7 rounds of interviews over 4 months: • A first review of your past research (a PhD is required) lasting 45 minutes. • A 4-hour technical test with both numerical questions and theoretical problems (based on the textbook by Potters and Bouchaud). • A 1-hour seminar to present your past research to all the researchers. • 4 rounds of interviews with managers, HR, and IT. These interviews are rather strange and frustrating, with no clear purpose: you end up talking to people who repeatedly ask the same questions and seem as unsure of their role in the process as you are. It’s quite difficult to understand what these people do and how the teams at CFM work. The company remains somewhat of a mystery, as no one really takes the time to present it to you. In the end, my application was rejected due to my “technical weaknesses,” despite the excellent feedback I received on the only technical test. This feedback felt quite awkward, as did the entire process, which does little to help you improve your skills. Ultimately, I would not recommend applying for a position at this company.

I spent two months passing 7 interviews only to be told that I am just a substitute in case the ideal candidates wont accept the offer. The interviewers didn't even look at my CV and they just glossed over the process as formality. I overlooked these red flags because the chairman is a supposedly respectable physicist who is a member of the French Academy of Sciences so I thought the firm must have a high moral standard. Turned out I was wrong and this is the most humiliating hiring process that I have undergone. Most candidates deny their offer due to low base salary so they have to mass interview surrogates, a cheap trick that not many hedge funds have to pull out. If you have no other options and are not afraid of wasting 2 months then give it a shot, you might end up getting the offer if no one else wants it. - First round: interview with a researcher: asking about your PhD and your past experience, no technical question in my case, just need to clearly explain what I have done. - Second round: technical test and presenting the result to another researcher. The test is quite easy. - Third round: a seminar where you present some of your research problems. Even though they say that the purpose of this round is to test your communication, presentation and general research skill, in reality they won't listen to you unless you have done a PhD in statistical physics involving a lot of numerical simulations. - Fourth to Seventh round: interviews with HR and different managers. The purpose of these rounds is to waste as much of your time as possible, they just repeat the same questions like "What do you know about CFM?", "What do you expect from us?", "Do you know anyone working at CFM?"...

Got offered an interview with a researcher by HR, 2 weeks after having applied online. 1 hour interview discussing my profile, achievements and technical skills. I was asked to give a short presentation about my past research projects. Then there was room for 15 minutes of questions from my side about the company. Very professional interviewer.