November 09, 2024
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Thanks for your in interest in Citadel! We’re looking forward to meeting you and have prepared this guide to help you understand our recruiting and interview process for software engineers.
First, what you should know
Interviewing with us means having the opportunity to talk with two firms at once: Citadel and Citadel Securities. At both firms, the brightest minds in finance, science and technology work together closely. As a result, our team members naturally learn from one another and deliver real-world impact, starting from day one.
Given the broad range of engineering opportunities at the firms, there’s no single profile we look for. Our most successful colleagues do have a few traits in common, though:
If this sounds like a place where you would enjoy contributing, we’d love to introduce ourselves.
We know that technical interviews can be challenging—especially when we explore the boundaries of your knowledge. Our approach is practical and oriented towards problem solving. If you face a setback, say so! Our culture is built on collaboration and we want to iterate with you.
Don’t be afraid to spend time assessing a problem before jumping to a solution or writing code. You are always welcome to ask clarifying questions.
Share your thought process. Discuss trade-offs among different possible approaches. Be clear about what you know and what you don’t know.
We want you to succeed! If you get stuck, ask questions and take hints.
Our recruiting process is designed to give you an opportunity to meet engineers from some of the teams you might work with. We want you to get a sense of the work we do, and we also want to hear about your professional experiences and ambitions. There are four steps in the process. Typically, it takes about eight weeks from start to finish.
This 45-minute interview will cover both technical and behavioral skills. We use video, so be sure you’re camera ready!
We’ll focus on coding, data structures and algorithms and problem-solving. Your interviewer may ask you to explain your approach. These aren’t trick questions: we just want to learn more about your strategy and process. The interviewer will also ask about your technical interests, past internship experience, school projects and your reasons for exploring opportunities at Citadel.
The second round usually consists of three 45-minute interviews. Like the first round, it assesses a combination of technical and behavioral skills. It’s also an opportunity for you to ask what’s on your mind, so come prepared with questions.
Following this round of interviews, we will reach out with next steps within two weeks.
If a hiring manager expresses interest in your profile, you will interview with a senior engineer to be assessed for a specific team.
Following the second round interviews, hiring managers across teams within Citadel and Citadel Securities have the opportunity to review your resume and interview feedback to determine where you would fit best. If a team expresses interest in your profile, they will call you in for an interview. If more than one team is interested, this round could consist of multiple interviews.
Hiring managers will determine your fit within that specific team.
If multiple teams are interested in moving forward with your candidacy, you will work with your recruiting contact to determine the best fit for you.
During your scheduled interview, you can expect to meet with a few people from each firm. You will know which firm they represent. The interview process is the same for both firms. Your preference is taken into account, but placement depends on your skills, experience, and business needs.
Gain a better understanding of what it’s like to work here from engineers on our careers page.
Our interviews are meant to be a general assessment of your technical and behavioral skills. We do not assess fit for a specific team during the first and second rounds of the process. Instead, there may be an additional round of interviews with specific teams. Your recruiter will provide further context and resources when you reach that point in the process.
Citadel offers a summer internship, but there may be a fall and/or winter internship offered as well. Talk to your recruiting contact about the options available to you.
We encourage and appreciate transparency throughout your candidacy and beyond. Please let us know as soon as you receive another offer, or progress through an interview process with a different firm. In these situations we do our best to accommodate your deadlines.
Please flag to your recruiter if you are interested in additional roles at the firm and we will sync with the respective recruiters internally. Typically, candidates are only able to interview for one role at a time.
We interview candidates during regular business hours, Monday-Friday, to respect our team’s schedules as much as possible.
