Do hedge funds ever recruit post-MBA IB Associates?

Curious to hear thoughts of the HF recruiting process as someone who has a strong interest in markets and learning about different asset classes, but discovered this passion towards the end of my MBA program and after I had recruited for IB.

 

I know citadel hires some summer mbas from harvard. Pretty sure they only recruit from there tho.

 

lol definitely not true. Harvard kids interview at citadel to practice for better HF interviews, I don’t know anyone who seriously considered working there.

 

Idk about that sir...If you can make it at Citadel you’ll be more highly compensated than basically any other alternative. Now that’s a big IF but I wouldn’t say people just use Citadel as interview practice. What would it even be for? the Multi-Manager investing model is completely different than your traditional value single manager hedge funds like Tiger Cubs. Doing the rounds with Citadel won’t give you any edge at all in a process with Viking.

 

Hedge funds is a broad category. Hedge funds hire all kinds of people, from all kinds of path, if they demonstrate ability to add value/bring a skillset the team wants/make strong connections with the PMs. My HF experience is not bluechip Citadel type stuff tho, so if that is what you mean, its hard to say. That said, I got a Bridgewater interview with my weird background, so anything can happen.

Look at the alumni section of linkedin for your school - when I did this I saw several people who went e.g. MBA -> IB -> Millenium

 
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Sorry for the delay. Most people start to recruit after their first year with the goal to leave in their second-year. If you wait longer, then you'll get caught up in the conundrum of leaving in your third year vs. getting sticking it out a bit longer to get promoted to VP.

In terms of HF networking advice, the best starting point is to leverage your affiliations. For most people, these are bschool or college alums and classmates who are in the industry. If you keep at it long enough, you'll see the results compound. I also got leads through the interview process itself, which was something I did not expect. For example, for one fund where I got rejected, the PM said that I was among the top 3 final candidates and then suggested that I look into some other funds and to use his name. For another fund where I received an offer, I did a reference check with an an ex-employee. After he heard that I had turned down the offer, he reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in being considered for a spot at his fund. In the end, the hardest part is the uncertainty of it all. For me, however, I was happy biding my time in M&A until I found the "right" opportunity.

 

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