It’s hard to get to know a company through a cold application, so I prioritized finding unique personal perspectives to help orient me. I narrowed my search to a few industries: crypto (for the fun of the numbers and modeling, even though I knew it to be a high-risk industry), and hedge funds (for the compensation and because I was already working in finance, even though I knew it could be a blow to the happiness factor). There was a third category of miscellaneous companies that just “seemed interesting” based on how they described their work.
I spent several weeks talking to recruiters at 20–30 companies before focusing on a small handful. This narrowing was assisted by a couple recruiters who were particularly open, honest, positive, and not pushy during the process. They were not just interested in “placing me,” they clearly wanted me to find the best match. Talking to recruiters didn’t just provide insight into individual companies, these conversations also helped me understand the hiring process better. A couple really great recruiters broke down the steps for me in detail and took the time to explain how different companies approach each stage of the process.
