Aurelia Butler

BlackRock is a global asset manager and a leading provider of investment, advisory, and risk management solutions. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology with over 19,000 employees, BlackRock helps more and more people experience financial well-being.

BlackRock is best known for its expertise in asset management, but that would not have been possible without the influence of technology behind the scenes. The main operating system that powers BlackRock is called Aladdin.

Aladdin (which stands for Asset, Liability, and Debt and Derivative Investment Network) allows investment managers to connect with people and technology while managing their money in real-time. All BlackRock employees touch the products or outputs of the Aladdin platform every day.

The Power of Aladdin, BlackRock’s Tech Data Platform

Aladdin is a tech platform that unifies the investment management process to enable scale, provide insights, and support true business transformation. Built by and for market practitioners, the platform helps BlackRock and organizations keep up with the pace of the industry. Clients of the Aladdin platform include asset managers, banks, insurers, pensions, corporations, ecosystem partners, and institutions. Aladdin’s risk analytics are relied upon by over 200 institutions, such as KPMG, Microsoft, and MetLife, as well as BlackRock itself.

Aladdin has been embedded into the fabric of BlackRock since the early inception of the firm, which differentiates the firm as an investment and risk manager. The firm began to deliver Aladdin to external clients in 1999. As a multi-asset class platform, Aladdin supports risk analytics and the full investment process across equity, fixed income, FX, bank loans, derivatives, and alternatives such as real estate, commodities, and private equity.

WayUp spoke with Renee Muco, Director and founding member of the firm’s Strategic Initiatives Office (SIO) within Aladdin Product Management (APM), about her experience working with the technology at BlackRock.

Renee described how Aladdin provides an end-to-end solution for businesses. In terms of the SIO, the team works on building out internal functionality and leads some of the large transformational initiatives for Aladdin.

Another component that makes the Aladdin platform unique in the industry is how it’s used both internally by BlackRock and sold externally to clients. When looking for career development opportunities, working on a product like Aladdin provides countless benefits for gaining hands-on experience and participating in large-scale projects across the company.

Building a Career at BlackRock While Powering a New Era of Investment Management Tech

WayUp also spoke with Desu Imudia, Software Engineer, within Aladdin Product Management (APM), who works in the tech track. She started at BlackRock as an Intern in the BlackRock summer internship program.

After completing BlackRock’s summer internship program, Desu decided to apply to their Full-Time Analyst Program for software engineers. Over two years, engineers in the program rotate across four different teams and gain new skills. BlackRock is a great place for students and recent grads to start their early careers because of the opportunities and potential for relationship building, all while simultaneously working with state-of-the-art technology that impacts the world every day.

During her internship, Desu quickly discovered how meaningful it was to work on providing solutions that benefited the real world. Desu also worked with artificial intelligence (AI) in Aladdin in one of the portfolio management tools used to help clients visualize their investment portfolio. She shared how she enjoyed working on the interface with Aladdin projects and using her coding skills to contribute to meaningful projects.

Desu was excited by the idea of working on a well-known platform like Aladdin and felt empowered working at a company creating an impact in the world. Beyond that, the culture clearly fostered a space to engage with ideas, products, and solutions.

Expand Your Horizons with BlackRock’s Career Opportunities

Starting your career at BlackRock may seem most common for finance majors, but there are also countless opportunities across other disciplines within the company, including the variety of technology positions – from design and product development to AI and cloud, and more.

Prior to joining BlackRock, Renee previously worked in the investment banking and technology space but was interested in finding a new opportunity that leaned into her project management skills. She started out as an engineer, and then she did a mid-year career pivot into project management and business analysis.

Renee encourages candidates not to limit themselves right away but encourages them to explore different career opportunities across different industries. She also suggests attending recruiting and networking events where they can meet and learn from employees at the firm.

What to Expect When Applying to Early Career Opportunities at BlackRock

BlackRock’s summer internship program is a gateway to build connections and start your journey at BlackRock. So, what does the recruiting process look like? Candidates start with the application and a pre-interview assessment. Based on the type of internship, BlackRock wants to provide candidates various opportunities to explore different teams

The team at BlackRock aims to help intern candidates through this process and ensure they feel equipped for their interviews. In preparation for the application process, we review the programs, highlight business areas available, offer tips for how to strengthen applications and share insights for how to ace the virtual cover letter and/or code test.

If you are interested in applying for an internship with BlackRock, visit their website for more information. If you’re looking at other career opportunities or want to learn more in general, explore WayUp’s page here. More

Early career opportunities vary from summer internships and externships to entry-level positions. When exploring possibilities in the beginning of your career, rotational programs offer a unique opportunity to gain diverse experiences and to learn how to work with multiple teams – all within one company.

Synchrony, a Fortune 200 financial services company, inspires career growth from day one. Synchrony is at the heart of many U.S. financial transactions that are made every day and is committed to providing hands-on experiences for its early career talent. The company has a robust early career development program that aims to identify, attract and develop the company’s future leaders.

Synchrony’s driving force is to be essential to people’s everyday lives by making it easier for the tens of millions of people who rely on us to access their essential needs and everyday wants with consumer financing that works for them – from their first credit card to a lifetime of flexibility. The company is recognized in the industry as a top employer, recently named by Fortune as one of the nation’s top five best companies to work for.

The Business Leadership Program

One of the programs that makes Synchrony stand out is its Business Leadership Program (BLP). These early career development programs are designed to accelerate the careers of tomorrow’s leaders.

The summer internship program is a 10-week program for rising juniors and first-year HR graduate students. As a BLP intern, you will work on projects and participate in meaningful work in your desired field while experiencing the support of the team, mentors, and Synchrony’s award-winning culture. If you are interested in the summer internship program, learn more here.

