Explain Why You Want to Work in Trading

The first technical round for a trading role opened with a brief self-introduction and the question of why you want to work in trading. Answer it as you would at the start of a round whose main part is a trading game, so keep the answer short. ```hint Evidence over adjectives Back every reason with something you have actually done, rather than with words describing yourself. ``` ```hint Know the job Check that your reasons fit what a trader does every day, not only the parts of the job that sound exciting. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does the interviewer want your motivation for trading in general, or also for this kind of role and firm? - How long should the introduction and this answer take, given that most of the round is the game? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - An accurate picture of the work: pricing under uncertainty, quick decisions, risk taken on those prices, results measured every day - Two or three specific reasons, each backed by concrete evidence from the candidate's own experience - A link between those reasons and what the rest of the round tests: probability, quick arithmetic, explaining decisions under questioning - Brevity and honesty, with no generic praise of markets and no answer that rests on pay alone ### Follow-up Questions - What do you think separates a good trader from a lucky one? - Tell me about a decision you made with incomplete information. How did you judge it afterwards? - Why trading rather than a software engineering or research role?