Michelle Gadsden-Williams, Managing Director and Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at BlackRock, shares three steps you can take to progress your approach to Equity in the workplace.

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The concept of Diversity in the workplace has changed significantly since the start of my career 30+ years ago. Diversity of yesteryear was akin to affirmative action – a headcount exercise or representation. Many of the diversity strategies, policies, and programs at that time emphasized the differences between employees rather than the ties that bind them. In recent years, the focus has shifted toward inclusion, which emphasizes that we create corporate cultures embracing our uniqueness as individuals and, more importantly, that we foreground treating each other with dignity and mutual respect, shaping cultures of belonging.

Today’s diversity practice – what I call Diversity 3.0 – incorporates the concept of Equity, which (in my words) is about reexamining policies, practices, and programming to ensure equal treatment in the workplace, fair access to advancement opportunities, and fair outcomes for all employees. It also means acknowledging that there is a historical context for under-represented individuals of less privileged backgrounds – like women and women of color – who oftentimes do not enter an organization with the same resources and support systems as their counterparts. Women of color, for example, have a lack of information to rise to the C-Suite.

Equity is a key component of cultural transformation and decision-making that requires a paradigm shift in terms of how we design institutions. It is the most critical part of the DEI equation because it challenges traditional norms of how to run a business or organization and how to lead and engage a workforce. And yet, it is often the least examined and practiced because it is the least understood.

There are actionable steps to approach Equity within any organization’s DEI strategy.

The three steps are:

1. Know where you stand
2. Be prepared to have difficult conversations
3. Ensure leadership at the top is committed and engaged

1. Know where you stand

The first step is to conduct a diagnostic assessment to get a sense of the current state of play. To address Equity, you need to take a hard look at your policies, practices, and programming to reconcile where you fall short in meeting equity standards.

At BlackRock, we recently signed on to do an independent DEI/Racial Equity Assessment where a third party will review our strategy to assess how it is impacting the firm’s key stakeholders: our workforce, our clients, and the communities that we serve.

Engaging in this type of hard self-assessment is essential to gaining the insights needed to foster transparency and hold ourselves accountable to a higher standard. It will increase trust with employees, clients, and communities over the long term and is crucial for an organization to continue to grow and improve.

2. Be prepared to have difficult conversations

Second, you must be prepared to have candid conversations around difficult topics such as race and gender. More than ever before, people are attuned to instances of race and social injustice inside and outside of the workplace, and if you aren’t talking about these issues, then you aren’t going to be taken seriously.

At BlackRock, to facilitate regular dialogue on such issues, we launched a speaker series called “Learning Out Loud,” featuring academicians, thought leaders, and other prominent experts on various topics tackling systemic racial inequality. We’ve also begun to host “Inclusion Dialogues” – small group conversations led by external facilitators that help build the skills necessary to cultivate inclusive environments. The conversations can, at times, be difficult because they are meant to bring awareness to behaviors of non-inclusion or actions of microaggression.

When faced with hard problems, I often say that we should run toward the fire – not away from it. That’s when the most growth happens.

3. Ensure leadership at the top is committed and engaged

Third, the first two steps are only going to work if you have a strong commitment from the top. When discussing this work with CEOs and other leaders, I typically look for three things: the courage to act, the commitment to lead, and the conviction to change. If we fail to get this right, we will revert to the diversity practices of years past where representation is the key performance indicator.

I came to BlackRock primarily because I saw the courage, conviction, and commitment from leadership to roll up their sleeves to do this work. Enabled by strong leadership over the past year, we have made significant progress in adopting Equity into our comprehensive DEI strategy. We have increased our supplier and vendor diversity efforts to ensure that women- and minority-owned business have their fair share of wallet, we have invested in undercapitalized communities through our social impact work, and we continue to be a vocal advocate for increased transparency and disclosure by publicly disclosing our representation numbers.

The “E” in DEI is the newcomer to this practice, and it’s the most critical part of the DEI equation because it’s the consistent “red thread” of Diversity and Inclusion.

