FAQ
Trading
What is a Market Maker?
Optiver is a professional market-making firm; what we do is called arbitraging, meaning market direction does not interest us. The role of a Market Maker has traditionally been to provide bids and offers to the options market. When a broker places an order to buy or sell an option, the majority of the time it will be a Market Maker on the other side providing the price.
Optiver introduces liquidity into the market, so it is actually the investor who makes the trading decisions and we just provide a price for the options that are being traded.
What is a Trader?
Traders are the people who place live orders into the markets, the ones who do the actual buying and selling every day. A trader will experience the highs and lows of good or bad positions, of trades executed well or missed opportunities and of decisions made in a split second that can earn thousands of dollars or send someone bankrupt.
What does a day look like for a Trader?
A day for a trader at Optiver can be quite varied. Generally they will arrive between 8.30 and 9.00am, grab some breakfast and do a bit of research/checking their stocks. They will have a morning meeting to discuss positions and check risk/exposure, etc. The market opens and our Traders commence trading. They have lunch and then back to trading until the market closes, usually around 4.30pm or 6.30 pm depending on the market they are trading. The traders will then finish up for the day and perhaps spend some time relaxing and socialising with colleagues, or just head home to spend time with their family and friends.
How soon will I be trading?
Our Traders start trading live in the markets after just 2 months of training! We provide continuous mentoring from our experienced traders and training beyond your initial introduction, so you don't feel overwhelmed.
Who are our clients?
Optiver is a proprietary trading firm. We trade company assets for company profit. Therefore we do not have any external clients.
What is in the barrier test?
The barrier test is an 8-minute multiple-choice numerical test. To maintain the integrity of our testing system, we cannot give any more information on the barrier test.
Can I reapply if I fail the barrier test?
Optiver has very stringent hiring standards to maintain the quality of staff and the performance of our business. As such, we only allow applicants to attempt the barrier test once.
IT Development
Which programming languages do you use?
Our development team primarily uses C++ for server development, C# for GUI development and Oracle for database development.
How soon will I be working on projects?
It takes approximately 3 months for a new Developer to become fully involved in their first project. This gives you time to learn about our business, our terminology and the standards required from our Developers.
Our Developers are involved in every aspect of the software development lifecycle, so you will work from requirements gathering through to testing and implementation.
General Questions
Does Optiver offer internships?
Optiver is not currently able to offer internship positions. Should this change, we will advertise through University Careers Services for these positions.
What are the hours of work?
The Optiver offices operate from 8.30am to 5.30pm, and most employees do not work outside these hours. Some traders working on the overseas markets may have to work back until 6.30pm (7.30pm in summer), but are compensated for this by being able to start late - generally around 10.30am.
What is the Dress Code?
Optiver has a very relaxed dress code. As we have no external clients we do not feel the need to 'dress to impress'. Our casual dress also enhances the relaxed culture and the creative environment we encourage at Optiver. T-shirts, jeans and shorts are all more than acceptable attire for work here, as are thongs or a pair of sandals.
However, some positions, by nature, require more appropriate professional dress. You should always consider your position and the desired impression you'd like to make when choosing your attire.
What should I wear to my interview?
For both testing and interviews we recommend you wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. Optiver is a very casual environment, people wear jeans and t-shirts everyday.
Does Optiver offer part-time work?
No. Due to the complexities of our business Optiver cannot offer part-time, summer holiday work or casual employment.
I've submitted my application. What happens next?
We will send you an email confirmation letting you know that we have received your application. If your skills are a match for one of our open positions, we will contact you to invite you for testing or an interview, depending on the position.
How many people work for Optiver?
Optiver currently has more than 600 employees, including offices in Amsterdam, Chicago, Sydney,Taipei, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Are there overseas work opportunities?
Yes. Optiver aims for all of its employees to fulfil their potential. Providing chances to work overseas, to experience different cultures and pursue professional development opportunities is just one of the ways we achieve this objective.
Does Optiver employ international students?
Optiver Asia Pacific an Optiver N/S America can only accept applications from citizens or permanent residents with a work permit.
