Jaimi Goodfriend, Head of Investment Professional Development at Point72, shares what makes a resume, questionnaire and case study stand out in our process.
Thousands of people apply for the Point72 Academy Summer Internship each year. With that many resumes to sift through, what makes a candidate stand out?
We鈥檒l聽consider people from聽any background, but what we want to see is聽impact. Make sure you quantify what you鈥檝e done on your resume; don鈥檛 say you helped on a project, tell us how your work聽affected聽people or changed聽an聽outcome, and how it impacted the overall business鈥 goals.
We鈥檙e also looking to see what makes you unique. If you speak another language, let us know your skill level. Show us what you鈥檙e passionate about, even if it鈥檚 not related to finance. A well-rounded candidate is always more compelling.聽That being said, keep your resume concise and clean. Everything on your resume should convey something important and be easy to understand.
On that note, make sure your resume matches the job you鈥檙e applying for. If you have a personal statement, it should be in line with the job responsibilities and skills listed in the job description. Also, please include your month of graduation, as聽many of our opportunities are only applicable to certain grad years, and we want to make sure聽you are considered for the right roles.
As the first step in our application process, qualified candidates are sent an聽online questionnaire. How should applicants think about answering these questions?
Once again, it鈥檚 great to be concise in your communication. We鈥檝e added a word limit to help you make sure you鈥檙e getting your point across clearly and quickly.
Think about what everyone else will聽write, and DON鈥橳聽write聽that!聽We want you to be honest and show us who you are. Try to respond with your first instinct; answer in a way that is authentic to you.
For those who are successful in the questionnaire screen, the next stage is a case鈥痵tudy, where candidates get to show us their ability to do research and think鈥痗ritically. What should candidates focus on in this step?
Make sure to present your thesis upfront.聽We聽shouldn鈥檛 be searching for鈥痶akeaways or conclusions.聽We want to see that you鈥檙e a critical鈥痶hinker with strong analytical skills, so聽show聽us that you can form your own opinion,聽and back it鈥痷p with qualitative and quantitative material.
A lot of people are disqualified at this stage based on their model, so聽make sure鈥痠t鈥檚 original聽and made from scratch! We don鈥檛 want to see templates.鈥疉lso,聽it seems simple, but聽keep your work聽focused on聽answering the questions聽posed鈥痠n the prompt.聽A聽strong analysis won鈥檛 get you through to the next step if it doesn鈥檛鈥痑ddress the prompt correctly.
The interview process can be intimidating. How should candidates spend their time preparing?
Make sure you understand the role of the person that you鈥檙e interviewing with 鈥 what is their area of expertise? It鈥檚 also important to come prepared with questions that are unique 鈥 ask us something that isn鈥檛 posted on the website. We have a lot of material out there to answer basic programming questions, so make sure you鈥檝e done your due diligence.
It鈥檚 also important that you鈥檙e able to answer the question 鈥淲hy long/short investing?鈥 Take your time to research the Firm and the role. Talk to alumni of your school who have gone through the Academy or utilize LinkedIn to build connections. Be thoughtful about your outreach 鈥 you want to focus on finding the right people who may be able to offer insight
Starting your career is a big step 鈥 so think about what you need to know. An interview is important for us as an evaluative tool, but it鈥檚 just as important for you in deciding if this is where you want to be. What are you most interested in pursuing? 聽What kind of environment will make you happy long term? How will the firm continue to develop and challenge you? Make sure that we can offer that for you.
Any last thoughts for candidates?
There are a lot of resources out there to help you learn about the Firm. Soak in all that you can.鈥We鈥檙e excited to get to know you through your application. And鈥痳emember, you don鈥檛 have to have a聽finance background.聽We鈥檙e聽looking for curious鈥痯eople who want to learn more about the markets and accelerate their own鈥痝rowth.