So, what do recruiters and quant traders have in common?

We both make the real money on bonuses; sometimes it’s team based, and sometimes it’s individual P&L; and sometimes we just don’t know how our bonus is calculated… (really??)

We both specialize in particular products (Options, Futures, Stat Arb) in a particular market (US Equities, European Futures, etc.)

Big companies typically want to fit us into their strategy, and smaller companies may give us more room to run our own ideas.

Some of our employers spend a lot of money on technology to create a competitive advantage (Virtu, Jump, etc.) and some create clever strategies to win without spending as much money on tech. (I’m thinking of all you brilliant Alpha researchers out there)

So, the next time you’re talking to a recruiter, find out how their background lines up with your expertise. You might get some valuable insight.