Louis Dreyfus Company Interview Questions
& Process

So there was a first prescreen, then you interview with a junior trader and another department person. If both of them say yes, then you have a third round interview with an executive. It was really unprofessional and a letdown. The HR person sent me another candidate's info, making me think I had an interview when I didn't, and they weren't great at replying to emails. It also took more than 3 weeks to even set up the first interview, and the HR person kept suggesting times I couldn't do because of class. The HR person also scheduled me for an interview but didn't send a link. When I tried to get the link, I didn't hear back until way after the interview was supposed to start, so they rescheduled, and I was not impressed with the interviewer's professionalism.

For new grad traders, the interview process is a bit longer than for interns. It starts with a 15-minute HR call to check your background. Then, the first round involves two interviewers, typically a trader and a senior company member. If both approve, you proceed to the second round. This round has two more interviews, usually with very senior trading executives. The first round is mainly behavioral, while the second mixes behavioral with technical questions. The technical part isn't overly difficult; you should be able to handle it if you've kept up with news for the last 3-5 years and have a basic grasp of agricultural markets and their supply/demand factors. Passing the second round leads to an in-person superday, which consists of 5-8 interviews, each lasting 45-60 minutes. Most superday interviews are behavioral, but some include case studies where you'll analyze data (like production, import, GDP) for different countries to make sense of it. There's also an online assessment that's hard to prepare for unless you've seen similar questions before.

I had an interview about four months ago for a job application, but so far I haven't received any feedback from the company, either confirming my acceptance or informing me of my rejection. I think it's a very long time to wait, as a professional selection process rarely takes about five months to complete. This lack of communication creates unnecessary uncertainty and expectation, which doesn't reflect well on the organization and its consideration for candidates.

The process was well organized, and the interviewers were serious and shared all the information about the selection process, like dates and deadlines. It was divided into many stages and was extremely competitive. Even though it was a trainee position for commodity trading, specifically cotton, the knowledge required in economics was very high. As an Agronomy Engineer with knowledge in languages and agriculture, and international experience, my interest in developing in this area, even without a theoretical background in economics, was not enough to get the job. I would have accepted a lower salary just for the learning opportunity, but I didn't get the chance. I understand the decision and continue to recommend the company to those interested in their selection processes. I had to write a cover letter to apply and was selected for a first interview, which I found quite straightforward. I moved on to the second stage, which involved an interview with traders and HR, where I had 20 minutes to solve an in-depth case study on trading economics. Although I was among the top 5% who reached this phase, I was not selected for the final stage.