Every day I take it upon myself to tell thousands of new college grads about exciting entry-level jobs. You’d think I’d pay enough attention to notice a company that does a ton of college recruiting, has a great work culture for young people, and is right in my “backyard.” Apparently I don’t. I came across a job listing for Bridgewater Associates and was intrigued because they are located in Westport, CT - the town where I went to high school. I figured I must have heard of them at some point and since forgotten about them. My curiosity continued, and I checked out their location on Google Maps. Then I saw this photo tagged for their location, and it hit me. This company is located on the banks of one of my favorite trout streams! Any good job searcher should know to never ignore the opportunities that are right under your nose. So, right off the bat, we know that Bridgewater’s people get to work in a beautiful location and have a great way to spend their lunch breaks if they’re interested in piscatorial pursuits.
I’m sure that my anecdote has left you wondering what exactly Bridgewater does. They currently manage “$140 billion in global investments for a wide array of institutional clients, including foreign governments and central banks, corporate and public pension funds.” Many would call them a hedge fund (although they don’t seem to be too keen on that terminology). The company is based on a strategy called “Pure Alpha,” which is based on separating “value-added return from active management” from “return from passively holding a portfolio” to create optimal portfolios for each. They’ve beaten global markets for 15 years, so it is apparently working for them.
Bridgewater Associates appears to be making a lot of money, and it seems like they’re looking to spend that money by hiring new people. Their Job Bank has a variety of opportunities, many of which are targeted at new college grads. Their College Recruiting page shows 3 young people - one in a hoodie, another with her feet up on the desk, and another sitting on the desk - and mentions 4 positions that are typically geared towards the entry-level. These are Management Associate, Investment Associate, Operations Associate, and Portfolio Accountant. These are general job descriptions and not specific listings, but they offer great insight into what you’d be doing in one of these jobs.
Bridgewater is all about being different. They appear to be very relaxed with flex-time and casual dress, and they seem to do anything to encourage the free flow of ideas. They’re not offering your typical finance jobs. They seem to be extremely friendly to young people, and have one of the best online entry-level recruiting presences we’ve seen. They are located in Westport, CT, which is certainly not a hotspot for social opportunities (I can vouch personally for that), but New York City is just an hour train ride away.
Browsing Bridgewater Associates’ job listings is a different experience than what you’d typically be accustomed to. In some ways it’s really helpful, and in others it’s a little irritating. They ask you to pick from 14 areas and then view jobs by area. There’s no way to view all openings at once. Since multiple areas may interest the same candidates (especially entry-level candidates who may not have a clear idea of what they want to do), it would be a lot more convenient to find just entry-level positions listed somewhere on their College Recruiting page. Not all of the jobs geared towards new grads are finance heavy - there are also entry-level opportunities in support roles. Applying online looks easy, and you can apply for multiple positions with one application. If you doubt that your major will be a good fit for a particular job, just take a look at Bridgwater’s Employee Profiles. You can view them by Job Title or Major, which will show you that there’s even a place at Bridgewater for History and Chemistry majors.
Links to Help You Begin Your Research
Seriously considering a job at Bridgewater Associates and want to know more about the area? Leave a comment, and I’ll answer any questions that you may have.
Do I Know Anyone at Bridgewater Associates? - Check LinkedIn | Check Facebook
Tags: communications, Connecticut, entry-level jobs, finance, human resources, investment, marketing
We've worked directly with Alcoa to identify their best career opportunities for new college grads. They have a wide variety of jobs in locations all across the country, so there's something for everyone. Take a look at our exclusive feature on Alcoa's entry-level jobs.
Want to look back further? Visit our job archives, try a search, or use the tag cloud below.
accounting California design education engineering entry-level jobs finance holiday Illinois international job search marketing nationwide New York non-profit research sales software development Texas Washington DC
Want more insight on entry-level job search? Visit our job search blog or our archive of job search tips.
Can't find what you're looking for on One Day, One Job? Send us a request. In the meantime, try an Indeed search.
HAHAHAHAHA. Nothing about this paragraph is in the LEAST bit true. Save yourself a lot of time and hassle, find another hedge fund. There are plenty of them around.
“Bridgewater is all about being different. They appear to be very relaxed with flex-time and casual dress, and they seem to do anything to encourage the free flow of ideas. They’re not offering your typical finance jobs. They seem to be extremely friendly to young people, and have one of the best online entry-level recruiting presences we’ve seen. They are located in Westport, CT, which is certainly not a hotspot for social opportunities (I can vouch personally for that), but New York City is just an hour train ride away.”