A version of this article was originally published on Women Business Collaborative.

As the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock is a great place to build an MBA career in finance or technology, given the firm’s expertise in investment management and increasing focus on the fintech space.

The firm’s FinTech Fund invests 70% of capital in companies developing fintech solutions; and in January, Blackrock partnered with fintech company Clarity AI to support its sustainable investing efforts.

These initiatives signal an especially exciting time to launch a career at BlackRock – and the firm is planning to hire more MBAs in the coming year.

BusinessBecause caught up with Pasquale Quintero, VP of campus recruitment, to find out more about Blackrock’s MBA Summer Associate Program, an internship program for active MBA students.

What does BlackRock look for in its MBA hires?

To be eligible for a role as a summer associate at BlackRock, you’ll need to be enrolled in a full-time MBA program and have at least three years of pre-MBA work experience behind you. The summer 2021 cohort took on around 25 MBA students.

There are both soft and technical skills that BlackRock looks for in its MBAs, Pasquale (pictured) explains. “We look for candidates to have strong leadership, communication, analytical and critical thinking skills.”

The ability to work collaboratively on a close-knit team is equally important to possessing those individualized skills. Candidates should also demonstrate an interest in the industries in which BlackRock operates: financial services and technology. Exactly which technical skills you’ll need to showcase depends on which business area you apply to work in.

Once the internship begins, you can build more specific skills and knowledge with expert guidance from your BlackRock colleagues.

How do I apply to BlackRock’s MBA Summer Associate Program?

Applications for the MBA Summer Associate Program open each year in early August. To apply, you’ll need to submit an online application and select up to two business areas of interest.

BlackRock hires MBAs into a range of its businesses. If the firm selects your application, they’ll invite you to a first-round interview.

“First-round interviews are behavioral-based,” Pasquale comments. During this interview, you can expect to be asked about your background, your working style and your motivations for joining BlackRock. Candidates should also be familiar with BlackRock’s Principles.

If you’re successful at that stage, you’ll be invited to a final-round interview. During this stage of the process, you can expect more technical questions, Pasquale reveals.

“Interview questions vary by team and role, as some groups are more technical than others,” he says. “Depending on the role candidates applied for, they should be prepared to demonstrate their technical abilities, and possibly complete a case study or stock pitch.”

After the final interview round, successful candidates will receive an offer to join BlackRock as Summer Associates. In addition to immersing themselves in their teams, MBA Summer Associates will have the opportunity to attend networking and social events, participate in skills development sessions and engage with senior leaders at the firm.

BlackRock careers for MBAs

All summer associates who perform well during the internship are offered full-time Associate- or VP-level positions at BlackRock. Levels are determined based on an individual’s pre-MBA experience.

“We are continuing to see great interest and enthusiasm from MBA candidates, who are attracted to BlackRock’s position as a global leader in asset management and fintech, as well as our guiding principles and culture,” Pasquale concludes.

A version of this article was originally published on BusinessBecause.

Tell us a bit about your role at BlackRock, and what your journey at the company has been like.

I am an implementation manager for Aladdin, BlackRock’s investment management technology that is both used internally and delivered externally to other financial institutions. My team is responsible for the installation and deployment of Aladdin products and services; we work with clients to understand, redesign and deploy strategic business workflows across the full spectrum of the investment cycle.

I started as a summer intern at BlackRock in 2012, and joined the firm as a full-time analyst the following year; I became part of the Aladdin team in 2018. My first role here provided me with opportunities to pick up technical skills like SQL and acquire a strong grasp of all asset classes, as well as interact with colleagues across both BlackRock’s asset management business and its Aladdin technology business. Serving as a security data subject matter expert in my next role, I was able to work even more closely with our clients and the Aladdin business. This gave me a glimpse into how Aladdin transforms investment organizations – including some of the largest in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

What attracted you to the company when you first joined?

