5 Citadel campus recruits on breaking in and getting ahead

As summer draws to a close for the 0.36% of applicants who landed a summer internship at Citadel and Citadel Securities, the question of how to get a return offer is heating up.

And for those who do come back to the hedge fund or market maker next year, the question will become how to stand out among the sea of brainiacs.

Ken Griffin’s companies, like other hedge funds, see investing in young talent as a strategic advantage.

Campus hires are about twice as likely to eventually be considered top performers, based on annual performance reviews, and some top leaders joined the firms at the beginning of their careers — Citadel Securities CEO Peng Zhao was hired right after finishing graduate school, and Citadel COO Gerald Beeson was an intern in 1993.

Business Insider spoke to five former interns and campus hires — three quantitative researchers, one engineer, and one trader — about getting a job, moving up, and advice for the youngest class.