Talent is evenly distributed. Access is not.
The buyside hires through networks. If you did not go to the right university, or your family does not know anyone in the industry, you never hear about the roles, never mind get referred into them. That is not a talent problem, it is an access problem.
Desk Ready exists to close that gap. Everything we publish is free: recruiter contacts, real CV examples, weekly market notes, coding projects, assessment centre prep. On top of that we run live events, one to one mentorship, and we place students directly into work experience on real desks.
We are registering as a Community Interest Company so that this stays a community asset rather than a business that drifts toward whoever pays most.
Where we are today
Work experience placements
We place students directly onto live desks for hands on weeks. Real projects, real supervision, and a line on the CV that opens the next door.
Application Season clinics
Free CV clinics and mock assessment centres run before autumn applications open, with feedback from people who screen candidates for a living.
One to one mentorship
Bookable sessions pairing candidates with people already doing the job, covering CVs, interviews, and honest career direction.
Free market education
Weekly market notes, a biweekly macro deep dive, coding projects and assessment centre prep. All free, all public, no paywall.
I am really grateful for the time everyone gave me on the desk. I went in knowing very little about rates beyond the theory, and came out having generated my own trade ideas and run PCA on the curve to test them. Having people around who explained why each piece actually mattered made all the difference. It is the reason rates trading is now the career I want to build.
From MIT to the quant seat
Andres is at MIT and interviewing for a quant research role in October, one of the hardest processes to prepare for without a network: probability and statistics under pressure, live coding, and research judgement in the same loop.
Two more placements in August
Two further work experience placements are confirmed for August. The constraint on this programme is desk access, not candidates, which is exactly where a partner firm changes the number.
Community Partner
Visibility across the platform and support for the free resources that stay open to everyone.
- Logo on the partners page and in the site footer
- Named in the weekly market note
- One feature in the mailing list
- Early sight of the talent pool
Event Partner
Put your name and your people in front of the community at a live session you help shape.
- Everything in Community Partner
- Headline branding on a named event series
- A speaking slot or panel seat for your team
- Co-branded content, for example a CV clinic or mock assessment centre
- Direct access to attendees who opt in
- A post-event summary you can use internally
Founding Partner
Long term backing that funds the placements programme, with your firm named as a founding supporter.
- Everything in Event Partner
- Founding Partner status across the site and all materials
- Named sponsor of the work experience programme
- First look at candidates coming through placements
- A seat at the table on programme direction
- An annual impact report you can use for your own reporting
Pricing is set per partner based on scope. Ask for the rate card and we will send it the same week.
💰 Support does not have to be cash
Some of the most useful things a firm can give us cost nothing from the budget line. If any of these are easy for you, they move the needle immediately.
Start a conversation
Tell us roughly what you have in mind and we will come back within two working days with a short proposal, not a hard sell.
Thank you, that is with us.
We will come back to you within two working days.