BlackRock

You learn a lot starting on day one. You can go as far as you want, and hard work is recognized. The greatest motivation is the outstanding and committed people around you who have an ownership mentality.

BlackRock is an enigma. It's a very large company with very few meetings, having only 6 in almost 3 years, and very few formal processes. But for some reason, everyone knows what to do: understanding clients, shareholders, and management demands.

Nobody tells you what to do, but they are very clear on what they expect. If you hate long, boring meetings, loathe useless conversations, and desire direct access to management, this is the place for you.

The secret to BlackRock is their people. They look beyond education and grades (which still are important) to character, commitment, and willingness to learn things outside the comfort zone. You will see liberal arts majors writing code and SQL while computer science majors do their CFA. It's a very good dynamic, connecting business and engineering.

I told a director in my interview: "I don't know what you have in mind for me, but whatever it is, for every dollar you invest (in me), you will get three back by the end of the year!" He replied, "I like confidence!"

I was interviewing at GE to be a sourcing manager at the same time. I chose BlackRock, not really understanding the role, but rather on the energy.

I even met Charlie Hallac after my second week. The company #3 knew who I was, calling out a few points on my CV during our impromptu conversation. BlackRock MDs and executives see everything from afar, like Odin sees the world through his ravens. I received several emails from MDs and executives thanking me when I stayed up late doing extra QC on days with large market movements.

The colleagues' helpfulness depends on who you ask. If you persist, you can get help. I even learned to code by bothering and annoying my colleagues on a regular basis. If you smile and show a lot of energy, even the grumpiest give in, teaching you something.

There is no formal training process. On day one, you are given a black notebook and a pen. Then it's baptism by fire. It is very important to write everything down because they remember what they told you, getting very upset if they have to repeat themselves. People yell at you, a lot, but it's okay. It is part of the learning process and gives you good war stories later. The first 6 months, you feel lost, but then things start to click, so hang in there.

Hard work at BLK does not go unnoticed. The experience and long hours paid off with a position 2-3 levels higher in another company. As a director at the new job with hiring responsibility, the first thing I did was search out my former colleagues with the goal of replicating this culture.

I started this job at 39 years of age. Keeping up with aggressive young people with high IQs, good breeding, and raw ambition wears you out.

The hours are very long, but this is necessary to learn the job. The job is also addictive. No one tells you to stay late; you sort of do this on your own, losing track of time because the work is actually interesting and you feel needed.

This pays off. Having BlackRock on your CV can land you a very good job anywhere in the world. It takes a few years after you left to understand this.

The biggest con is that the Delaware office is next to a graveyard. It's a depressing view, especially when you're old.

As the company grows and becomes more mainstream, you may lose this magic. It's very important to keep discipline and spend lots of time on hiring the right people while teaching the company history and culture. I didn't get along with half of my co-workers, but I respected them for their sense of ownership, integrity, and high level of intelligence.