Chapter 11: Paul & Dominic’s Guide to Getting a Quant Job 393
interviewer as possible. This means turning up on time,
but not too early, being flexible on interview times, and
trying to be pleasant.
What you need to prove
- You are smart
- You can work with people
- You can get things done
- You can manage yourself and your time
- You are committed to this line of work
Kissing frogs Like trying to find a prince by kissing frogs,
you have to accept that it is rare for your first attempt
to succeed, so you must be prepared for a long haul,
and to pursue multiple options at the same time. This
means applying to several banks, and not being deterred
by failure to get into a particular firm.
Writing a CV
A CV is not some passive instrument that simply tells a
recruiter why he should interview you, it also to some
extent sets the agenda for the questions you will get
when they meet you. Thus it is important to choose
what you disclose as a balance between what you think
they want and the areas in which you are confident
answering questions.
Read the job specification You should think how you can
present your skills and experience so as to be as close
a match as possible. At one level this might sound
obvious, but you should be aware that in many banks
your CV will not be read by the hiring manager at all.
Although at P&D we’ve actually done this stuff, it is
often the case that CVs are filtered by people with little
