How to Get a Referral for Citadel: A Guide for International Students Looking for IT Jobs

For many international students chasing IT jobs in North America, Citadel is a top dream company. It’s a leading hedge fund with a strong tech focus, demanding solid skills but offering great pay and growth. Just applying online usually isn’t enough — getting a referral can really make a difference.

Citadel hires pretty fast, and a lot of openings pop up right when the fall semester starts. If you get a referral early, your resume is way more likely to get noticed by HR. Referrals come from insiders who pass your application directly to recruiters, so you skip the first big round of screening. In a competitive place like Citadel, having someone vouch for you is a big plus.

To get a referral, you need to build connections first. LinkedIn is a good place to start — find alumni, friends, or engineers at Citadel. Send a polite message, introduce yourself, and show real interest in the company and the roles. If you can share your resume highlights, projects, or competition results (like ICPC, LeetCode rankings, math contests), it helps catch attention. Don’t just ask “Can you refer me?” Make it clear you’re serious and prepared.

Also, keep an eye on career fairs and tech talks. Citadel often runs info sessions, coding contests, and workshops at top schools. These are great chances to meet employees and learn about openings. After events, connect on LinkedIn or send a thank-you note — that can lead to referrals too.

Getting a referral is just the start — the interviews at Citadel are tough. They focus on deep algorithm questions, system design, and practical engineering skills. You can code in different languages, but your code needs to be clean and efficient. When preparing, practice solid algorithm problems, get familiar with optimizing code in C++ or Python, and knowing some finance basics won’t hurt.

All in all, landing a referral at Citadel takes planning and effort. Whether through alumni or events, the key is to make people want to recommend you. And when you get the chance, be ready to back it up — Citadel gets tons of strong candidates, and those who stand out are the ones who prepare early and work hard.