Pros
a) Company Culture: The company embraces a rather easy-going environment with a casual dress code, flat hierarchy and does not micro-manage. Probably no one would believe that we are traders just by looking at us and how we carry ourselves. Snooty people are a no-no in Genk so you won’t be having to deal with much office politics (there is barely any). When you are working here, you can basically turn to anyone in the office for help or advice when you need some and no one will think you are weird or incapable. For people who do not like to be micro-managed, they would fit in well as there are very few strict and fast rules here. Basically, do a daily review of your own trading, respect your trading limits (risk management), and be at your desk during active market hours (do not leave money on the table). As long as you are doing your job, contributing to the firm and not creating trouble, you will be fine. They do not necessarily hire highly trained and experienced traders with PhDs but their training regimen is very vigorous and thorough. Basically imagine every directly relevant topic studied in Masters of Finance, Economics, and Financial Modelling packed into one essential “Genk Training Kit”. Some might find it daunting but honestly, it’s a very rewarding shortcut to becoming a competent and profitable trader. You’re being paid to study rather than to pay to study and maybe not even find a job after graduation. Ultimately, once you graduate from the Genk School of Trading, you will feel really smart amongst your friends but feel like you are just an ordinary, average plain Joe/Jane amongst your colleagues. Also, one of the best things about management is that they truly believe that every individual is different and that every person has their own “edge”. They work together with us to identify our “edges” and then use it to derive more synergy within teams. Everyone’s job scope is thus a little different and our side projects outside trading hours are usually edge-related. As a result, things get done more efficiently and effectively and the rewards are shared and reaped by every contributing member in the team. If I’m hopeless at creating complex macros on excel for example, I’m not screwed because I can count on my partner and he/she can count on me for other stuff too. Lastly, there is no discrimination whatsoever on race, religion or gender. b) Job Scope: No two days are exactly the same. There are always small or big issues that crop up, such as trading environment changes or market changes, and we will need to refine our trading algos or strategies as and when these crop up. Besides trading and designing algos or spreadsheets, we also do some administrative work such as checking of our positions and statements. If you can envision yourself doing the same tasks every single day of your career, then this is not the job for you because it’s right on the opposite end of the spectrum. Working at Genk is definitely not monotonous. You can really feel the adrenaline when the market is going crazy and you never know when to expect for that to happen. We are trading on an international market and although it is anonymous on screen, knowing this coupled with attending networking sessions with market participants through seminars or lunches/dinners, you can feel connected to the rest of the world. At Genk, ideas are always welcome and each trader is more or less responsible for their own progress and you will really get to see the results (through your trades and commissions) if you keep trying and don’t give up (it is easy to get burnt out if you don’t manage yourself well). If you think you have reached your limit and the company disagrees, they will push you further to reach your potential and this can be very painful psychologically but beneficial in the long run if you can survive it. Honestly, there is no other trading firm or bank that I have come across, who would invest this much time, faith and money in an employee. Tell me when you’ve found one and I’ll tell you that you are damn lucky. This is the job for people who need a high sense of self-achievement and who are in pursuit of personal growth. You will be learning constantly and endlessly, analysing charts and recap videos of your own trading session, developing new ideas and algos.
Cons
a) Mentally challenging: Our hours are more or less defined by the respective market that we are trading so it really depends on which desk you are placed on. Outside of trading hours, we often have other work to do such as designing or refining our trading algorithms or administrative work such as checking our trading statements and balances. Also, the learning never ends. Active market hours are like adrenaline shots and you can feel mentally drained after the market closes. You will need to be very disciplined with your sleeping hours and with managing your personal health. Club at your own risk. b) Motivation: It is very easy to get swallowed, churned, and spit out on the market. You get burnt out when you try to sprint instead of pace yourself for a marathon. And then you start to think that you cannot continue anymore. I have yet to see Genk give up on a single individual but they will most definitely not coddle you. My advice is to always remember to pace yourself, acknowledge where your weaknesses are and focus on them, and to psychologically prepare yourself in advance for blood, sweat and tears.