Interview with Vanessa Willoughby, Fixed Income ETF Sales Analyst at BlackRock
This week, we had the opportunity to talk with Vanessa at BlackRock. Vanessa is a 2018 graduate from Wellesley, where she double majored in Economics and East Asian Studies. We talked to Vanessa about her previous professional experiences in education, her time at BlackRock, and her tips for recruiting in the finance industry without a finance background.
What did you study at Wellesley? What did you do during your summers at Wellesley?
Vanessa: I’m from the Class of 2018, so I’m a recent graduate. I majored in East Asian studies with a Chinese concentration — and a focus on Chinese history. I also double majored in Economics. I was an Econ minor first, then I declared my Econ major the summer before my senior year. At Wellesley, I was very involved in extracurriculars. I was on the varsity fencing team for a couple of years; I did choir; I worked in the Ville at JP Licks; I also worked at Career Education for a year. Most of my internships were in the field of education. The summer before my senior year I was working in Beijing at an education consulting firm that is run by a Wellesley alum. Another summer I interned at the Office of Admission. Prior to that, I spent two summers working as an outdoor education counselor for a camp run by the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. None of my prior experiences were in finance at all. That speaks to what I learned from the team at Career Education — creating an engaging narrative that allows you to be competitive for a role hinges on your ability to bring together the seemingly disparate threads of your many experiences, skills, and interests, and apply them to a role you’re passionate about.
During my senior year, even though I loved interning at ESC, I knew that I wanted to start my career in the States. I also knew that I didn’t want to start my career in education anymore. I wanted to be in New York — it’s a city that has everything. I was also excited to apply the things that I learned in a rigorous environment– I had a preference for a corporate environment because I didn’t have significant exposure to workplace dynamics outside of the education field. I thought I should try to expand beyond my natural comfort zone early on in my career when things are a bit more forgiving and people are interested in creating learning experiences for you. BlackRock did a great job onboarding and helping me get acclimated to the firm and its culture by being very clear on expectations and ways to succeed.
Can you elaborate on your experience at BlackRock? What do you like about the culture and the program you are in?
Vanessa: One of the things that surprised me when I first joined BlackRock is that it’s so huge –13,000+ people globally. I was familiar with the size of the global workforce before I joined but the scope of firm offerings and the many connectivity points between teams is something that you get more clarity on the longer you’re there. I knew BlackRock was a good match for me because it offered a global experience and being a global citizen has always been important to me. For example, perhaps an opportunity may arise for me to work in the Hong Kong office for a couple of years.
Regarding onboarding, we had three weeks of training. The first week began with the entire global analyst class coming together in New York for general training about BlackRock’s firm culture. Multiple members of the senior leadership team came in and spoke to us about their connection to the firm, how BlackRock has expanded as a firm over time, and the importance of being a fiduciary. I later learned that the way our curriculum was structured differed greatly from onboarding procedures at other firms. I’ve heard that many people who start off in finance begin by taking their Series exams or internal firm assessments — beginning with an evaluation rather than an introduction to the culture. The BlackRock narrative as I experienced it focused on being connected to the firm, being engaged, contributing to the continual improvement of the culture, and internalizing a fiduciary mindset. This was especially important to me as a finance outsider, no one of my immediate family works in financial services and I had very little exposure to the industry prior to joining. The following two weeks of training broke the analyst class into smaller, more focused teams. I work in iShares — the ETF and Index Investing business, which was nested under the Investment track for week two. This was valuable for me because it provided a deeper understanding of where ETFs sit within the investment universe. The final week of training was EII only which is where I learned about the different teams within iShares and how they work together to provide client support. Learning about the different teams within iShares helped me to develop a mental map of who-does-what that proved invaluable on the desk. Oftentimes, people send me requests asking for a particular whitepaper or deck and I may not know where to find it but I will know someone who knows how to access it. On the desk, you build upon these mental maps so every time you receive an inquiry it takes less time to satisfy because you know the most direct path to get that answer. The challenge of a sales role is understanding the breadth of firm offerings and paring that down into a cogent and digestible message for a client — other teams and individuals are your partners in accomplishing this.
You mentioned that you work in a sales role. Could you talk about your current role and what specifically do you do day-to-day?
Vanessa: I usually have three or five big projects that have longer time horizons, then I have a couple more projects that are due end of the week. Additionally, I have requests that come in throughout the day, such as clients asking for updates on materials I sent them earlier or pulling together a deck for a presentation. I like this cadence of work I never know exactly what my role will demand of me that day.
I sit in iShares, and within iShares I’m on the sales team. Our sales teams are divided by client segments, and I sit in fixed income ETF sales. What’s exciting about being a fixed income sales analyst is working across the client channels. As a member of an asset class-oriented team, I see a great variety of clients, portfolios, and relationship management styles.
Since you started in July how has your job at BlackRock changed or evolved?
Vanessa: Initially the majority of my projects came from the fixed income and insurance teams. As I branched out and more people became familiar with me and my work I began to work with other teams. So, there has definitely been an evolution.
BlackRock doesn’t recruit on campus. Do you have any advice for people who are interested in BlackRock? What was your recruiting process like?
Vanessa: The Wellesley contingent here at BlackRock is smaller than I anticipated — so I would love to see more sibs join!
My first point of contact with the firm was the National Black MBA Conference, which focuses on people of color seeking opportunities in business. I went and spoke with a Blackrock rep there who passed along my resume. I then applied, was selected for final round interviews, and was given an offer. My path was definitely irregular but my takeaways for those interested in the firm would be to be familiar with the business and be able to communicate what type of work you like to do and where your interests lie. I also think it’s a good idea to find alums who work at the firm, maybe try to have an initial conversation that way. At a career fair, you can set yourself apart by doing background reading and being familiar with firm values and what they prioritize.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Vanessa: I live in New York so there’s a lot to do! My family lives in Jersey and I go home at least once a month — it’s really nice to have them so close. I try to keep in touch with my Wellesley friends although many of us are in different cities or time zones so it’s definitely hard sometimes.
At work, we have many employee resource groups and one of them is for LGBTQ+ people in the workplace. I’m pretty heavily involved with that group and am part of its external engagement committee. We network and plan events with relevant employee resource groups at other firms which has allowed me to meet some really cool people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.
Outside of the office, I go to the Opera a lot because I love it, and it’s affordable compared to Broadway shows. I’m also a big museum person so New York City is great for that.
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