Summer Intern Review

Really enjoyed the internship, from the culture to the diverse range of tasks I was given. Main highlights would be the opportunity to be a valued member of the team, been given responsible work from the offset, great opportunities to network with the firm - from managing directors to other interns and a good social side.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. Although you are an intern and they respect that you won't know many technical things and have much to learn, they highly value a fresh perspective on things and therefore highly value interns. I was always encouraged to speak up in meetings and voice my own opinion.

The support network throughout the internship is really great. Each intern is given a line manager, a buddy and a mentor, each of which serve a different purpose. Your mentor, for example, is within a different division to your own, which enables you to ask questions that you may not feel comfortable asking your line manager and also enable you an insight into other areas.

Due to the nature of my team, I had many projects to multi task at once, which seemed daunting at first but there was still enough time within the day to attend training sessions, network with individuals in the firm and attend team meetings. I was largely left to time manage my own work which meant that I had an equal amount of work to do each day rather than being extremely busy at times and quiet at others.

I was given a large amount of responsibility throughout my internship, being involved in some of the key initiatives within my team. I was extremely glad that I had been given this responsibility, as I was able to feel that I had added value to the team throughout my ten weeks.

Many of skills learnt are transferable skills and will be extremely useful both in any degree and the work place. These transferable skills included: communication skills, time management, presentation skills, networking and the ability to interact with all the different levels within a large corporate firm. The training also enhanced the transferable skills but in many cases was specific to both the team you were interning in and the asset management industry more broadly - which will prove invaluable experience for the future.

One of the key differentiating factors about BlackRock is definitely the culture. There was an extremely dynamic and open atmosphere within the office, where individuals were encouraged to contribute regardless of what level they were at. Although everyone was busy with their daily jobs, everyone I reached out to was more than willing to take their time to discuss what they do, or talk through something technical etc. I think this is a very unique aspect of BlackRock.

There was an overall structure to the internship, which included training sessions, networking opportunities and social events. There were also some projects amongst interns that ran throughout the internship, a charity project and a 'Portfolio Challenge', which enabled you to form close bonds with other interns. It was also well organised within the team: upon arrival I had four projects that had been delegated.

At the beginning of the internship there was one week of training for all interns across EMEA. Training also continued throughout the internship, as previously mentioned. Besides training, the willingness of senior management to talk to us as an intern class, as well as on an individual basis shows how much BlackRock invest in interns and highlights how much they value human capital and a fresh perspective.

Throughout the internship, many colleagues emphasised the internal mobility within the organisation. It was encouraging to hear that many employees had been at BlackRock for a long time and in most cases had moved across division as this made it seem like a great place to have a career rather than a job for a few years.

There was a good social side to the internship, both on a formal basis and informal. I think this was enabled by the fact that we were like minded individuals, alongside the fact that BlackRock has a good work-life balance and was therefore mirrored by the interns. Formally, HR had organised a number of events which enabled you to meet and get to know interns in areas different to your own, such as a ping pong night and a Charity event.

As I was based in London, the city is always going to be an expensive place to live and socialise. Fortunately, I live close to London so was able to commute, but otherwise I would recommend student accommodation or sharing with friends/ interns. Socialising was expensive, but you are being paid for the internship so personally it's part of embracing the lifestyle.

There aren't too many clubs near the office, but the city is so easy to get around, such that this wasn't really much of a hindrance. After work, it was more common to go to the pub or bars, of which there are many close by.

There were opportunities throughout the internship, such as the charity event and networking that you were largely encouraged to go to because as well as being fun, they also aid personal development. However, it would be hard to get involved in activities that are completely separate to work (unless you're willing to do an early morning) because it is often unpredictable what time you will finish There are sports teams within BlackRock that I think could have been advertised more to interns, or even setting up an intern team!