Applying to Prop firms after graduating

Hello everyone,

I recently got rejected by Optiver after applying for the Trader programme (Amsterdam Office) after having a HR interview.

The interviewer was very nice and provided feedback, stating that I needed to be more concise with my answers regarding my motivations. This is something which I can easily improve on, however I need to wait until next year to reapply.

I currently am working as an accountant , however I am interviewing for some risk positions with other prop firms in London during the interval to develop my stats and technical skills before reapplying, helping me to show Optiver I am continuously learning after university. On top of this, I am enrolling on to some pre-program MFE courses in statistics and Python programming to further develop my theoretical knowledge in these areas. One thing I have noticed however is it seems Optiver tends to recruit Traders directly out of top universities e.g. Oxbridge, instead of more recent graduates.

Does anyone know what Optiver's, as well as other top prop shops, stance is regarding applicants who have already graduated? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

5 Comments
 

Idk about optiver specifically but I have applied to prop firms after graduating and received an offer.

 

I recently had an inhouse day at their amsterdam office and the recruiter told us that they have a one-time application policy, i.e., auto-reject when you are re-applying. But on the bright side, that are thinking about changing it.

 

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