Opting in: turning nontraditional candidates into traders.

Optiver, a global proprietary trading firm and market maker with a U.S. office in Chicago, faced a recurring challenge. Optiver needed to attract high-potential candidates from nontraditional backgrounds—students who didn’t necessarily view trading as a career option. The firm tasked TDH with creating a way to reframe trading from intimidating and exclusive to exciting, problem-solving, and accessible.

Student interviews revealed a number of myths associated with a career in trading: it was seen as risky, grueling, and reserved for certain majors. But students were also drawn to challenges, puzzles, and interactive ways to prove their smarts. By debunking those myths, and tapping into this shared mindset, TDH could reintroduce trading as a field where curiosity and problem-solving matter more than specific coursework.

We created a series of pre-roll videos and banners aimed at debunking commonly held myths. We also built Escape the Classroom Challenge, a gamified website that transformed recruitment into an experience. Students completed brain-teasing challenges designed to mimic the problem-solving skills traders use daily.

‍

The campaign drove a 33% increase in organic website traffic, nearly 30,000 repeat website visitors, over 1,000 “apply now” clicks, and almost 900 views to the job postings page.