Basic Information

• Company Name: Dynamic Technology Lab
• Name: Hardik Gohil
• Role: Quant Researcher
• Location: Singapore

Please elaborate on your internship role and/or any projects that you did?

I cannot elaborate much due to company policies. I was given a family of models which did not have much known or published applications in finance yet. I had to use some versions of these models with suitable modifications, architectural changes, training pipelines, to tailor them to make profitable trading strategies on equity data. Also, I was free to try any other ideas as well, be it statistical or some other ml models which were not part of the family, once in a while.

Please describe the selection process in detail (tests + interviews)?

There was one test for each profile (software and quant). The shortlists would be separate for both profiles and generally, if cpi is really good, then might be shortlisted in both. The tests were on paper and the questions were really good. They were different from standard quant prep questions. I think even if you can give a reasonable answer(does not need to be correct end to end) to 4 or 5 out of 7 (at our time), it is good enough to get the interview shortlist. The interview has two rounds. In both rounds, you will have a mix of resume based questions and probability/strategy questions. The interview questions are relatively easier than the test. Needless to say, should be thorough with your resume

What was your preparation strategy for Quant roles (trading and/or software)?

I did Brainstellar and 50 Challenging problems in probability

What were the working hours like?

8:45 - 6:30

How would you describe the structure, work culture and work-life balance of the company?

Structure is completely flat, work culture is really chill. No one is forcing you to work. You can chill during work hours. There are weekly meets. So if you don’t make much progress, which is hard in the beginning since you are completely new, it messes the work life balance a bit

A lot of Quant firms claim they don’t have silos, and use this as a USP. How true is this for the company you interned at?

I didn’t collaborate with anyone apart from my mentor who is also a QR like me during the course of my internship

Was there any evaluation criteria followed by the company, if yes could you elaborate?

Not that I know of

How did the internship influence your career interests?

It made me believe that I can do QR as a job

How would you rate your overall internship experience?

I learnt a lot. I’d like if there was more supervision and collaboration. I’d rate it a 4/5

Any myths or unknown facts you would like to bust/reveal? Feel free to add in any comments you have.

nan

One piece of advice for someone preparing for similar roles.

Master probability as much as you can. Secondly, it benefits to know stochastic, statistics and Machine learning concepts.