Hi AR_750,
Thanks for your input. If you notice the language of the paragraph that you quoted, we used words like “seem” and “appear” based on the image that is portrayed by Bridgewater Associates on their website. They’ve certainly put in the effort to sell themselves as a different type of hedge fund, so we’re willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s hard to take anonymous comments seriously when they don’t even include any statements to back up an opinion.
Maybe we were wrong about Bridgewater Associates - it’s hard to know for sure - but we can say that they do a heck of a job presenting their entry-level job opportunities online. There aren’t many companies that we can say that about.
Also, I can ensure you that the truth of my statement about Westport, CT’s not being a hotspot for social opportunities is very true.
You can not base your entire opinion off a website. That is the part i find ridiculous about your post. My advice to you would be to go on linked in, or some other site as such, and talk to people that have/do actually work there. Or even better, go on an interview there yourself. Any schmo can make a website that makes their company sound like its all free money and cupcakes. I assure you, most places are neither. I did not mean to lump in the Westport comment, i agree, its a town devoid of social interaction, full of yuppies, future Yale closet cases.
Hello again,
You’re right, we can’t base our entire opinion off of their website, but we can use it as a starting off point to encourage our readers to look into employment opportunities with Bridgewater. That’s why we also encourage our readers to heed our articles - like this one on Digging Dirt on Employers. Every job searcher should do his or her due diligence before deciding to work anywhere.
With that said, many of the companies that we look at don’t do a very good job of presenting themselves online. When we see a company that invests money, time, and effort in creating a good recruiting presence, that signals to us that they put a high value on talent. It’s not always an accurate indicator, but it’s right more often than not. That’s why we decided to share Bridgewater with our readers. If any schmo can make a website that makes their company sound great, then why do so few companies actually do so?
We welcome others to join the conversation and share their comments on experiences working at Bridgewater Associates.
There’s a reason that we allow comments on our posts. We want there to be thorough opportunity for conversation about companies and there jobs; however, it’s hard to take someone seriously when they hid behind the veil of anonymity. Moreover, it’s interesting to see that you are posting from an IP address that happens to be a company that Bridgewater invests in. I can’t be sure that this is a motivating factor in your comments, but it is certainly suspicious. Your claims have been vague and negative, if you can’t be specific and use your real name to post, then there’s really no sense in your leaving any future comments.
As someone who has had some experience working for Bridgewater, which AR_750 pretty clearly has not, I would say that your initial assessment was fairly accurate. It is a very unusual place to work, and the no-nonsense culture is not for everyone. But for the right type of person, it can be a very challenging and fulfilling experience. They do have both a relaxed dress code and a work environment that tries to encourage a free flow of ideas, so I don’t know where AR_750 got his information. They are also an extremely friendly place for a young person to work, if only because they have a very young workforce (many of the managers are themselves only in their late 20s or early 30s, to say nothing of the entry level people).
I guess I’d just have to suggest that AR_750 actually try looking at the company for himself before he makes such strong comments. The recruiting website - like any company’s recruiting materials - paints an attractive picture of what working at Bridgewater is like, but other than the usual rose-colored glasses I don’t find anything in there that is misleading or inaccurate. AR_750 must have something against the company that he isn’t revealing.
Bwater’s culture is very different from most financial companies, and living that culture is one of the key elements to being successful there. Anyone who says “Sure, find another Hedge Fund” knows nothing about Bwater, and well… Someone with the mindset of AR_750 probably couldn’t survive a week. But for the right people (cream of the crop, Ivy League are just the bare minimum) it’s an amazing place to work, be challenged, and very well compensated.
I worked there, it was great when I “pretended” it was internally; If you’re not MIT, RIT, Yale, Harvard, Princeton,…forget it! Depending on what division you work in may dictate how your experience is. I can say from personal experience that it sucked. I’m very intellectual, Ivy league degree…and it sucked, basically an all day pissing contest, “I’m smarter”, “NO, I’m smarter” “No…I am” “Well then submit an issue on it, explaining why you’re lack of ability in seeing my superior intellect is preventing you from agreeing that I am smarter” It was a joke. Let me tell it like this, if you’re into going to work everyday and giving 100%, then being graded a C or B- for the span of your career there…then apply. GOOD LUCK! The only 1 good thing is the money is good for a second, then you’ll realize getting the life sucked out of you isn’t worth it. Oh, and there’s some hot chicks there…that’s about it…just MY opinion based on experience.
It looks like we have some serious mixed feelings about Bridgewater. The consensus is that they only hire grads from elite / Ivy League schools, but other than that it’s either awesome or really sucks. Maybe it’s both depending on who you are and what your personality is? It’s too bad that most of the comments have been left anonymously.
