What makes a dream job? For many recent college grads, the answer is something along the lines of great management, stellar training, and making a difference. Most people also want exposure to a variety of fields and functions at a business so they can see what they’re best at and start planning for the long term.
All of these things are hallmarks of the Customer Support Department at Bloomberg. At least, that’s how Gustavo felt when he learned about the role during his job search last year. He found all that—and way more—when he came to Bloomberg’s Customer Support team.
What The Customer Support Team Is Actually Like
The signature of every Bloomberg early-career role is a rigorous training program. This was good news for Gustavo.
“The first time I came here for my interview was overwhelming because I shadowed someone who was very good at what she was doing,” he says. “I thought she had eight arms because she was doing so much so quickly.”
His first thought after that: “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do this.”
That was before he began the 9-week training program, which includes instructor-led sessions in a classroom setting, guided activities, coaching, online exercises and textbooks, study sessions with peers in your cohort, and, finally, exams to ensure you’re totally prepared for the role. The training covers navigation of the Terminal, the variety of products and services provided, and the procedures that make Bloomberg’s customer support unparalleled in the industry.
“By going through the training, you get a really good vision and you have tons of support,” Gustavo says. “You start to see how much you can accomplish when things are structured and layered in a way that’s easy to follow.”
What does the role actually consist of? It’s centered around the company’s flagship product: the Bloomberg Terminal. This is the hub of Bloomberg’s financial information network. That’s where the company’s clients and customers—which include everyone from college freshmen to high-level fund managers—access what they need to do their work.
As a member of Bloomberg’s Customer Support team, you’ll be fielding calls and message requests from clients—as well as Bloomberg’s 19,000 employees—in real time. Bloomberg Customer Support representatives are subject matter experts at handling general inquires as well as technical troubleshooting, while also escalating problems to the right people. For example, they might redirect an inquiry regarding a financial analysis to the Analytics or Global Data teams, or accounting questions to Bloomberg’s Client Financial Services team.
It’s problem-solving, multitasking, and providing high-level support to Bloomberg clients all over the world. These are essential business skills most people don’t get to practice once a week in their entry-level roles. Gustavo and his peers do them every day.
Solving Problems—In More Than One Language
For Gustavo, one of the most appealing aspects of the job was being able to utilize his fluency in English and Portuguese . For customer support roles in the US, Bloomberg specifically seeks people who can speak both English and another language, such as Portuguese, Spanish, or French.
“It was a big attraction for me because, when I interviewed, I met 10 or 11 Portuguese speakers and I had just taken a course in localization, which is essentially working with products on a global scale for a specific language and target language markets,” he explains.
“Many of my calls are in Portuguese,” he explains. “There are a lot more Brazilian users than I expected. It’s actually a very large consumer base that we work with.”
‘Bloomberg,’ ‘Finance,’ And ‘Customer Support’ Don’t Mean What You Think They Do
Despite all of these challenges and opportunities, Gustavo says, he could have never pictured himself at the company before he arrived.
“I never considered myself someone who could work for a finance company,” he explains. “A lot of the people I talk to now were initially in the same boat as me, but many of us have realized just how many different possibilities there are at a company like Bloomberg.”
The wide breadth of opportunities at the company isn’t just covered by the terms “finance,” “technology,” or “media”–Bloomberg is truly a global information and technology company. The company is involved in so many initiatives that, no matter what he learns about the company, Gustavo is always surprised by something new.
“One day I was here eating lunch and I spoke to someone sitting nearby, and it turns out he was working on gun control through Bloomberg Philanthropies and I had no idea that we did that,” Gustavo says. “So, you find yourself having these conversations and realizing that there are so many opportunities in this company.”
At Bloomberg, taking your career to the next level really can mean anything. It’s just up to you to figure out what that is.
Interested in finding the perfect career challenge for you? Check out open opportunities at Bloomberg on WayUp!
