Is it still possible to get FO job without experience?

[Once_Set]

Hi,

I have recently been applying for quant jobs in London, and have found it difficult.

1) Even if you make it through several rounds for FO jobs, I almost always get told:
"We need someone with 1-3 years experience." and if they don't say that, they still hire someone like that.

There also seem to be more model val jobs about, and the competition seems slightly less fierce. But even there, it seems you have to queue up until most of the experienced guys got their jobs.

2) This brings me to the last point:

Do all quant applicants go for all jobs, or do some thing certain positions are beneath them? That would explain why certain interviewers are a lot less demanding than others, and usually think I'm a good candidate when others think I don't know anywhere near enough.

Any insight?

Thanks!

 

[C S]

Probably the most difficult thing in any interview is that the interviewer wants someone who knows what the job is, but the interviewee may not know what the job actually entails. This may be due to the bad job description, but may also be due to inexperience. If inexperience (as inevitably the case for entry-level applications), that's going to make it quite difficult to compete against people who know what the job actually is. Sitting where I am (literally), I have heard some funny post-interview discussions after very pleasant phone interviews. I have a suspicion that the ones you think that think you're a "good candidate" at some point in their decision procedure realize it's a big risk hiring someone who doesn't know what the job is.

I think the best advice I can give is: try and figure out exactly what it is you want to do, what are your skills and interests, and then figure out what these different jobs actually require. Then go for the ones that actually fit you. I have also heard some funny conversations between managers hiring between their team and HR (usually HR will call when the manager is trying to accomplish something in a meeting with his team members... HR doesn't get much more feedback on what they should look for than "get someone good!")