Quant Recruiting Tracker
This conversation was generated using Cook'd AI's career assistant and reviewed by Fallon Han from our editorial team for accuracy.
I'm a second-year CS student in Canada targeting quant trading roles at prop shops, and I need future work authorization. I want a dashboard that shows which firms have moved since submission and which ones have been quiet too long.
That is exactly the right use case for a pipeline tracker. For your search, the tracker should log each firm, role, submission date, work authorization note, and current stage so you can see movement at a glance. I would also add a silence timer that flags firms with no response after a set number of days, since prop shops often move fast on coding tests and first-round invites. For your situation, it should track whether a firm has acknowledged the future work authorization issue, because that can explain delays.
Can it also warn me when a coding test might be coming soon? I do not want to miss a timed assessment if they move from resume review to test invite quickly.
Yes, and that warning should be stage-based. Set the tracker to watch for the common sequence: resume submitted, coding test sent, HireVue, first round, superday. If a firm usually sends a coding test within, say, 3 to 7 days after submission, the tracker can highlight that window and remind you to check email and spam closely. You can also tag each firm with its typical process speed so the dashboard learns which names are fast movers versus slow responders.
I also want to know when a firm has gone quiet too long. Some places respond in a week, others just disappear after the resume upload.
Then build a response lag column for every firm. Compare the time since submission against the average wait for that firm and mark anything past the normal range as quiet. For example, if a prop shop usually replies in 5 days and you are at day 12 with no update, it should turn red or amber. That helps you decide whether to follow up, move on, or keep the firm on watch for a late invite.
What should I actually track on the dashboard so it is useful, not cluttered?
Keep it focused. I would use these fields: firm name, role, location, work authorization note, submission date, current stage, last activity date, days since last update, next expected step, and an urgency label. For stages, use resume submitted, coding test, HireVue, first round, superday, offer, and rejected. Add a notes field for things like recruiter contact, timing patterns, or whether the firm seems flexible on sponsorship later on.
Could it also help me prioritize where to spend time each week?
Absolutely. Sort by stage and timing so you can focus on firms that are actively moving or likely to move next. For example, anything in coding test or first round should rise to the top, while quiet applications can sit lower unless they just crossed the silence threshold. Since you are targeting quant trading, this kind of tracker helps you react fast to time-sensitive interviews and avoid wasting energy on firms that have clearly stalled.