The people! When I started as an intern, I feared that my lack of knowledge in finance and technology would make me a liability to my team. My worries were quickly dispelled with the open culture of BlackRock, where everyone, regardless of level, is always ready to share their knowledge. My manager even connected me with experts in the U.S. for my internship project.

What excites or inspires you most about working on Aladdin?

Aladdin is always evolving to provide technology solutions for different segments of the finance industry. I constantly feel challenged in my role, having to quickly gain in-depth knowledge of functionality and workflows as well as industry expertise to ensure clients are able to take full advantage of everything Aladdin has to offer.

How do you view BlackRock’s position in the fintech space?

BlackRock’s position in the fintech space has increased rapidly in recent years. When I first joined BlackRock eight years ago, few of my friends and family had heard about us. With the growth of BlackRock, plus having Aladdin deployed to multiple organizations in the region, our technology offering has become much better known, with an expanding user base among larger organizations.

How do you work with other teams within Aladdin and/or across BlackRock?

One of my key responsibilities as an implementation manager is to coordinate resources across different Aladdin and BlackRock teams. We work with product managers to support client development needs; the client services team to configure the Aladdin environment to each client’s needs; and our client engagement partners to ensure a smooth transition from implementation to daily operations and servicing. Successfully implementing a client is a true One BlackRock effort.

How would you describe the culture at BlackRock Singapore?

Open and driven – people are always willing to share their knowledge and engage in productive discussions. BlackRock is constantly seeking out ways to improve and grow, which translates into new opportunities and challenges you can raise your hand for. The Singapore office is diverse and multinational but with a small company feel – everyone is accessible, and people get to know each other on a more personal level. That’s what I enjoy most!

In what ways do you feel supported by your local team in Singapore and by BlackRock as a whole?

The emphasis BlackRock places on people’s well-being, and its recognition that every individual has many aspects of their lives that they are juggling – from career to family to hobbies and interests – is evident from all aspects of the organization. With benefits like flexible time off and active employee networks that are open to everyone, I feel encouraged to bring my whole self to work and to champion the causes I am passionate about.

My managers have also been very supportive of my personal pursuits. When I wanted to visit the U.S. for six weeks, my manager allowed me to combine my trip with some time working in our New York and Seattle offices. This allowed me to enjoy my travels and provided an amazing opportunity to finally meet my U.S. colleagues – some of whom I have been working with since I joined the firm.

“As a scuba diver, I’ve seen the impact of climate change over the years,” says the Singapore-based Kaufmann, who a few years ago attended a conference and heard Vice President Al Gore speak about sustainable investing. “He said that sustainability is the biggest investment opportunity in history, and referred to a ‘sustainable revolution,’ which has the magnitude of the agricultural and industrial revolutions, but the speed of the digital revolution.”

The idea that sustainable investing was not just a trend, but rather something that could become the new standard pushed Kaufmann to find her current role, as the Head of Sustainable Investing for APAC Real Assets for BlackRock. She’s also a member of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB)’s Asia Benchmark Committee.

Here, Kaufmann shares what she’s currently working on, how BlackRock’s Singapore office is a great place to grow your career, and why it’s an especially exciting time to join the company.

What attracted you to work at BlackRock?

BlackRock is a leader in sustainable investing and our CEO Larry Fink talks about helping investors achieve their goals towards net zero, which means the company will cut the net greenhouse-gas emissions of their portfolios to zero. Sustainability is not only about managing risks, but it is also the biggest source of investment opportunities.

What are you responsible for in your role?

I am responsible for integrating ESG (environmental, social and governance) considerations in our investment process. At the sourcing and due diligence stage in Asia real estate, ESG risks and opportunities are identified using our proprietary ESG questionnaire. Any material risks or opportunities are reviewed by the investment committee, and risk mitigation or opportunity implementation plans are agreed upon. Once the asset is under our management, these plans are then implemented and monitored.

What are you working on right now that excites or inspires you?

