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- Analyse business and macroeconomic data to try to 'beat' the market
- Utilise your analytical skills and decision making to help your clients get a positive return
- Have the appetite to take on 'risky' investments
As a portfolio manager of hedge funds, you'll engage in risky investments, managing a pool of funds to grow it over time. Each hedge fund has its own unique investment strategy to beat market returns.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
You might start out as an analyst, and your day-to-day tasks could involve researching the financials of companies and financial products to invest in, helping the portfolio managers with their investment strategies.
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
Employees in hedge funds usually receive a higher compensation package due to the higher returns gained from hedge funds. You'll work long hours, in an office, and your working environment may be stressful at times.
You'll need
For this role, you'll need analytical skills, time management skills, excellent communication skills, the ability to cope well under pressure, and knowledge of accounting and finance.
You would normally require a degree in a numerical subject to work at a hedge fund. It is pretty rare for hedge funds to recruit students straight out of university, but it can happen. Students who do go into a hedge fund as the first step in their career will normally have undergone an internship at an investment bank or asset management firm during their time at university.
Transitions into a hedge funds are usually made later on in a career, with most hedge fund analysts having worked in research, sales or trading at an investment bank beforehand.
CAREER PROSPECTS
As a portfolio manager, you'll progress onto bigger portfolios with more money. A senior portfolio manager position is usually the end of a career path, but you could move on to start your own firm.