Candidate FAQs: Quantitative Research

What makes someone successful as a quant?

Ownership
We encourage initiative. People who take responsibility and accountability for projects are supported and rewarded and grow the fastest.

Attention to detail
Excellence is our baseline. But you don’t need to be an expert on Day One; we’ll teach you. We want talented researchers who place a high degree of importance on precision, want to learn, can master new skills and continue to raise the bar together.

Creativity
The problems we tackle do not have simple, check-the-box solutions. You will be exposed to real-world problems and must possess the ability to innovate and iterate from multiple angles with passion and persistence. We are excited by the opportunity to test our ideas—and keep doing so until we find a solution.

Ambition and resilience
You should have an insatiable drive to seek out problems and identify their solutions. There is no shortage of interesting problems to work on, and the most successful quants are true self-starters who are eager to take on new challenges and solve difficult problems.

Our work is challenging. People who thrive here embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and keep pushing forward. You need to be able to share strong rationales for the solutions you propose and must be comfortable pivoting.

What skills are the most important in quant careers?

We value candidates who have a deep understanding of technology and the research process. If those qualities describe you, we can help you define your area of expertise and locate your niche within the industry.

Math and statistics
It’s vital you possess these foundational skills, since you’ll be spending a lot of time modeling and forecasting, using statistics as a launching point. We can teach you everything you need to know about finance, but you should already have a robust statistical intuition.

Engineering and coding
Coding can be very useful in quantitative roles. Familiarity with computer science will help you learn quickly and get the most out of our proprietary tools.

Working with data
Prior experience working with data will enhance your ability to understand its real-world applications and model information effectively. Many of your colleagues will come from non-computer science backgrounds like chemistry or physics, where they utilized these skills. This is invaluable as we develop new approaches to identify market signals.

Applied research
A deep understanding of conducting and applying research is critical. Experience working on long-term research projects is extremely beneficial, but learning on the job is equally effective.

What sets our firm apart in the financial industry?

Some firms keep research and production separate. Here, we combine the two, making us faster and more agile. A new project can go from ideation, to deployment, to live trading within an hour.

We only hire extraordinary talent, without compromise. Our colleagues are extremely smart, driven individuals focused on achieving results. The opportunity for learning and growth at Citadel Securities is unrivaled.

Success is shared. We work with our peers and mentors to develop ideas together. When quants present work to their research team, they receive valuable academic-style feedback. The team pressure-tests ideas from all angles, asking nuanced questions and challenging specific elements to ensure the concept is as strong as possible. This dynamic engagement accelerates your growth and development.