Behavioral Prompt: Self-Intro, Motivation, and High-Stakes Decision

You are interviewing for a Software Engineer role in a quantitative trading research environment at Optiver. In a technical screen, give a succinct, structured response covering:

1. Concise Self‑Introduction (45–60 seconds)

• Tailor to quantitative trading research. Highlight technical strengths (e.g., low-latency systems, data/ML for signals, simulation/backtesting), collaboration with researchers/traders, and quant literacy (probability, statistics, mental math).

2. Why This Role and Why Optiver (60–90 seconds)

• Connect your interests to market making, speed–accuracy trade-offs, research–engineering collaboration, and production impact. Explain why Optiver’s approach, culture, and constraints fit you.

3. High‑Stakes Decision Under Time Pressure (90–150 seconds) Describe one situation with incomplete information where you had to act fast. Include:

• Situation and stakes
• Options you considered
• How you balanced speed vs. accuracy (what data you gathered, when you stopped collecting)
• Mental‑math/estimation techniques used (be explicit)
• Outcome and what you’d do differently next time

Constraints

• Keep total response around 3–5 minutes.
• Be specific; quantify decisions and outcomes.
• Make assumptions explicit if needed and show your quick calculations.