Up-and-coming professionals are vying for limited summer work, with some early-career opportunities growing more competitive than Ivy League colleges. Unlike other employers reeling back their entry-level hiring, financial holding company Citadel just welcomed its biggest internship class yet.
But even as Ken Griffin’s companies expand their entry-level ranks, landing the summer gig has never been harder.
More than 350 interns across Citadel and the company’s sister firm, Citadel Securities, just kicked off their program this Monday with an offsite in Palm Beach, Florida. It’s the biggest international intern cohort the business has ever had, but that didn’t mean fresh-faced professionals had an easier time landing a spot.
This year’s competition hit a boiling point, with more than 115,900 applications flooding in for the limited spots, up 6.4% from the 2025 record. Only 0.36% of candidates wound up making the cut this year, marking another record for some of Gen Z’s most coveted internship spots.
Inside Citadel’s internship: real business responsibilities with $4,300 weekly salaries
