Trading Interviews

Before the interviews

When you submit your application to Jane Street for any role, it’s reviewed by an actual human. We respond to every application we receive, ideally within a week or so. Depending on your background we might also suggest you consider another position. We’ll always be up front with you about what roles you’re being considered for (or aren’t), so please also let us know what you’re interested in throughout the process.

If you’ve applied or interviewed before don’t let that stop you from trying again! We reconsider people all the time—people add to their experiences and our needs often change as Jane Street grows—so if it didn’t work out a couple of years ago you might have a better chance this go-around.

Our trading interview process

Our interview process consists of phone interviews at the start, and then the option of either video conferencing interviews or in-person interviews for the final stage. All of your interviews will be conducted by quantitative traders asking questions that test a variety of foundational skills that are important for being a successful trader at Jane Street. However, the interview will feel a lot more like a conversation than a quiz and won’t require previous knowledge of finance or involve any complicated math, such as what you might learn in a higher-level math course in college.

Successful candidates are curious, organized, and open-minded. They approach interview questions thoughtfully and collaboratively. Most are comfortable working with numbers and logic. Maybe most importantly, the candidates we ultimately hire are humble, pleasant to work with, and open to feedback. A few other tips:

Approach the problem methodically.
Communicate clearly.
Correct your mistakes.
Ask why.

Mock Interview

00:00 - Introduction from Michael

00:15 - Graham and Andrea describe the shape of the interview, what to expect, and introduce the mock interview

01:01 - Mock interview begins - Graham introduces the first part of the sample question

01:52 - Andrea asks questions and talks through her ideas

07:34 - Graham asks part 2 of the sample question

08:01 - Andrea talks through her strategies, asks questions, and thinks out loud

14:24 - Graham asks part 3 of the sample question

15:05 - Andrea clarifies any questions and walks through strategies with Graham for part 3 of the sample question

22:44 - Mock interview ends

23:03 - Graham and Andrea recap the mock interview

The next great idea will come from you