On the “E” in ESG, we focus on energy efficiency in all of the buildings that we manage, as this has both environmental and financial impact. A great example is an asset in Australia that will have its own solar panels on the roof. The clean energy will generate enough power for the whole building and will provide income without requiring additional capital. The clean energy will offset more than 13,000 tonnes of carbon emission—that’s equivalent to the energy used by 1,500 homes in a year or removing 3,000 cars from the road.

Across the region, particularly in Singapore, Japan and China, we optimize our buildings’ air-conditioning systems. This has resulted in a 25% reduction in energy consumption, which also leads to financial savings.

On the “S,” or social component of ESG, our focus is on the impact to communities, particularly the tenants who work in our buildings. We provide access to fitness centers, child-care facilities and cycle-to-work amenities. We also run regular tenant activities ranging from fitness programs, celebration of local festivities and charitable works. These improvements in the quality of amenities and services increase the attractiveness of the buildings to both the tenants and future investors.

In Singapore, one of our tenants is a successful indoor farm company that is producing fresh vegetables for local consumers. The building holds a Green Mark Gold Award from the Building and Construction Authority and continues to attract a variety of tenants.

We consider opportunities for local and internationally recognized green building certifications to validate these efforts. Aside from international ones such as LEED and BREEAM, we use national energy certification called NABERS in Australia and the BCA Green Mark in Singapore.

We are also a member of the aforementioned GRESB, where all of our property and infrastructure funds are submitted to and compared to our peers. Our funds perform extremely well, with either 4 or 5 Green Stars out of 5, and consistently outperform their peers year-over-year.

How does BlackRock, and specifically the Singapore office, help employees grow and advance their careers?

Singapore is a regional hub for BlackRock with a wide range of investment businesses. It’s a great place to develop your career with leaders who support employee growth and well-being. There’s no better place to work than that with a culture of support, both at work and in your life outside the office.

What advice do you have for applicants interested in applying for positions at BlackRock?

BlackRock is a great company to work for and has an extensive network for applicants. The individuals working in the company are very approachable and most will respond if you reach out to them for career advice.

What advice do you have for those looking to pursue a similar career path as yours?

A solid financial background is great to have, combined with the desire to make a positive impact. The term “sustainable investing” is used widely now to describe how we invest. In the future, we hope that the term will not be needed anymore as it becomes a norm for investing.

This article was originally published on The Muse.

Shayan Hussain, Managing Director, Senior Fixed Income Strategist, works with Skyland Trail to destigmatize mental health treatment

How did you get involved with Skyland Trail?

Soon after arriving in Atlanta, I knew I wanted to get involved in my new community, and mental health is a topic that is important to both my wife and me. So many people are affected by mental health issues that are often left untreated until, in many cases, they are at an advanced stage. I have seen firsthand how debilitating mental illness can be, how no one is immune to it, the emotional stress it puts on loved ones and how important it is to seek proper medical care.

Skyland Trail is a nonprofit mental health organization that treats adolescents and adults. It offers a holistic program of evidence-based psychiatric treatment, integrated medical care, research and education. Skyland Trail treats each patient as an individual rather than as just a diagnosis, creating a personalized plan that focuses on the positive attributes each person brings to their recovery process. After two fellow Columbia Business School alums recommended Skyland Trail, I toured the facilities, met the leadership team, learned about their approach to treatment and ultimately worked with them on fundraising. It was an honor when they extended the invitation to join the board. I hope my involvement with this organization will help draw attention to — and remove the stigma of — seeking mental health treatment.

Tell us about your journey to Atlanta from New York — and what surprised you most about the Atlanta office.

My wife and I loved New York City, but it became increasingly difficult for us to raise two kids there. I visited the Atlanta office in June of 2019 and was really impressed by the opportunity to live in a diverse, growing and vibrant city where we could enjoy more space and a healthy quality of life. As I learned more about the office and the ambitions of creating a microcosm of the firm, I knew that moving to Atlanta to help build the office would be an exciting next step in my career. Simultaneously, my wife got her dream job with Delta Air Lines in Atlanta – it was meant to be!