I got an e-mail from someone at Bridgewater who wanted to discuss some of the things that I wrote about in this post. That seemed like a big positive, because he seemed interested in improving the user experience on their Careers page. I responded quickly, and also told him that it might be a good idea to comment on this post. I never heard back from him.
I still think Bridgewater Associates looks like a very intriguing place to work. These posts are just a starting point for research anyway. They are by no means the final word.
Well Willy, mistake number 1 is letting anyone at Bridgewater know you’re writing about them publically, positive or negative…they don’t want people speaking about them publically. One of the first forms you sign with them is a confidentiality agreement… so the likelihood of them ever posting something on this forum is 0%.
I mean really, do a search on google for any other forum that speaks about Bridgewater…first off there very hard to find, second if you did find one, you’d only see posts from former employees like myself, or wannbes.
They could give a shit what little people like us think of them. They’re not a publically held company, you would never be a customer of Bridgewater…so they don’t care.
My personality is adaptive, I can make it in any environment…someone who worked at Bridgewater who no longer works there can automatically be assumed to be less than. I’m a thorough bred, I got hired after all. It’s an ultra, ultra, elitist mentality that would make anyone’s stomach hurl.
Good luck.
And Willy, don’t be so cavalier, as in acting like you’re interviewing them as a company…they hire 1 out of every few thousand people. If you aren’t being agressively pursued by them, or don’t know anyone on the inside that could help you in the door, I’d say forget it, you’re wasting your time.
Hi,
I recently interviewed at Bridgewater. Some of my thoughts are below. Feel free to disagree with anything I write, these thoughts are based on my impression of the firm from the interview process and what others have told me who worked/interviewed there. Also, I have listed some questions I have about Bridgewater.
* They target graduates from the “elite” schools for entry level positions, but they have hired from outside of the ivy league. Experienced hires come from all over the place. It seems the most important thing to them is you can take/give criticism, you are intelligent/creative, and are competent in your field.
* They have a no nonsense and open culture. If you say something that doesn’t make sense they will tell you that. They will also tell you if you’ve done well. If you get defensive when criticized, they’ll ask you to leave.
* They are very passionate about their jobs and they work a lot. A 12 hour day sounds pretty standard. It’s not a place to ride out your career, it seems that if you go there you will work long hours and will be expected to produce.
Some questions for those who have worked there…
* In theory, Bridgewater employees do not let their egos interfere with work, but is that reality?
* Do employees undercut each other/how much competition exists between employees? Do employees form friendships with each other or is it entirely business all the time?
* Do the employees have personal lives (girlfriends/boyfriends, husbands/wives/children) outside of work?
* If you have worked there, what did you like about the firm? what did you dislike?
* Where do people go when they leave Bridgewater?
Thanks in advance to anyone answering these questions.
@It sucked there - If you’re a former employee, I don’t really understand the necessity of remaining anonymous. It’s obvious that you didn’t like your experience at Bridgewater, and I’m happy to have you here sharing your perspective. I think your comments would be much more meaningful if you posted with a real name and e-mail address and were a little bit less inflammatory. Would that be a violation of your confidentiality agreement? All I know about you is what you’ve posted and what my server logs tell me about how you got here, and I don’t think it’s appropriate to reveal that without your permission.
One thing that I can say is that some of your assertions are downright wrong. Bridgewater does seem to care what I think, considering I was e-mailed by a gentleman who is a Communications Associate at Bwater. He never responded to my response to his e-mail, but I just followed up now. Hopefully he will get back to me, and maybe even comment on this post. He seemed happy to have had us feature Bridgewater’s entry-level jobs, so I don’t see how letting Bridgewater know that I’m writing about them is a mistake.
I’m not an expert on Bridgewater. I chose to feature them on this site, because their job opportunities for new college grads looked compelling. I did a decent amount of research on them, but this post is meant to be a starting off point for job seekers to begin their research. I’ll continue to publish your comments, but I ask that you use a more respectful tone.
On another note, you said it yourself that Bridewater only takes the elite of the elite. If someone is that good, then he or she should act like he/she’s interviewing the company (as opposed to being interviewed). To be honest, everyone should take that perspective when searching for a job. I don’t care how much of a reach it is for you to get the job, you need to show that you value yourself highly. Confidence goes a long way.
@MBS - Thanks for your comments. Your perspective and observations are appreciated, as is your tone. Great questions! I hope you get some detailed answers.
I think Bridgewater’s “no nonsense” culture is the reason for the mixed feeling. One thing the poster with such negative opinions did say that was spot on was this: “Let me tell it like this, if you’re into going to work everyday and giving 100%, then being graded a C or B- for the span of your career there…then apply”.
