HR call standard 30 minutes. Tell me about yourself, why this role, etc.
Next round in person with a TA. Fairly open-ended discussion, allowing you to ask a lot of questions. Also, a 10-question Excel exam, and two questionare like packets.
I applied online. I interviewed at Gerald Group in Nov 2023
Interview
Do NOT apply to work here. They wasted over 3.5 months of my time. Nailed all the interviews. Got positive feedback after each one. First interview was in early November. Went from "we want the start date to be January 1st" to "we want the hiring process done by the end of January" to "we are almost done" in mid February. By this time the hiring manager said they wanted to hire me but did not give me an offer because they still were not done with their process. Then a couple weeks later they said "it is going to take a while now" along with other garbage. Then they told me in an email, "As I said we have nothing available" even though that was a lie, since they told me they haven't hired anyone on their team yet. They were awful with communication from the hiring manager and HR. Do not apply here if you care about your time. Recruiters move people from here to other companies often for a reason.
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Gerald Group (Stamford, CT) in Aug 2025
Interview
Simple process. Had a 20-30 minute screening call with HR, was asked basic questions about my interest in the commodities trading space and willingness to work on-site 5 days a week. After that, I was invited for a 3.5-hour in-person interview. None of my interviewers seemed prepared with any questions, nor did they try to keep the conversation flowing. Seemed like each of them just wanted to get it over with. I was told that I would be updated and could be invited to a final interview with the CFO, who is head of the Stamford office. Overall interview experience was normal and not all that challenging. A few technical questions, but nothing excessively complex.
The real issue was with communication after the second round. I spent nearly 4 hours at their offices between interviews and an Excel assessment and was then ghosted. I reached out to HR two weeks later, asking for an update and never received a response. The position was a stretch given my experience (an interviewer told me as much), so I understand them goign with another candidate, but I do expect at least an email updating me.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why are you interested in commodities trading?
What are your career goals?