The office is unique in that it is infused with the culture of Atlanta and reflects the diversity of the city. Sitting in the cradle of the American civil rights movement, there is a high level of social activism that often sets the tone for the rest of the country. For example, BlackRock was a signatory to a petition to pass the Georgia hate crimes bill following the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. This was a grassroots effort led by the people in our office who wanted to make a change following this heinous act, and it ultimately found its way to top leadership at BlackRock. I am inspired every day by the passion everyone in the office has for diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as for making a difference in the office, the city and the country.

Peter Williams, Director, Head of Community Strategy, serves on the board of Public Broadcasting Atlanta

Tell us about your role as Head of Community Strategy and what you hope to accomplish.

This role is at the intersection of so many great things: a successful community engagement strategy focused on the needs of Atlantans, the enrichment of BlackRock’s culture by empowering our people to do what they love inside and outside of work, and the difference we can make in connecting with our clients through all this vital work in the community. Through social impact, university engagement and other forms of corporate and civic engagement, we’re also helping to build BlackRock’s brand in the Southeast.

What do you do with Public Broadcasting Atlanta?

Public Broadcasting Atlanta is one of the largest public broadcasting stations in Georgia — it’s Metro Atlanta’s NPR station. I sit on the board of directors that provides oversight to the public radio station and the public station that broadcasts PBS. I advise on organizational matters, business, finance, fundraising, development and so forth. I also attend regular board meetings, where I meet with an incredibly diverse set of Atlantans who are leaders in their own respect. We seek to provide the truth and fact-based broadcasting to our stakeholder: the community of Metro Atlanta.

What advice do you have for others at BlackRock looking for opportunities to engage with the Atlanta community?

Part of my job is to empower all people at BlackRock Atlanta to take on community leadership roles — whatever that means to you. I think it’s key to find the intersection of what’s important to BlackRock and your day job, but more significantly, of what drives you as a person. That can be really powerful. There are opportunities to engage and lead in our community that can not only help you in your day-to-day work, but also be fulfilling for you personally.

Jodi Berman, Managing Director, supports education policy and research through the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE)

How does your work at BlackRock inform your work with GPEE, and vice versa?

As a GPEE board member, I attend quarterly meetings to stay up to date on programs and needs, vote on issues, fundraise and voice opinions on matters raised. GPEE also runs several “critical issues” forums, and because of my Board participation, BlackRock was able to sponsor the “Critical Issues Forum on Student Mental Health,” which ties in with many of the mental health topics we are currently discussing. It was extremely well received, with over 400 attendees. As a result of our relationship, GPEE has applied for BlackRock’s Gives Grant and I’m hopeful they will receive some funding.

GPEE has also become the sought-after source for information on education policy and research on education. They started publishing an annual report in 2005 called “The Top Ten Issues to Watch,” which is now the go-to publication for identifying key public education issues facing the state.

Tell us how your role within the Aladdin Business/Aladdin Product Group (APG) has evolved over the last 10 years.

I started in BlackRock Solutions in 2004. I was actually in the Portfolio Analytics Group (PAG) for the first year and then merged the small AnSer support team with the Aladdin Support team. We started as a NY-based team and by the time I left, we were about 125 people across New York, San Francisco, Delaware, London, Edinburgh, Singapore, Tokyo and Gurgaon. After 11 years, I moved into the APG COO team to both manage the APG analyst program and work on ad-hoc projects for the APG COO at the time. Since then, I’ve moved into the business management team within the APG COO team, managing headcount and finances, in addition to starting the Atlanta team!

What is unique about being a technologist in the Atlanta office?

Regardless of the role you play, you have the ability to meet people across functions and learn how we all operate together. As a technologist in a smaller office, you learn more about the firm because your projects usually allow you to engage with end-users – or at least understand the bigger picture of how your work impacts other teams. We also have the benefit of being in a city where technology jobs are expanding, so there will be more and more meetups and people to connect with over time.

