{"id":10174,"date":"2011-03-02T10:49:29","date_gmt":"2011-03-02T15:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smbtraining.com\/blog\/?p=10174"},"modified":"2023-06-08T10:16:39","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T14:16:39","slug":"what-can-i-do-to-make-myself-attractive-to-a-prop-trading-firm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smbtraining.com\/blog\/what-can-i-do-to-make-myself-attractive-to-a-prop-trading-firm","title":{"rendered":"Becoming Attractive to Prop Trading Firms: Insights from Stockbee Blogspot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear\u00a0Mr. Bellafiore,<\/p>\n

I just finished your book while on vacation in Cabo this week and was blown away. For the last several years I have wanted to get into trading professionally, but\u00a0couldn’t make the move because I was not sure there was a system for learning and coaching that would help me get better, not just follow what the “superstars” did.<\/p>\n

I am 34 this week, obviously older than the traders you normally recruit, and I do not have a background in finance. I majored in business, and then got an MBA and have enjoyed a successful career in marketing and management with an international surgical company. But, I discovered \u00a0trading a few years ago and it is where I want to be for a multitude of reasons.<\/p>\n

I am not reaching out to you for a job. I know I don’t have a shot without a track record, and I have a commitment to my current employer for a year……<\/p>\n

However, could you tell me some things I could do in the next year so that\u00a0if I sent (a prop firm-edited by author) a resume they would want to interview me?<\/p>\n

I will be reopening my trading account next week and will be trading\u00a0my own cash to build up a track record I can use for interviews. I have generally traded options in the past, as I did not have enough cash to make large enough trades in straight equities (I did well during 2008-9 working both calls and puts on mostly PCX, GE, DDD, and STD. I had to close out the account to buy a house, pay for a wedding and get a second car)\u00a0. I will have a larger capital pool this time around and will focus on straight intra-day equity moves. Based on the time difference, I will work on trading the Nikkei as well as the NYSE. I mostly\u00a0follow CNBC and seeking alpha and SMB blogs, and had a subscription to Absolute Return, which I cancelled because I want to trade, not run a hedge fund.\u00a0I generally use 3 minute charts and am familiar with the Level2 quotes. I\u00a0use them to get a feel for price action, but I am sure that I need to learn how to “Read the Tape” as your team does. I am\u00a0willing to do virtually anything to get my foot in the door with a prop firm and earn what I have achieved. I love the team atmosphere, and a group that is willing to work together to make everybody more successful…..<\/p>\n

Any help you can give me would be appreciated, as I know there are only a precious few spots and a thousand qualified people trying to get them and I know I will need to show you something to get noticed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bella Responds<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Trade<\/a>. Trading is a performance based field. \u00a0If you develop a track record with even small sums of capital those are resumes that I want sent directly to me (mbellafiore@smbcap.com).<\/p>\n

2. Read about trading. In Drive<\/em> Daniel Pink shares a story about being asked how to pick a job. Most will answer to do what you love. Mr. Pink suggests to do what you do<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Develop connections with like-minded traders. Maybe in the end you will build your own trading community<\/a> and not need these interview tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. Find a Mentor. In Bounce<\/em> we learn that there are very few high level performers<\/a> who do receive excellent coaching.<\/p>\n

5. Save. The longer you can survive the learning curve<\/a> the more attractive you are to a firm. I have sensed the learning curve shifting to 18 months for the greatest leaps in progress for our traders.<\/p>\n

What advice would you offer to SMBer EB?<\/p>\n

Mike Bellafiore<\/p>\n

One Good Trade<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear\u00a0Mr. Bellafiore, I just finished your book while on vacation in Cabo this week and was blown away. For the last several years I have wanted to get into trading professionally, but\u00a0couldn’t make the move because I was not sure there was a system for learning and coaching that would help me get better, not just follow what the “superstars” … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,908],"tags":[4674,81,1193,653,1052],"class_list":["post-10174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mike-bellafiore-bellas-blogs","category-traders-ask","tag-one-good-trade","tag-smb-training","tag-trader-education","tag-trader-training","tag-trading-community","no-post-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Make Myself Attractive to a Prop Trading Firm | SMB Training<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn what you can do to make yourself an attractive candidate to prop trading firms. 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