The Full-Time BLP program is a two-year, rotational program for graduating university seniors designed to facilitate your career growth across three different disciplines. If you’re still undecided on what you want to pursue professionally, a rotational program could be a great opportunity for you to explore after graduation.

The Synchrony BLP program has more than 10 different tracks, from sales and relationship management, finance, data analytics, and other areas across the business. The program includes community service, networking and social events.

The BLP program helps transition graduates into the working world by offering experiences similar to what students had with student clubs and organizations. The participant-led committees include Development, Wellness, Recruiting, and Engagement, providing real-world opportunities for new grads to grow in their communication, planning, and leadership skills.

Beyond the leadership development gained through the committees, the BLP program also helps accelerate individuals into positions of leadership.

Creating a Fast Track for Leadership

One of the top appeals of the BLP program is how it offers early career candidates access to leaders within the organization and helps to advance opportunities for leadership for themselves personally.

Due to the nature of the program, you gain diverse work experiences across multiple teams and practice areas and are steps ahead of your peers as it relates to career growth.

Wyatt Craig, SVP Digital Finance – PayPal, who was in the first cohort of the BLP rotational program shared that the biggest differentiator is the support from leadership. Leaders and mentors help you define what you want to do in your career and suggest experiences to help you achieve your goals.

The investment from leaders continues long after the program ends. Wyatt mentioned the value of the alumni network, which provides mentorship to BLP participants. To help recent graduates transition into the corporate world, these alumni provide guidance on what a career path post-BLP could look like.

Synchrony continues to invest in its employees and offers ongoing learning opportunities, including tuition benefits, which was essential for Wyatt when he decided to pursue post-grad education.

Cultivating a Culture of Flexibility and Well-Being

Through its people-centric culture, Synchrony co-designs programs and initiatives together with employees. The company offers flexible work options, allowing employees to work from home, in the office, or both in a hybrid work environment while redesigning its workspaces to encourage meaningful connections.

Josh Mugabe, a HRBP BLP, described the company’s emphasis on flexibility and choice.

Josh also shares how purposeful engagement provides valuable ways early in your career to meet and interact with people in the office. The Synchrony “hubs” or workspaces also provide a collaborative atmosphere to build relationships.

Synchrony also prioritizes employee well-being in the workplaces, providing comprehensive wellness programs and benefits. For example, the company provides a psychologist onsite and employees can have up to 12 sessions per year at no cost to them personally. The program was built with everyone in mind, including interns.

Angela King, Sales & Relationship Management BLP, was the first BLP to lead the BLP’s Wellness committee.

Initiatives include physical activities like intramural sports, the Brooklyn marathon and ice skating in Bryant Park as well as stress reduction and wellness programs including a cooking class, financial literacy, and virtual monthly conversations.

Gaining Real-World Career Skills

Angela shared how fast the two years went by and how much she accomplished and grew during that time. She learned about Synchrony and business acumen and increased her confidence, gained insight into her own strengths and weaknesses, and developed leadership skills.

A rotational program offers tangible work experience that could help you solidify the direction for your career. The program dedicates time for you to explore your interests and learn from different roles and leaders. As you consider possibilities for your life after graduation, we encourage you to look into Synchrony’s rotational program. If you don’t have plans to graduate yet, then you can learn more about the summer 10-week internship program.

You can learn more about the company here. If you’re interested in starting your career at Synchrony, visit us here to find out more about the internship program, the rotational program, and other early-career opportunities.

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You’ve found the dream job or internship. Whether or not you know someone at the company, it’s in your best interest to invest time in connecting with folks working there; it could be a difference maker in landing a new career opportunity. 

Chiara, a recruiter for Capital One’s Students & Grads Programs, is here to help you connect and build relationships by sharing her three tips for networking. 

Take a strategic approach

It’s absolutely crucial to do your research! You want to connect with someone through a common interest or a mutual colleague or friend. Of course, LinkedIn can be a great place to start, but consider finding people through other platforms.

Capital One’s Business Resource Groups (BRG)—voluntary, associate-led groups for cultural celebration, community service and professional development—are great ways to expand your network. Many BRGs sponsor and attend career fairs and student conferences, so be on the lookout for them! 

National organizations and societies are also great for meeting people. Connect with groups that share your identity or professional interest, like the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Rewriting the Code—both of which are Capital One partners. The groups are like your secret weapon for networking, finding resources and getting tailor-made support for your academic and/or professional journey.

Have a plan

First things first: Use the “S.E.E.” method when meeting someone. That stands for smile, eye contact and enthusiasm. The S.E.E. method can help set the stage for a great conversation prior to giving your elevator pitch. 

As for the elevator pitch, think of it as being three parts. Say what you do, what makes you unique and either how you can help them or how they can help you. Practice your pitch beforehand to ensure it flows smoothly and feels natural.  

As that initial conversation is wrapping up, be sure to get their contact info so you can send a personalized thank you email or LinkedIn message referencing something specific from the conversation. Lastly, follow up with them periodically, whether it’s sharing relevant articles, inviting them to events or simply checking in to see how they’re doing. 

Be authentic

Remember, being yourself is the key to building meaningful connections. 

Don’t try to impress by pretending to be someone you’re not. It can be easy to get caught up in the job or internship search and force yourself to pursue an opportunity that doesn’t feel true to you. You should be building relationships that last beyond one meeting. It’s easier for someone to mentor you or be your advocate when they truly know you and your passions.

People are more likely to remember and connect with the real you.

Head over to Capital One’s profile to learn more about the company and browse open roles, upcoming events, and more. More