Buy Side Operations interview

I have worked in hedge fund ops. I would say focus on how you are detail oriented and be clear that you are excited to do this job and that you arent going to be jumping to something better in six months (even if you hope to). If they ask what you want to do in the future make it clear that you are applying for THIS job and that is the job you are excited to do....even if you have greater aspirations later make sure you emphasize that you are excited about this job and not some job in the future. The key to hedge fund ops is not fucking things up and not annoying the PMs by being to overly ambitious early on. Hedge fund ops is a serious, "zero mistake" business...let them know that you understand that. Once you get on the job you can make transitions eventually once everyone has been impressed by your work ethic, but first you have to get the job and that will require showing a career ops guy that you can do an ops job.

With the risk of sounding insane, allow me to share a view on hedge fund operations that has nothing to do with an interview: I consider a good hedge fund trading assistant to be a true artist and integral to a PM making money on the buyside. I have been both an assistant and a PM, and when I was an assistant my relationship with the guys I worked for was really amazing...by the time I was done, I knew their positions better then they did, could anticipate questions before they asked them, and made their lives infinitely easier. And it wasnt about getting a job or a raise which I knew wasnt going to happen at this firm, it was about working toward the goal of making their jobs as seamless as possible and being a true professional at my job. When the shit was hitting the fan in markets the ease of this relationship and the island of tranquility it provided for them was key for the fund. Its like having a pilot who provides a flight with no turbulence and it only occurs when the assistant works his ass off...i would be at the office until 8-9pm (after which I would usually go deliver the positions and P&L by hand to my bosses doorman) and I used to literally wake up at night with nightmares that I had messed up a position on the position report or misplaced a decimal on the P&L. In return I didnt get a promotion or much pay, but I did get to sit next to three great PMs, watch them trade, and I learned more then I can quantify about the business of trading. For me it was a great trade...I would take it over being an analyst in banking or even sales and trading any day. I wish I could find an assistant who was as serious about the job as i was because its a beautiful thing when its done right.

(please no one PM saying they want to be an assistant I am not saying I am actively looking to hire)