Pros: Excellent culture. Very anti-corporate. The focus here is not about the titles, policies, micromanagement, politics, bureaucracy and layoffs when the P&L takes a hit which is what I experienced at other financial firms. It’s about collaboration, teaming, decision making, innovation, delivery and empowering people to be the best they can be to contribute to SIG’s success. I faced culture shock when I arrived at SIG but easily adapted once I realized how this culture contributes to SIG’s overall success and individual and team success. I’ll take this culture along with the jeans and sneakers and shorts in the summer over the suit and tie and wing tipped shoes I trashed years ago. I consider the managing directors to be approachable, friendly and fun, and passionate about their employees and company success. I also consider them to be some of the top risk managers on Wall Street. Their proven track record in trading and approach to running the company gives me confidence and comfort that we are part of a winning team especially when facing tough financial markets. We have very friendly, intelligent, skilled hard working employees committed to the success of the organization with the willingness to educate and help each other. Traders and Technologists are united partners that shape our overall Trading business. Employees have the opportunity to grow and have greater impact along the way if they are determined and committed to do so. Open communication and idea sharing is encouraged not discouraged. Fairly flat organization structure which contributes to the lack of politics and bureaucracy. As such, decisions are made very quickly and people are more productive. The Technology team is led by a CIO who is committed to ensuring that her team is core to the success of the business by delivering innovative solutions that give our business an edge on their competition. The team is unified, committed to innovation and delivering cutting edge and bleeding edge technologies to our trading business. This fosters an exciting, challenging and rewarding environment for technologists. Micromanagement is non-existent but exposure to all levels within the organization is the norm. We are focused on overcoming challenges and making the impossible possible. These are things I didn’t experience at previous employers. The workload is generally heavy and consistent across the Technology organization. This is why prioritization is a key area of focus. If you are looking for a 9 to 5 job with many breaks throughout the day then this is not be the place for you. If you are a highly motivated technologist looking to be challenged and busy and working with complex technologies then SIG could be the right place for you. I’ve seen a significant commitment to the evolution of our education programs such as co-operative and internship programs and our Technology Associates program. I’ve seen each produce opportunities for recent grads to join SIG full time and have successful careers over the years. These are a few examples of the many channels used to attract and hire top talent. Benefits and perks are good. Free breakfast/lunch is one of the better perks. In addition to being free, I don’t have to contend with traffic and lines at local food establishments wasting time. This allows me to get back to work faster. After working for other financial firms, I consider SIG to be the crown jewel of Wall Street. Among other things, the owners, people, culture, team approach and my ability to innovate and have impact is what keeps me at SIG. To me, this is the place to be if you if you want a challenging and rewarding career as a technologist at a financial firm.

Cons: The grass is not always greener, but in most cases, it’s much greener than any of the other Wall Street financial firms I worked at during my career. That, along with my consistent losing streak at the annual poker tournament and in any of the many sweepstakes that take place at SIG throughout the year, are the only cons that come to mind.

Pros: Casual, relaxed, great work environment, great superiors

Cons: I can work to improve certain things.

Pros: Great atmosphere 18 paid for social events in one year Breakfast and dinner provided everyday On site gym with free classes

Cons: High performance expected, you have to work hard or be very good at what you do to get hired full time.