I see that external recruiters reach out to me on LinkedIn for top HFT/Fintech companies like Two Sigma, HRT etc. Unlike tech companies which has in house recruiters, is this the norm for fintech companies? I'm wondering if these external recruiters are genuine and worth considering. What's your experience?
There are head hunters that find quality candidates who have a realistic shot at getting hired. You will know when you speak to them, they’re legit. For really high comp roles reaching a million, this is where they show up, it’s more like they find you than you find them. Then some recruiters who spam everyone. This is mostly for two sigma and citadel
Yes, external headhunters are very common in the trading world and are very useful. I agree with NcEf26 though - some recruiters do high volume and they like to get your resume to blast out to a bunch of different companies, having no real contacts at those companies. Make sure you find a headhunter who has good relationships with their clients (the companies) and takes the time to understand your interests and career goals.
This is the norm for fintech companies. They mostly depend on professional headhunters for their hiring because no one has heard of them. They get paid commission when a company hires one of their referred candidates.