The IMC Trading HR / Recruiter Phone Screen interview is stage 3 of 7 in the IMC Trading interview process, after the Recorded Video Interview. Format: 10 to 45 min · phone / Zoom · before or soon after the OA. Early step, every track: logistics, 'tell me about yourself', IMC's signature 'Why IMC?' and 'Why trading?' (asked again later), often a light coin-flip-with-an-edge brain-teaser (EV, bankroll). - Recent QR and QT reports: it can follow the OA (one quant trader invite came about 3 days later); HR told that candidate: no technical questions.
Preparing for this round? Practice the 4 questions mapped to the IMC Trading HR / Recruiter Phone Screen, with worked solutions. A free account saves your progress.
What the HR / Recruiter Phone Screen tests
Early step, every track: logistics, 'tell me about yourself', IMC's signature 'Why IMC?' and 'Why trading?' (asked again later), often a light coin-flip-with-an-edge brain-teaser (EV, bankroll).
- Recent QR and QT reports: it can follow the OA (one quant trader invite came about 3 days later); HR told that candidate: no technical questions. QR hears back in 1 to 2 weeks.
- Candidates report admin (graduation date, visa or sponsorship, notice period, expected salary, work mode), why IMC, QR and trading, and a deep dive on two resume research projects.
- Behaviorals: a hard-to-hear opinion, an advisor changing your approach, a research project end to end, conflict, failure, competition, team role; other firms, choosing between offers.
- QR: applying machine learning in finance. A quant trader intern screen had a card suit-guessing bet, framed on risk appetite, not math.
QuantVault maps 4 practice problems to this round. By topic, the biggest groups are expectation (3), probability (1); by difficulty, 4 easy, 0 medium and 0 hard. 3 of them were reported by candidates who interviewed at IMC Trading, most recently in Nov 2024.
- In the order IMC's APAC article and recent candidates describe, this call comes after the online assessment and the recorded video, not before.
Who takes this round: All tracks. See the full IMC Trading process and who takes each round.
How to prepare for the HR / Recruiter Phone Screen
- Nail 'Why IMC' and 'Why trading' early. They recur at every stage. Make them specific and personal, not generic — tie them to something concrete about you and the firm.
- Have your logistics straight. Visa/sponsorship comes up immediately; APAC and EU offices differ on sponsorship.
- Prepare two research projects in depth. QR screens walk through two resume projects end to end and ask how ML would make money in practice, so have the problem, your method, the result and a performance number (Sharpe, P&L or accuracy) ready for each.
Further reading: Behavioral questions at trading firms · How quant superdays work · Market-making game interview guide.
Question types in this round
The 2 largest question types in the IMC Trading HR / Recruiter Phone Screen practice set; across them the most common sub-topics are expected value, discrete probability. The questions themselves, with worked solutions, are in the round practice.
Expectation3 in this round
Probability1 in this round
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Frequently asked questions
What is the IMC Trading HR / Recruiter Phone Screen interview?
It is stage 3 of 7 in the IMC Trading interview process, after the Recorded Video Interview. Format: 10 to 45 min · phone / Zoom · before or soon after the OA. Early step, every track: logistics, 'tell me about yourself', IMC's signature 'Why IMC?' and 'Why trading?' (asked again later), often a light coin-flip-with-an-edge brain-teaser (EV, bankroll). Recent QR and QT reports: it can follow the OA (one quant trader invite came about 3 days later); HR told that candidate: no technical questions.
How long is the IMC Trading HR / Recruiter Phone Screen interview?
Candidates report: 10 to 45 min · phone / Zoom · before or soon after the OA.
What questions come up in the IMC Trading HR / Recruiter Phone Screen interview?
The practice set QuantVault maps to this round centers on expectation, probability.
How should I prepare for the IMC Trading HR / Recruiter Phone Screen interview?
Nail 'Why IMC' and 'Why trading' early. They recur at every stage. Make them specific and personal, not generic — tie them to something concrete about you and the firm. Have your logistics straight. Visa/sponsorship comes up immediately; APAC and EU offices differ on sponsorship.
What comes after the HR / Recruiter Phone Screen?
The Trader / Market-Making Game Round (stage 4 of 7). Format: 30–45 min · interactive · with a trader.
Practice the IMC Trading HR / Recruiter Phone Screen round
Work the 4 mapped practice problems with progress tracking, then move to the next stage of the IMC Trading funnel.