GE Shaw generalist - should I bother?

Hi all, this is my first post. I read over the generalist associate position on DE Shaw's website and it sounds interesting -- I'm wondering if I should even bother applying. I know Shaw is super selective. I'm straight out of a top-ten UG, liberal arts major, top grades (close to 4.1). My resume doesn't have anything business related, and I don't have any quirky extracurriculars (just some normal stuff). Not a quantitative sort of person but they're claiming that they're interested in humanities people for this position--anybody know what they're looking for in generalists? Thanks

 

He means DE Shaw.....which I think speaks volumes on whether he should apply or not.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 
Best Response
dache:
Typo. Sorry. I guess this means I'm just going to get shitted on.

What can I say..WSO is a zero-sum game. Also, you mistyped it in the title and in the paragraph which means it was not a typo. I don't call out typos because everyone makes them, myself included.

If you want the position, you should apply. You have good grades from a good school so you have a chance. Try and contact any alumni that might currently work there. Also, brush up on some simple business terms and concepts. They may look at a Humanities major, but they are still looking for someone who is passionate and at least somewhat knowledgeable. They might not ask you to price an option, but they might ask about Greece and how it will affect global macroeconomic factors/trends.

You are correct that they are superselective and you probably don't have much of a chance, but you already know that so why are you posting it on a forum? Only you can decide to apply or not. If you get rejected, accept it and move on, everyone gets rejected at somepoint in their lives.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

Yeah, by typo I just meant brain-fart. I messed up. I was surprised people were so harsh about it.

I posted so that I could get a response like yours. We're funny creatures. I'm going to apply--I just wanted to talk to somebody knowledgeable about it beforehand. It would feel weird otherwise. I don't have any friends who aren't artsy or academic. Anyway, thanks.

 
dache:
Typo. Sorry. I guess this means I'm just going to get shitted on.

Yeah...it may have been a little douchey. But hey, I bet you don't call them GE Shaw on the cover letter now, am I right?

Honestly, plenty of people never get further than submitting a CV because they call a firm JP Morgan Stanley or something.

What do you have to lose? Go for it.

 

If you believe that you honestly don't stand a chance of getting an interview and think that applying is just a waste of time, then don't apply. Only you can decide whether it's worth your time or not. Just remember, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

 

DE Shaw has a bunch of non-quant roles, like strategic growth, corporate strategy, and generalist. If i'm not mistaken, generalists go on rotation where they are exposed to every aspect of the fund's business, and it's basically a research/strategy job but not quantitative. It's still VERY tough to get since De Shaw gets so many exceptional applicants. The salary sucks however, only like $60K, which is not enough to live comfortably in manhattan.

http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/D-E-Shaw-Generalist-Salaries-E29290_D_K…

 

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