One fintech company that emphasizes the importance of career development and networking is BlackRock. At BlackRock, employees are given plenty of opportunities to network, develop professionally, and celebrate diversity through employee networks. Employee networks are spaces where employees with shared interests and/or backgrounds come together regularly for discussions, volunteer opportunities, and networking.

To get a deeper understanding of what BlackRock’s employee networks have to offer, we spoke to five early-career Analysts about their experiences. Here’s what they had to say.

What initially drew Jonathan Pizano to BlackRock was the company’s mission to help people experience financial well-being, which is very important to him. 

Jonathan shared with us that his parents immigrated from Mexico in hopes of building a better future for his family. “They sacrificed a lot for me to be here, so it was refreshing to see that a company like BlackRock had a purpose that aligned with my family’s journey for something better,” shared Jonathan.

In the summer of his Junior year at Washington University in St. Louis, Jonathan participated in BlackRock’s Summer Analyst Program. During his internship, Jonathan got involved with as many employee network events as his capacity would allow. Taking initiative, Jonathan collaborated with a fellow Summer Analyst to plan a networking event for his internship cohort aimed at connecting with the SOMOS Latinx Professionals and Allies Network (SLN) at BlackRock.

After a meaningful summer experience, Jonathan knew that he wanted to return to BlackRock upon graduation. Today Jonathan is a part of the Americas Client Onboarding team, working as a Portfolio Implementations Analyst. In his position, he directs stakeholders during new portfolio launches and changes to existing portfolios to ensure an accurate and efficient delivery for BlackRock’s clients.

Outside of his role, Jonathan is also a member of SLN, the San Francisco Analyst Impact Committee, Analyst Alley, and the Black Professionals and Allies Network (BPN). Through his involvement in these employee networks, he’s had the opportunity to learn more about the firm and forge strong mentorships across departments.

With an Economics major and Accounting minor, Jonathan’s advice for students looking for their first job out of college is, “Don’t limit your career opportunities simply because your academic or professional background does not align with what might be perceived as the traditional resume for that role.”

When Rachel Dai first heard about BlackRock, she wasn’t sure she’d be a good fit for the financial services firm.

Thankfully, Rachel still applied and was selected for the Summer Analyst Program in 2018 when she was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. Now two years into her tenure at BlackRock, Rachel is on the Global Marketing team. She concentrates on brand initiatives that have a global and firm-wide impact and drives innovation by helping the marketing department adopt the latest marketing practices in content, digital, and experiential development. Her team also helps all parts of the BlackRock organization solve marketing strategy problems by interfacing with each region and channel to coordinate, document, synthesize, and communicate firm priorities.

When Rachel isn’t working on her marketing skills, she’s co-leading BlackRock’s New York chapter of Analyst Alley, where she helps create and host social and professional events for Analysts. Rachel is also Global Co-chair of Events and Social Impact for the Asian & Middle Eastern Professionals & Allies Network (AMP), helping organize programming and engagement to ensure that the community feels seen, heard, and valued.

When asked what she likes the most about working at BlackRock, Rachel said, “I appreciate that everyone at BlackRock has a voice – and has their own platform and way to utilize and amplify it … Whether it’s related to work or extracurriculars, everyone’s opinion matters and holds weight, making it a great place to feel acknowledged and valued.”

Her advice for students interested in joining BlackRock is, “Try to understand your personal ‘why,’ BlackRock’s ‘why’ and role in society, and highlight the connection between them.” She explained that doing so will help you create a memorable experience for both yourself and the interviewer.

In college, Kathleen Burkhardt was one of very few women in her engineering track. Now at BlackRock, she connects with many talented women in tech, product management, and finance.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Alumnus Kathleen first started her journey at BlackRock as an intern in the Summer Analyst Program. After graduating, she returned to BlackRock and started her full-time career as an Analyst, where she rotated through three teams before joining the UX Engineering team.

