CV, LinkedIn and recruitment - into a prop firm

Prop firms and funds do not buy the story “I have always been interested in the markets”. They buy proof that you can manage risk inside a rulebook and demonstrate it with numbers. A retail trader’s CV written like a salesperson’s CV ends up in the bin. A trader’s CV that reads like an audit report gets an interview. LinkedIn is not a place for motivational quotes, only for a measurable process.

The recruitment process looks different in prop versus an institution. In prop: you buy a challenge, you trade, you show the certificate, you get a conversation about funding or scaling. In an institution: CV → case study / numerical test → technical interview → risk interview → internship offer. In a small prop / family office type fund: CV + track record + 2-4 weeks of live trading on a small account.

This lesson takes the CV, LinkedIn and the selection process apart piece by piece.

Lesson goal and what you will measure

After this lesson you will be able to:

• Write a 1-page trader CV with metrics, not adjectives.
• Build a LinkedIn profile that attracts recruiters from trading / risk / quant.
• Prepare for the 3 stages of recruitment at a bank / an investment fund company (TFI) / a prop firm with asset management.
• Measure conversion: CVs sent → replies → interviews → offer.

Measures at the end: a finished CV as PDF, a LinkedIn profile with 5 measurable sections, a database of 30 companies to apply to, a recruitment conversion table.

The trader CV - what it must contain and what it must not

A recruiter spends 7 seconds on the top half of the page. If there are no numbers there, they do not read further.

The formula for a 1-line P&L in a CV:

CV_line = Role + Period + Number_of_Trades + PF + Max_DD% + System + Tool

Example: Prop Trader (FTMO/5ers) | 06.2023-12.2024 | 1,240 trades | PF 1.51 | Max DD 6.9% | Intraday breakout | MT5 + Python journal

For a retail prop CV: focus on rule discipline. Add a “Prop Compliance” section:

• 3 challenges passed / 5 attempts
• 4 payouts, total amount, average time to payout 28 days
• Daily DD never breached for technical reasons (or once - with the lesson drawn from it)

For an institution / an investment fund company (TFI) CV: add 2 elements that prop does not test:

• Understanding of costs: slippage, market impact, borrow cost
• A quantitative project: for example COT analysis in Python, a momentum backtest on the WIG20 with overfitting control.

LinkedIn - a profile that filters out the noise

LinkedIn for a trader is not Instagram. The algorithm rewards 3 things: keywords in the headline, activity in substantive comments, and recommendations from people in the industry.

Headline (220 characters): Template: [Role] | [Market/System] | [Metrics] | [Tools] | [Looking for/open to] Example: Systematic Futures Trader | Breakout + VWAP | PF 1.4, DD<8% verified | Python, MT5, Myfxbook | Open to Junior Prop / Risk Desk Warsaw

About (5 sentences, not a life story):

1. Who you are in numbers. 2. Your system in 1 sentence. 3. How you manage risk. 4. What you are building now (for example a second, low-correlation system). 5. What you are looking for.

Featured:

• A link to Myfxbook (verified, a public track record with an investor password).
• A 1-page PDF with the equity curve and 12M statistics.
• A GitHub repo with a journal or a backtest.
• A case study: “How I reduced max DD from 14% to 7% by changing position sizing”.

Activity: Comment 3 times a week under posts by risk managers, institutional traders and prop firms (not under memes). Write a post once every 2 weeks using the formula: problem → data → conclusion → question to the network.

LinkedIn_week = 3 substantive comments + 1 post with a chart + 2 new contacts from the target list

LinkedIn_conversion = Invitations_sent / Accepted * Replies_to_message

Starting goal: acceptance conversion >35%, replies >15% with 30 invitations sent to prop firms / funds.

The company database - where to apply

The recruitment process - what happens after you send your CV

Stage 1 - Numerical / logical test (institution): 30-60 min, 20-30 tasks. Train mental math: 7.8% of 234k, P&L at 1.5R and 0.7% risk, lot conversion.

Stage 2 - Case study:

• Prop: “You have 50k, daily DD 4%, max DD 8%, a target of 8% in 30 days - which system do you choose and why? Show your sizing.” They expect: a small risk of 0.5%, a maximum of 2 positions open at once, no increasing size after a loss.
• Fund: “Analyse company X, give a recommendation together with the risk.” They expect: a DCF model + risk factors + position sizing of max 2% per idea.

Stage 3 - The risk interview: The most important questions: “What do you do after 3 losses in a row?”, “Describe your biggest loss and what you changed”, “How do you calculate position size?”, “When do you not trade?”, “How do you measure that the system has stopped working?”

An answer without numbers = fail. Always: a number, a rule, a log.

When the plan says do not trade

• When you have sent 20+ CVs and got 0 replies - do not trade, stop for 5 days and rebuild your headline and your metrics. The problem is not the market, it is your communication.
• When you are going to an interview without a prepared 1-page audit of your track record - do not go, reschedule.
• When your LinkedIn profile has 3 motivational posts and 0 charts / data in the last month - do not apply to a fund, first build a feed with evidence.
• When you are applying to a prop firm and to a bank at the same time with the same CV - do not send it. Those are two different CVs and two different languages.
• When your CV lists instruments you have never traded live (for example options) - do not trade them, remove them from the CV before verification.

The mistakes that cost the most

1. A 2-page CV full of buzzwords. A trading recruiter does not read “creative, motivated”. They read “max DD 22%” and close the CV. One page, numbers, a link, a project.
2. LinkedIn with no external proof. 100% of “I am profitable” claims with no Myfxbook verified = 0 credibility. Even a small 3k account with a 6-month history is better than empty claims.
3. Sending your CV everywhere. 100 applications with no personalisation have a 1% conversion rate. 20 applications with personalisation and a note to the hiring manager have a 15-25% conversion rate. Measure it.
4. Lying about your track record. A fund will call the broker or ask for the investor password. One false sentence ends a career in a small market like Warsaw.

Measurable exercise

72h task: The recruitment package

1. Write a 1-page CV using the template from the section above. Save it as PDF: FirstName_LastName_Trader_CV.pdf
2. Rebuild your LinkedIn: a new headline + About + add Featured with 2 links (Myfxbook or an equity curve PDF).
3. Build a database of 30 companies in a spreadsheet:

4. Send 10 personalised invitations with a 200-character note. Measure: sent / accepted / replies.

Pass criterion: 1 finished CV + 1 LinkedIn profile with metrics + a spreadsheet of 30 companies + 10 invitations sent with >30% acceptance.

Check yourself

1. Which 5 metrics must a trader CV headline contain to pass the 7-second filter?
2. Why should a retail prop CV and an investment fund company (TFI) CV differ? Give 3 differences in language.
3. How do you calculate recruitment conversion, and at what value do you change your application strategy?
4. Describe the structure of a LinkedIn post that builds a trader’s credibility instead of destroying it.
5. List 3 questions from the risk interview and give an answer in the number + rule + log format.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a photo in a CV for a fund in Poland? It is not required, but on LinkedIn a professional photo increases invitation acceptance by 30-40%. No filters, an office or a neutral background.

Should I show losing months in my track record? Yes. Hidden losses are a red flag. Show every month, with a note on what you changed. Auditability > a perfect curve.

How long does it take to build a profile that attracts recruiters? 30 days of consistency: 12 substantive comments + 2 posts with data + 1 GitHub/Notion project brings the first inbound contacts.

What if I have a career gap? Describe it with a project: “06.2023-12.2023 - building a journal of 400 trades + backtesting 2 systems in Python”. A gap with no project is a minus. A gap with a project is a plus.

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This material is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute career advice or a guarantee of employment.

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