That is Bridgewater in a nutshell - set the bar as high as possible, then triple that. If you find the idea of being stretched with incredibly difficult work, told very precisely and very critically where you have succeeded and where you have come up short, and then being given even harder work for the next go around to be an appealing one, then you will like Bridgewater.
If you aren’t somehow who takes criticism very well or would simply prefer not to be criticized so harshly in the work environment, especially if you are performing the basic necessities of the job well (showing up on time, doing your work, etc.), then I think it is understandable that you would find the environment at Bridgewater very off-putting, and you may not last long. Bridgewater is an unusual work environment that some people are going to love and others are going to be completely put off by. The only thing you can do is see it for yourself and try to judge your own personality fit.
MBS: I have only a short experience with Bridgewater thus far, but I can try to answer your questions. Maybe an employee with more experience will stumble upon this blog and give better answers later.
(1) I did not see examples of ego getting in the way, though the people are generally very strong-minded and open in voicing their opinions, so you have to get used to a lot of open conflict in the decision-making process. I never saw anyone attempt to undermine the decisions that were made because of ego or otherwise compromise the best efforts of the company, however.
(2) I did not see any examples of employees undercutting one another, and the employees absolutely form friendships with one another. It is not at all an “all business” environment in that sense.
(3) Absolutely, though they all understand that Bridgewater is not a 9-5 job. If the idea of having to cancel a dinner date because something came up late at the office is anathema to you, Bridgewater (and really the entire finance industry, at least from what I have seen) might not be the best place for you. That’s not to suggest that it happens every night (it definitely isn’t investment banking…), or even very often - but it does happen.
(4) I love the place. It fits my personality very well. Very challenging, very intellectual, and ultimately a very fun place to work. I think personality fit may be more important than almost anything else when considering Bridgewater.
(5) Some have gone on to other hedge funds or asset management groups, many stay with Bridgewater for a long time (there is no fixed term of employment, such as the 2-year analyst programs at some finance companies), and many simply switch gears all together. They hire a lot of people who are liberal arts majors or other non-stereotypical finance types, so it isn’t too surprising to hear of someone leaving the company to go to law school or something similar.
First off Willy, if I wanted to be known, I would have identified myself as such from my first post.
Blogs are opinions; I don’t care how long or short someones career was/is at bwater, opinions I’m sure would be all over the board.
People who love love bwater are making big big bucks, more than just 150-200k. They are also people that are considered veterans, or newbies who haven’t yet realized the harshness of the culture.
I can tell you from experience, (and this may be depending on division) that my boss and some of my colleagues expressed they were losing their sense of humor there…and that was because there was absolutely no light at the end of the tunnel.
One thing to note is the following: the interview process is rigorous, generally there’s a fairly good sense on both sides that the candidate/new hire is a good fit… so must not diminish the interview process into thinking someone “isn’t cut out for it” They certainly don’t want to throw money away. There’s always the exceptions where it truly isn’t a good fit.
John L…the only reason why you may see bonding among your team/colleagues is because they are the only friends they have…when a company expects 10+ hours from you aday, and feeds you lunch everyday, doesn’t that little bell go off in your head making you think “they really must think it’s more productive to keep us here, feed us, so we don’t leave or have a life” . . well that’s why they do it. bwater is smart in every sense of the word.
John L, I strongly disagree with bullet points 1) and 2) . . number 3) is speculatory and kind of useless example.
John L bullets 4) and 5) I think are ‘you’ in your honey moon phase of being happy to net 10-15k a month, happy to have a job in this economy, and just whatever.
Willy good luck as I’ve said 2 times before. This blog has served as more of a healing process from the whole experience than informative…geeez thanks Willy. Who should I mail the check out to? LOL - JK.
DNS: RI.EAST.COX.NET - that’s all the info I’ll disclose about myself. Sort of obvious if I once worked in Westport, CT.
Willy, get out your Samsonite as you’ll need to move from CA to CT . . Woo Hooo . . because bwater doesn’t think highly of employees that want to work from home…and CA is a bit far.
Ciao!!
@It sucked there - That’s much better. Thanks for being more civil this time. I think you might be mistaken though, I have no interest in working for Bridgewater. I have a job that I love, and it’s running this site. A move wouldn’t be necessary either. I don’t know where you got the idea of my being in CA, but I can assure you that I live no more than 15 minutes from Bridgewater’s office.
As for the check, just PayPal me. All you need is my e-mail address, which you can find quite easily on this site.
When I did a domain query for (onedayonejob.com) it revealed an address in CA. Sorry for sounding presumptuous.
Our host is located in Cali, that’s why that came up. I work out of CT right now, but will be making the move to Chicago in the next couple of months.