Since joining the BlackRock community, Kathleen has been an active participant in a wide variety of employee networks, including Analyst Alley, Abilities & Allies Network (ABN), Out & Allies Network (OUT), Women’s Initiative & Allies Network (WIN), and Women in Tech (WIT). Through her involvement in these groups, Kathleen has found support in the WOMYN+ Mentorship Program organized by OUT.

One of the most meaningful events Kathleen has attended through BlackRock’s employee networks was the Lesbians Who Tech New York Summit. At the event, Gloria Steinem, Jen Wong, and many other influential figures in tech and business gave speeches. While attending, Kathleen was able to connect with LGBTQ+ women from BlackRock and other companies. “I am proud of the connections I’ve been able to make and the ability to bring my full self to work through the Out & Allies Network,” said Kathleen.

Kathleen’s advice to students interested in a career at BlackRock is not to be intimidated if you don’t have a finance or business background and to use your interview to highlight your technical abilities.

Villanova alumnus, Zainab Oyawoye, knew two things her junior year: she wanted to work in finance, and she wanted to do so at a firm that prioritized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

That’s when she found BlackRock’s Founders Scholarship Program, which aims to bring diverse talent to the firm. After completing the Summer Analyst program, Zainab chose to return to the firm full-time after graduation. Today, Zainab works in iShares, the firm’s Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) business.

Through BPN and WIN, Zainab has met colleagues from various teams and fields across the firm. She believes that she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet such a wide range of employees, gain perspective about the firm, and receive invaluable career advice without these networks.

One event that has been particularly impactful for Zainab was BPN’s Black History Month panel of senior Black professionals. She explained that the panelists had an honest dialogue about their different career paths and the hurdles they had to overcome along the way. “This event was especially meaningful to me because I believe representation is extremely important. Hearing the success stories of these senior leaders who look like me was extremely inspiring and motivating,” shared Zainab.

Her advice for students interested in a career at BlackRock is to stand out in the application process by highlighting ways you have been innovative in the classroom and beyond. She also says to be yourself and let your personality shine through in the interview process.

Just one year into his career at BlackRock, Auston Kennedy has found his footing in his career and surpassed his expectations. 

Auston first heard about BlackRock while studying industrial and systems engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT). After one of his friends introduced him to the company, he participated in a program that exposed GT students to the firm. He left the program impressed and interested in joining BlackRock full-time.

Now, he’s on BlackRock’s Aladdin Client Services team, which he describes as both a hard-working and supportive environment. In his role, Auston provides application support to users of BlackRock’s proprietary investment management software Aladdin. Thus far, his favorite project on the team has been helping set up $1.8 billion in new funds for a client.

Until now, Auston has participated in BPN and the Green Team Network (GTN), a network for employees interested in sustainability and environmentalism. Auston attributes the firm’s resource groups and professional development to providing him an incredible number of opportunities to strengthen his understanding of finance through online classes and talks given by investment professionals.

Auston’s advice for students interested in working at BlackRock is to show a desire to learn constantly and be willing to be uncomfortable.

Why you should consider working at BlackRock

At BlackRock, employees are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work and have access to networks and opportunities that help advance their careers. BlackRock aims to create better financial futures for their clients, and they want to hire people who also believe in this purpose. If you think that BlackRock might be a good fit for you, click here to learn more about their early-career opportunities.

Nabi was initially skeptical after she heard about the internship opportunity at BlackRock, the multinational FinTech firm. “As a student, I was only really interested in working for a tech company. I thought that a tech team in a financial institution would be full of people in suits,” says Nabi, who has now been working full-time at BlackRock for about three years. “I soon found out that this isn’t the case. BlackRock doesn’t feel like a traditional finance company; it feels inclusive and more like a tech firm,” she adds.

When Nabi graduated from the University of Glasgow with an MSc in Computing Science in 2018, she didn’t hesitate to accept a position at BlackRock as a software engineer. “I could clearly see from the tasks that the other interns and I had been doing that there’s a huge variety of technology work on offer at BlackRock. I thought that boded well for my future career. I made a lot of friends during the internship too, and I wanted to continue to be part of that welcoming culture,” says Nabi.

