Congratulations to all the soon to be College Graduates of 2008. You might be wondering how recent college grads obtain a job in the Alternative Investment space. The first thing to know is if you are graduating this month and are now reading this post with no job lined up – you are unfortunately well behind the rest of your peers in the job search and likely too late – but help is just below.

If you want a position with a Hedge Fund or Private Equity firm upon graduating from undergrad you typically need to start your process two to three years before your graduation date. The summer after your freshman year you need to find an internship ideally with a fund. For the next two summers you will want to have an internship as well. Also working with a fund during the school year is an excellent addition. If you have not had internships your chances just got a lot smaller.

Few College Career Centers inform their students of this but in the alternative investment space, internships are extremely important particularly if you do not want to head to New York City and spend 100+ hours a week working in an analyst program for the next 18-36 months.

To land a job without any internship experience means you must be persistent with the funds and dedicated to working your network and your school’s alumni network; many jobs in the hedge fund space are found through networking. You might also look at working with qualified recruiters who understand the business and can introduce you to strong firms. Look into to acquiring any of the designations which are valued in the Private Equity and Hedge Fund space. Unfortunately some of the designations take years to complete but starting the testing process can make your resume look stronger and show your passion for the industry.

In any case you will need to possess a well written resume and concisely express to those who are interviewing you that you are a driven, intelligent and mature recent grad looking to give your employer 110%. Make sure to discuss any leadership or team building roles you have had during college

If all else fails and you can afford it we recommend offering to work for free or a minimal fee for a month or two. One last thought - As the number of hedge funds grows so will their employment needs. With few hedge funds having a recruiting infrastructure in place a persistent and dedicated recent grad has an opportunity to enter this exciting and rewarding industry. If you want to work in the field and do not already have a position lined up you might want to consider doing some serious research these last few days before your don your cap and gown as opposed to spending it doing the normal senior slacking…