Hey everybody, Employer Services Manager here again. If you read my last blog you\u2019ll know I often visit employers to find out how they might like to work with Universities and recruit our students. As I\u2019ve said before; I\u2019m not a Careers Advisor, this blog post is not about giving advice, but I\u2019m happy to share my experiences with you! A word of caution \u2013 I\u2019m so easily impressed, I leave most places hoping they\u2019ve a job for me!!<\/p>\n
The visit I\u2019ll tell you about today is a trip I took in the summer to see BlackRock.<\/p>\n
GETTING THERE<\/p>\n
I never mind a train ride to London. I don\u2019t know the underground like the back of my hand but I do know it\u2019s pretty hard to actually get lost! To get to BlackRock it was quick two-tube journey to Bank from Paddington and a short stroll. From the outside it didn\u2019t look as spectacular as some buildings in London and I had to ask myself\u2026<\/p>\n
WHAT DO BLACKROCK ACTUALLY DO?<\/p>\n
In the introduction to the day, the chap said BlackRock are the biggest Finance company we had never heard of! He wasn\u2019t wrong. BlackRock \u2018manage more money than any other investment manager in the world\u2019. They have 13,000 employees in 70 offices across 6 continents. Despite managing \u00a35.7trillion worth of assets in 100 countries they pride themselves on their \u2018start-up\u2019 culture and adaptability. There certainly was a \u2018start-up\u2019 feel to the BlackRock offices \u2013 no one was suited-and-booted and it felt rather relaxed. I was told they describe themselves as \u2018respectfully anti-bureaucratic\u2019 and \u2018always challenging status quo\u2019.<\/p>\n
THE TECH SIDE<\/p>\n
It certainly seems to go hand-in-hand nowadays that any large Finance company has a clear commitment to developing technology. At BlackRock they developed a platform called Aladdin which is used to manage global client assets and portfolios. It is a global, single-entrance platform which means that real time information can be accessed across different countries. What they\u2019ve also decided to do is not just use Aladdin themselves but sell it to their competitors! They described this as giving competitors the ingredients but not the recipe!<\/p>\n
In 2016, Aladdin produced an $800 million revenue for BlackRock and the analysts who work on it are known as \u2018Aladdin Ninjas\u2019!<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t given a huge amount of consideration to how companies make their forecasting but BlackRock told us about some ways and places they obtain and use data to make predictions:
\n\u2022\tbuy raw data from satellites to inform their forecasting ie, there is a direct correlation between the height of buildings in China and the global cost of steel
\n\u2022\tusing satellites to count the number of cars in a shopping mall car park in the US is an indicator of the state of the economy
\n\u2022\tsocial media scraping data is used to do brand monitoring, trend watching, and sentiment\/competitor analysis.<\/p>\n
Their latest work sees them analysing the language used by CEOs to determine the relationship between language and salary!<\/p>\n
JOBS AT BLACKROCK<\/p>\n
1.\tAdvisory and Client Services: These are all tech-focussed and include policy making and sector transformation, Client Solutions, Corporate, Financial markets.
\n2.\tAnalytics and Risk: Including financial modelling, portfolio analysts and risk management.
\n3.\tCorporate Functions and Business Ops: Including finance, internal audit, HR, Legal and compliance, Marketing.
\n4.\tInvestments: Including equity and fixed income, Liquidity, Quantum finance. (Investments make up 35% of the overall business but attract 65% of the applications.)
\n5.\tRelationship Management and Sales: Provide all clients with a single point of contact.
\n6.\tTechnology: This is the largest area of Graduate Recruitment. It includes Software Engineering which is the only area of work which requires specific degree disciplines \u2013 Computer Science or Engineering.<\/p>\n
Graduates on the Analyst programme are sent to New York for 2 weeks at the start of their programme so that they can learn all about the company and meet other graduates from all over the world. Not exactly your typical office induction! <\/p>\n
LIFE AT BLACKROCK<\/p>\n
BlackRock encourage work-life flexibility but don\u2019t call it \u2018work-life balance\u2019 because late nights and weekend working will be required at some point. However, home working is also common. \u2018As long as the work is done, it doesn\u2019t matter where\u2019, is their attitude. <\/p>\n
They adopt \u2018summer hours\u2019 and finish at 3pm on Fridays. Casual dress is the norm around the office but people are expected to \u2018dress for their client\u2019 so often keep a spare shirt and tie on the back of the door. Students are not expected to dress particularly \u2018corporate\u2019 at Assessment Centres \u2013 apparently \u2018tech people are particularly distrustful of suits\u2019!<\/p>\n
They do seem like a fun and supportive place to work (but I don\u2019t doubt they expect hard working in return). There are a number of employee networks you can opt in to:
\n\u2022\tFamilies @ BlackRock
\n\u2022\tVeterans
\n\u2022\tDisability Network
\n\u2022\tWomen\u2019s Network
\n\u2022\tOut Network (LGBT)<\/p>\n
They also have a conscience! BlackRock have stopped producing corporate branded merchandise and instead donate to Kiva (a charity providing funding for start-ups in the third world). On top of this, every year each employee is given $25 to donate to a charity of their choice as well as 2 days per year to volunteer. BlackRock matches the amount of any fundraising.<\/p>\n
Oh dear, can feel my fickleness kicking in again \u2013 I think I want to work here now!! I could see myself as a Ninja!<\/p>\n
Think Aladdin sounds cool? What about other financial companies with sophisticated software? Check out: JP Morgan's Athena or Goldman Sachs' Securities Database<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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