Interested in hearing some advice on how to turn a HF internship into full time offer. Currently in my sophomore year and will be working as a SA this coming summer at 1B+ fund. I am at a non target but am a Division 1 athlete and D1 All-Academic. Not sure if that really matters much but wondering what some of you think I should focus on in order to get a full time offer. Thanks
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Don’t be annoying or overly eager to talk to people. Absolutely stay positive and energetic no matter what. Figure out who you report to and who can decide your next move, and spend 100% of your time exceeding his/her expectation. Figure out when he/she come in and leave and always come in earlier and stay later. During mid internship ask for area to improve on and feedback. Know that some firms just don’t give returns, especially for sophomores, and that’s ok. At the end of your internship thank everyone you talked to face to face and try to keep it touch. You are a sophomore so you won’t be doing fancy stuff and pitching home runs, but still try to present your ideas in an exciting and concise way whenever you can. This industry is all about passion, taking initiative, and communication skills (writing, speaking). Understand no one is looking for 20 yo to pitch ideas but to just do a good job of what’s asked. Good luck
While that's great advice for sure--- I did all of that and things still didn't pan out :/ Got great recommendations though for what that's worth.
OP I think you should use the same networking skills to land interviews for FT roles at other funds. Exceeding at the internship won't necessarily lead to an FT offer which is why I think that you should continue to network and interview if you want to stay in the industry...
All fantastic points, and always important to remember that in this industry there’s a notable component of chance/luck in every outcome. One thing I might add though, is to consider spending time outside your group. I know people who interned for one manager and got an offer from another with whom he made a good connection. If you do stellar work then your boss may certainly want you back but there are lots of other factors determining if he is able to make an offer, etc. If he can’t do so, he’d certainly be able to recommend you to another manager, but without a good personal connection it’s not likely to go far.
Thank you for the great advice.
It is extremely unlikely anyone gets a FT offer based on an internship in their sophomore year. This is a super low-visibility industry where you could be out of business in 6months, let alone 2+ years from now. So funds will hire when they need to, not years ahead. This might be different for a place like Bridgewater or such, but definitely not for a $1bn fund.
Thanks for the insight. Just to clarify, I was referring to a full time offer following my junior year summer. Which would mean performing well this summer and returning the following summer to then try my chances at a full time offer. I am under no delusion that I could possibly obtain a full time hedge fund job after sophomore year summer.
this is not true...i worked with a guy who interned as a sophomore, and was hired at the end of the summer for FT immediately at 20 years old....was told to reduce courseload and work while continuing school (was going to NYU..took 3 years to complete his last "2" years...but the firm paid for it all). Guy was a rockstar...now lives in a 2mm condo in Grammercy
Thanks for the insight
Have they made it clear that return offers/Ft offers are avaliable?
I was told that they are fully set up to offer jobs out of undergrad but does not mean that they will.
there really aren't any rules....if you are a rockstar, they can hire you on the spot....they have plenty of money. but if you aren't a rockstar...
When is the internship? Or have you already had it?
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