reviews: 4.86/5

Class of '28 Aug 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Sales & Trading Career Roadmap (optional)

“John listened before giving advice. I told him I had accepted an offer at Bank of America but was still interested in JLL and Wellington. Instead of telling me what to do, he asked what I wanted from my career and helped me think about which path would give me more options. I also liked that he was honest about what he knew and didn’t know. He gave me a clear reason to keep working toward JLL, while reminding me that Bank of America was still a good place to start. When I practiced my interview answer, he told me what worked and gave me one simple way to improve it. That made the feedback easy to use. Most of all, John made me feel less stressed about figuring everything out right now. He offered to help with a mock interview too, which meant a lot to me. ”

Class of '28 Apr 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Sales & Trading Mock Interview

“The mentor provided extremely detailed and thoughtful feedback throughout our session. What I appreciated most was that the advice was not generic. He took the time to understand my background, past experiences, and the specific roles I am currently recruiting for, and then tailored his suggestions accordingly. He also connected many of his recommendations to his own professional background and experiences, which made the feedback much more practical and credible. Instead of simply telling me what to change, he explained why certain answers or approaches would be more effective and how an interviewer might interpret them. He also shared specific examples from his own experience to illustrate his points. I came away from the session with a much clearer understanding of both my strengths and the areas I should improve, as well as several concrete ways to strengthen my interview preparation. Overall, the session was extremely helpful, personalized, and actionable, and I would definitely work with him again.”

See All 10,972 WSO Academy Reviews

2 Comments

WSO Monkey Bot

O

1y

Your hedge fund experience and leadership roles will definitely help you stand out once your application reaches human eyes, but the key is getting past the automated gates. Based on the most helpful WSO content, here’s what you need to know:

Automated Gates (OAs and HireVues):
- These are designed to level the playing field, so even candidates with stellar resumes can get filtered out if they don’t perform well. Your hedge fund experience won’t matter much at this stage.
- Since you’ve done decently well on OAs and excel in HireVues, you’re already positioning yourself well to move past this stage.
Resume Impact Post-Automation:
- Once you’re through the automated filters, your hedge fund experience, leadership roles, and academic research will significantly boost your profile. Recruiters and interviewers will see you as someone with relevant exposure to macro markets and a demonstrated ability to lead and execute.
- Your hedge fund internship, in particular, signals that you’ve been exposed to high-level market thinking, which is highly valued in S&T roles.
Converting to AC Invites:
- Your resume will likely give you a higher hit rate for telephone interviews or AC invites compared to candidates with less relevant experience. However, this is contingent on your performance in the earlier stages (OAs and HireVues).
- The democratized nature of the process means that even with a strong resume, you need to consistently perform well in each step to progress.
Actionable Tips:
- Tailor Your Prep: Continue focusing on AC prep, as this is where your resume will shine. Use your hedge fund experience to craft strong, market-relevant answers that demonstrate your understanding of macro trends and trading strategies.
- Leverage Your Network: Reach out to alumni or contacts at the firms you’ve applied to. A strong internal referral can sometimes help bypass automated filters or give you an edge in the process.
- Follow Up Strategically: After completing OAs or HireVues, consider sending polite follow-up emails to recruiters, highlighting your unique experience and enthusiasm for the role.

In summary, your hedge fund experience and leadership roles will give you a material advantage once you’re past the automated stages. Keep nailing the OAs and HireVues, and your resume should help you convert more opportunities into interviews and AC invites.

Sources: Q&A: HF out of undergrad, ~5 years later, Advice for London applicants, How I got my job in a Hedge Fund after graduation, Going from a non-target with low GPA to landing a hedge fund Internship, Q&A: I am a Hedge Fund recruiter

Reply

Quote

Report

Other

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

no_home_jerome

PT

11mo

Rerum magni quod omnis. Officia vero impedit consequatur cupiditate debitis assumenda. Qui veniam ullam provident quia veniam cupiditate sunt ut.

Ut et enim provident autem quo sint vel. Qui eos et eum hic dolorum autem voluptatem et. Corrupti qui ipsam magni omnis.

Est delectus consequatur quo debitis non rerum et. Aut aut doloremque debitis magni. Nam nulla quos atque et asperiores beatae. Fuga est veniam iste deleniti quidem optio nihil. In iure adipisci minus ut fugit laborum.

Voluptas eum omnis et. Dolorem sit corporis doloribus quibusdam. Tenetur ut nisi perspiciatis est enim rem. Maxime dolores adipisci rem eligendi accusamus sed dicta dolor.

+25	Best Bank/Desk Combo? From an IB perspective	13	5h
+13	Best way to move to NYC, LDN from Tokyo	5	2h
+12	Brookfield Renewable Real-Time Power vs. ExxonMobil Trader Development Program vs. RWE Commercial Graduate Program	3	3d
+9	Starting out in Merchandising to Trading Desk.	0	3h
+9	Is this normal for Capital Markets Operations, or did I land on a bad team?	1	3d
+9	EM FX Trading Question - What does the desk do + Interview Advice	1	4d
+6	Asked for 3 more interviews after a superday? S&T BB	1	1d
+3	Color on RBC Capital Markets/Trading	2	16h
+2	Target schools	3	1d

1	redever	99.2
2	Secyh62	99.0
3	BankonBanking	99.0
4	kanon	99.0
5	DrApeman	98.9
6	Betsy Massar	98.9
7	dosk17	98.9
8	GameTheory	98.9
9	CompBanker	98.9
10	bolo up	98.8

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

T10 MM HF Intern to S&T London - Breaking In

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

T10 MM HF Intern to S&T London - Breaking In

See All Comments - 100% Free

Trending Content - Sales and Trading Forum