Introduction

Introduction

HedgeFundJobList.com’s, Guide to Getting a Hedge Fund Job, provides a number of valuable resources to help you differentiate yourself and get the most out of our hedge fund / private equity contact lists. Even if you choose not to utilize our lists, you will find our guide to be useful in your job search.

This guide, like our lists, is primarily intended for entry and mid-level prospects. These roles are the most competitive because of the sheer number of applicants. Intelligence and qualifications are only part of the picture. You must be able to communicate your competencies clearly and effectively and do so in a manner that  differentiates you from the rest of the field of hedge fund job seekers.

This guide will not detail every step of the process, nor guarantee your success. It will, however, provide you a powerful overview of the most important steps you should take, and help you to avoid the mistakes commonly made by other applicants.

The guide begins by outlining seven key steps to getting a hedge fund job. There are just over 3,000 hedge fund companies managing more than 10,000 individual hedge funds. So while there is a lot of competition, there is also a constant supply of hedge fund jobs.

The hedge fund resume and cover letter sections illustrate the most important aspects of successful hedge fund / private equity specific resumes and cover letters. These sections illuminate the rational for creating at least two resumes and describe how to target them effectively.

All jobs are not alike. A great resume sent to a boutique hedge fund should look very different from one sent to a large mutual fund manager like T. Rowe Price. Not only is the role different, but the person reviewing your application has very different priorities. At T. Rowe Price, your resume and cover letter will be read by a human resource manager. With the exception of the 20 or 30 largest funds, your hedge fund or private equity resume will be read by a highly compensated partner or director with a short attention span.

Interview questions are explored and samples provided in the interview questions section.

Find other hedge fund and private equity job resources in our key resources and tips section.

Finally, we provide a short quiz to test your understanding of the resources in this guide. As a bonus, we will give you a 20% discount on any of our lists after completing the quiz.