Summer analyst Review

My 8 weeks at Blackrock have been brilliant. The work I was given was interesting, challenging and enjoyable at the same time. Not only did I learn a lot about the Asset Management industry and Blackrock itself as a company but I had a great time doing it, with a team who could not have been more friendly and helpful.

The best thing about the work I have done at Blackrock is that it has been really taken on board by my colleagues. You are not given pointless tasks just to keep you busy, but something which really adds to the team’s performance. For example I presented one of my pieces of work to an investment specialist who then sent the slides on to other people, showing the work has been valued.

There is a really good buddy system at Blackrock for the internship, which is someone in your team who basically helps you get your bearings over the first few days and to get to grips with the work. This was really helpful and they are a constant source of information for any questions you may have. There was a really good balance struck between managing my own time by letting me get on with my work and ensuring I was on track with regular catch up meetings.

I had plenty of work to keep me going over the internship with longer projects coupled with short term work on request from people in the team. Whilst over the course of the working day I worked hard there was no pressure to work really long hours which for me was the perfect blend.

As I mentioned in the comments above my work was valued and this meant I ended up presenting to some senior people in the business. Whilst it is always difficult to give too much responsibility to someone who has just joined a team, whether they are an intern or not, there was a definite sense of as I proved myself capable responsibilities grew.

Blackrock has a great office atmosphere and culture and that experience of interacting with people in the office environment is a skill which can't be underestimated. Furthermore, skills such as presenting, writing reports are skills which develop with experience and so this was a really good first step in the right direction.

The office atmosphere always struck the perfect balance of being really focused, professional and hard working with being really friendly, open and enjoyable. It was really easy to work in!

From the introductory sessions to the business and the industry in the first couple of weeks to the socials organised for the interns the internship had a clear considered structure and was really well run.

We had sessions with people from across the business to learn about what they did, there was constant feedback from work we had done and presentations we gave. Overall Blackrock are really keen to see their interns learning and progressing and so invest a lot in trying to facilitate this.

The cost of living and socialising wasn't too bad for central London and we were being paid quite well.