Chicago, IL & Miami, FL·Founded 1990
Citadel / Citadel Securities
Hedge Fund & Market Maker.
About
What Citadel actually does
Citadel is one of the world's largest alternative investment managers, while Citadel Securities is a leading global market maker. Though related, they operate as separate entities with distinct interview processes. Both are known for their rigorous hiring standards and competitive compensation.
- Founded
- 1990
- HQ
- Chicago, IL & Miami, FL
- Team
- 4,000+
- Process
- 4-5 weeks
Focus areas
Interview process · 4-5 weeks
Round-by-round breakdown
- 1
Online Assessment
60-90 minutesPrimarily probability questions for trading roles. Coding assessment for developer roles focusing on Python and C++.
- Strong focus on probability for trading track
- Review data structures and algorithms for dev track
- Practice under time pressure
- 2
Phone Interview 1 (Technical + Behavioral)
45-60 minutesCombination of behavioral questions about your background and technical questions relevant to your role.
- Prepare your 'story' - why quant, why Citadel
- Have technical fundamentals ready
- Be concise and structured in responses
- 3
Phone Interview 2 (Technical)
45-60 minutesPredominantly technical interview diving deeper into role-specific skills. Trading focuses on probability and market scenarios.
- Trader: rapid-fire mental math and probability
- Developer: algorithms, data structures, system design
- Prepare questions to ask the interviewer
- 4
Onsite/Super Day
Full day (3-5 interviews)Multiple 60-minute interviews assessing technical skills, behavioral fit, and problem-solving. Mix of technical and behavioral throughout.
- Stamina matters - stay sharp all day
- Each interviewer evaluates independently
- Ask thoughtful questions in each session
Roles & tracks
Pick the desk that fits
Quantitative Researcher
Develop and implement quantitative trading strategies using statistical analysis and machine learning.
Quantitative Developer
Build high-performance trading systems and infrastructure. Strong focus on C++ and Python.
Quantitative Trader
Execute trading strategies and manage risk in real-time. Focus on market microstructure and decision making.
Salary · 2026
What Citadel pays
- Intern
- $5,000 - $7,500 per week (~$200k - $300k annualized)
- New grad
- $230k - $400k+ total compensation
- Senior
- $500k - $1.5M+ total compensation
PhD interns can earn $25k+ per month. Bonuses are heavily performance-based and can significantly exceed base salary.
See full comp datasetOpen roles
Currently hiring at Citadel
Quantitative Researcher
Quantitative Developer
Quantitative Trader
Candidate experience
What candidates flag at Citadel
4-5 weeks from OA to offer
4 rounds total. The first round is a 60-90 minutes online assessment; the final round is a full day (3-5 interviews) onsite/super day. Plan the prep arc against this timeline, not a generic one.
Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund · Market Making · Quantitative Trading
Hedge Fund & Market Maker. Interview rounds lean on the surface area where Citadel actually makes money. Expect questions that probe multi-strategy hedge fund and market making more than generic LeetCode patterns.
Understand the difference between Citadel LLC (hedge fund) and Citadel Securities (market maker)
Across the prep tips on this page, the recurring theme is reasoning out loud. Citadel interviewers care more about how you arrive at an answer than the answer itself. Plan to narrate.
Editorial summary derived from interview-process and prep-tip data. Anonymous member reviews launching with the /comp dataset.
Prep tips
What actually works for Citadel
- Understand the difference between Citadel LLC (hedge fund) and Citadel Securities (market maker)
- For trading: focus on mental math, probability, and expected value
- For dev: master C++ and Python, especially performance optimization
- Practice explaining complex concepts simply
- Research recent Citadel news and trading strategies
- Prepare thoughtful questions about the specific team/role
FAQ