Technology professionals don’t need to have a financial services background to get a job at BlackRock, says Nabi, who is based in Edinburgh. Soon after she joined the firm, Nabi’s manager set aside an hour a day to explain the finance side of the company and the type of data the firm analyses when looking to invest. “It’s been fascinating to learn about a new industry, and be supported in doing so, as I also expand my tech skills,” she adds.

Technologists at BlackRock “aren’t treated like we’re in a support function”, says Nabi. “If you think you’ll come here and end up writing a lot of scripts in the back office without much visibility across the company, the reality is very different to what you’re imagining. I’ve found the atmosphere to be caring and fun, and still very professional. There’s a business-focused, start-up vibe here,” she adds.

Nabi rotated across four units within BlackRock when she graduated, including doing a stint in a team focused on Aladdin, an investment platform developed in-house by BlackRock to create an end-to-end operating system for investment professionals. “That experience showed me just how important technology is to this company. It’s far more than support; we actually design products like Aladdin that generate income in their own right,” says Nabi. “The Aladdin team is very dynamic. I learned the Go programming language, and gained technical knowledge in new areas, such as protocol buffers,” she adds.

Nabi also worked in the Data and AI team during her rotation and decided to join it as a permanent staff member at the end of her traineeship. She further expanded her skills in this role, learning about Python and cloud development on the technology side, and about stocks and bonds on the finance front. “I loved this team, so I ended up staying in it. We switch projects a lot and get to assume plenty of ownership over what we do, which has been great for my career development. I was initially focused on a project where I expanded existing quality control, and moved onto a new project to onboard similar quality control methodology as one of the quality control leads,” says Nabi.

In January this year, Nabi told her manager that she’d like to take on more project management responsibilities in her role. He put the word out and within just a month Nabi’s job changed to one involving about 40% project management and 60% coding. “I enjoy writing code, but it felt like something was missing, so this was a natural next step for me. I take more of a high-level approach now, and I get more involved in planning strategy and coordinating with other teams” she explains. “I think my new role helps to show BlackRock’s commitment to the career advancement of its female tech talent,” she adds.

Nabi says she also enjoys working at BlackRock because her colleagues come from diverse backgrounds and because the company is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion within its workforce. “In technology, it’s really important to hire a diverse group of people because they will have learned different things and will have different outlooks on solving problems. For example, I have a super creative colleague who studied art at university, so she’s naturally amazing at UI design. But her way of thinking is also useful in quality testing because she comes up with innovative suggestions for ways code might potentially break,” says Nabi.

Employee diversity is key to creating an inclusive workplace culture that encourages women and people from minority backgrounds to join BlackRock, says Nabi. “There’s a real bond between people on my team, and we enjoy each other’s company socially. In terms of age, for example, we have interns, new grads and people who’ve been here for 20 years or more – and that makes the environment more fun. It wouldn’t be so enjoyable to work here if everyone came from a similar background,” she adds.

To succeed as a technology professional at BlackRock, Nabi says you need to be “flexible and dynamic”. Some jobs require the ability to adapt and learn new programming languages, for example. “Having good communication skills is also vital in a large and global firm like BlackRock, where there are plenty of different projects going on,” says Nabi. “And I think it’s important to have patience. When I first started here and was struggling with a coding problem, my managers showed a great deal of patience. They gave me examples to train me in a no-stress environment, so I was able to get up to speed more effectively,” she says.

Nabi wants to keep growing her career at BlackRock, and to further her ability to combine coding with project management work. “And I’d like to work on even larger projects,” she adds. “As a woman in tech, there are many advantages of building a career here. You get to work alongside a fantastic and diverse bunch of people, and on the technical front, you won’t get stuck working on legacy code because there are so many opportunities to work with newer languages on cutting-edge projects. One thing’s for sure: you won’t get bored.”