Recruiter Insights: Making Bloomberg Your Next Career Move
Originally posted on Bloomberg.com
Stefan Agius is based in Bloomberg’s London office and is responsible for our EMEA Experienced Recruitment team. His team partners with managers and business team leaders to identify, attract and hire seasoned talent across all our business areas and corporate functions in EMEA.
We often hear from potential applicants that they want to know more about the breadth of work, the caliber of colleagues and the interview process. So we’ve asked Stefan to share his personal advice for applicants considering an EMEA experienced-level role at Bloomberg.
If a prospective applicant comes across an experienced hire job description, how should they decide if it’s the right role for them?
First, you should get to know what the Terminal is, since it’s intrinsically linked to everything we do as an organisation. Second, research what the department you’re applying to does here at Bloomberg. Third, I’d recommend you begin looking into the role itself.
To help you envision yourself at Bloomberg, we recently rewrote all our job descriptions to make them more transparent in terms of your responsibilities, your team, what we trust you to do, what success looks like and, importantly, what it means to perform above and beyond expectations in that position. Our hope is that we’ve painted a fairly clear picture for you to decide if a career at Bloomberg is right for you.
My final suggestion? See if you have an acquaintance or former colleague who works in the department you’re interested in—it always helps to have someone you know answer additional questions!
What should someone interested in an experienced-level role highlight in their application?
One question we often get revolves around the relevance of a cover letter. My view? They still matter. It’s a very important bridge between the accomplishments in your CV and the skills and attributes it takes to succeed in a role at Bloomberg.
The cover letter is a really useful way for you to tell us your story. Use it to contextualize your past experiences and explain how they bring value to Bloomberg. It’s also a way for you to showcase concrete examples that make you a good fit for our culture–like times when you’ve collaborated successfully, driven innovation or executed decisively.
What qualities do you look for in successful applicants?
Well, these are all just my opinions and it’s ultimately up to the hiring manager, but I’d say we really do want people who see things differently. I know that might sound cliché, but it’s true. We want people who find innovative solutions and collaborate instinctively. So, having diverse experiences and qualities is important.
We’re also very aware that the market has shifted, especially within financial services. We see more and more candidates who used to work in that space, changed career course over the past couple of years and are now looking to come back and use an existing skillset in a different manner.
Here’s the bottom line: Don’t discount yourself just because you don’t have direct or recent experience. You could be someone returning to work after an extended break, a parent reentering the workforce or someone who decided to launch a start-up. We’re actively searching for people with diverse viewpoints and experiences. The only way to guarantee you don’t get the job is to not apply!
How are candidates evaluated in the interview and how can they best prepare?
It varies a great deal based on department and hiring manager but as a team we strive to give candidates the best opportunity to be successful throughout the interview process. Your recruiter will share information with you about your interviewers, the process, and the business you’re interviewing with.
Overall, we conduct a robust interview process designed to evaluate the candidates across specific metrics including their direct and indirect experiences, qualities, and cultural fit. The interview team is diverse and aligned on what they are specifically looking for. I know there’s a popular view that these interviews are really tough but, if you’re prepared and relaxed, you’ll do great!
If an experienced professional is thinking about their next move, why should they consider Bloomberg?
Not to sound like a broken record. But, as mentioned on our website, if you want to be somewhere that has the energy of a newsroom, the pace of a trading floor and the buzz of a recent tech breakthrough, then you’re considering the right place.
And then there’s the countless volunteer projects where we help bring out the best in our communities and colleagues. If all of this is not enough, and you’re thinking of moving in or to London, then I’m pretty sure the new London office will convince you!
Explore the current roles we have open across EMEA. Be sure to join the Bloomberg Talent Network to get alerted about future new job opportunities.
