The industrys weak showing last year may have put a dent in bonuses, but the overall job market for hedge fund professionals is stronger now than at any point since before the financial crisis, according to executive recruiters and outsourcing agents. The stepped-up hiring activity that began in 2009 gained momentum over the past year largely because of strong demand for chief financial officers, chief operating officers and other experienced operations professionals. Even startups and boutiques, which in the past might have gone for years before hiring a chief operating officer, face increasing pressure from investors to pay more attention to accounting, compliance, reporting, risk management and other functions on the operations side.