Hedge funds are having a rough time.
Several storied managers are posting dismal performance, while others are closing shop entirely.
At the same time, the industry is known for being lucrative, turning a fortunate few into multi-millionaires – and even billionaires.
Not that it’s easy to find a job.
We asked a handful of hedge fund recruiters what it takes to find an investment role these days. Some common themes came up:
- There’s a strong demand for analysts with quant backgrounds, which should come as little surprise – funds are incorporating alternative data into their strategies and trying to figure out how to outsmart the competition.
- Analysts need to be flexible, meaning they need to learn new skills or be willing to start at a small, start-up fund with less pay, since a lot of the bigger funds aren’t hiring.
You can read the recruiters’ advice in full below.
Michael Goodman, managing partner at Long Ridge Partners
“If you were asking me what we’re gearing up for the next two to three years, I truly believe it’s [analysts] with a much more quantitative background. Some of it’s at the PhD level, or a background in math, physics, engineering, computer science.
“There are firms that are still going to take analysts that are not quantitatively oriented, but I see a shift in that direction. The industry is becoming much more model driven than stock-picking driven.”
Originally published on Business Insider. View the original article here.