It takes more than a great resume to impress recruiters early in your career because, let’s face it, who really has a wealth of experience in their early 20s? Instead, what companies are really looking for is potential—and that can be measured by the presence of certain personality traits.
Bloomberg—a global leader in finance, technology, media, and philanthropy—is one such organization. Their company culture is one that involves a ton of training, multifunctional collaboration, and career development for high performers. That’s why they’re looking for people with the right attitude: a growth mindset, a willingness to tackle tough challenges head on, and the ambition required to take advantage of learning opportunities.
Guided by their core values, Bloomberg employees tend to share certain principles with the company they work for. And those traits are highly valued by leaders at the innovative financial information firm.
To get an insider look at which traits Bloomberg managers really want in their new hires, we spoke to some successful Bloomberg employees and recruiters. Here’s what they had to say:
1. Doing the Right Thing
Acting with integrity is the most important trait shared by all Bloomberg employees. From the company’s diversity and inclusion principles to the organization’s extensive charitable efforts, Bloomberg employees hold themselves accountable for doing the right thing with every action they take.
Through Bloomberg Philanthropies—their partner organization that uses nearly all of the profits from Bloomberg LP to affect important social change throughout the world—the company works toward solving issues facing the public. And it’s not just the full-time employees of Bloomberg Philanthropies that get to contribute to the company’s efforts, either.
“I really like the Best of Bloomberg volunteer events,” Gabriela, a member of the Analytics team, tells us. Her favorite is volunteering to help new English language learners practice at a local library.
Bloomberg employees can also get involved in the company’s culture initiatives.
“The diversity and inclusion projects are very extensive,” Sara says. “I’m on the Women’s Committee, and there are plenty of other groups and communities, too. I’m also involved in one based around sustainability.”
These groups run networking events, panels, and outings to help foster a more inclusive and progressive environment at the company.
Whether you’re a future leader or passionate about philanthropy, Bloomberg hopes that all of its people can apply their work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit to making a difference in the communities in which they live and work.
2. Innovation
Bloomberg is all about growth and change—both for its products and employees.
Innovation is one of the principles that guides Bloomberg employees—whether they’re one of the more than 6,000 software engineers or thousands of business professionals—to take advantage of its culture of development and use that knowledge to move the company forward. That means using new skills to take calculated risks and make thoughtful decisions; test out new, innovative approaches; and to think proactively about creative solutions to problems.
Embodying this spirit of innovation can open so many different career paths for entry-level Bloomberg employees to take. Engineers can dive deeper into their technical skills and take on leadership opportunities. Employees in functions like analytics and customer service can build deeper expertise in their business areas through Bloomberg-provided classes.
“There are constantly new trainings,” Sara, an Equity Specialist who quickly moved up through the Analytics department, told us. “You’re always continuing to grow on the job.”
But, it’s not just a desire to tackle formal learning opportunities and think outside the box that makes a great Bloomberg employee. The best Bloomberg people are always looking to learn from their mentors, managers, and colleagues. Its part of the entrepreneurial spirit that defines the company: Bloomberg people go out of their way to develop their skills, take on new challenges, and learn about other parts of the business.
“Any skills you have—for example, public speaking skills, leadership skills—they give you an opportunity to experiment with and grow these skills,” Miki says.
You just have to be willing to seize those opportunities.
3. Collaboration
Bloomberg’s wide array of clients, products, and services pose a challenge that can’t be tackled by one person, no matter their role. That’s why collaboration is so essential. People who succeed on Bloomberg teams build rich, symbiotic networks with their coworkers so they can share information, seek out diverse perspectives, and provide the best solutions, all of the time.
This is especially visible on Bloomberg’s Customer Support teams.
“Customer support can be a lot of things. Clients can call in with random requests or issues. You may not even know what they’re referring to,” Miki explains. But, Bloomberg people don’t shy away from these puzzles; they tackle them head-on with collaboration, creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking. And they usually do it all while handling six or seven other issues at the same time.
When you join a Bloomberg team, you’re expected to become a close collaborator and partner to everyone on it—and that gives you even more reason to be proud when your team succeeds.
4. Knowing Your Customer
“To be able to put yourself in a client’s shoes and actually visualize their perspective, that’s very important,” Miki, a Customer Support representative, tells us.
This is especially true for entry-level hires at Bloomberg, because most of the roles are centered on supporting clients and other Bloomberg employees who have questions and issues with the company’s flagship product: the Terminal. Grasping their issues quickly is the first—and most important—step in the problem-solving process.
Empathy might seem like a strange fit for a business profile, but it’s absolutely essential at organizations like Bloomberg that requires so much collaboration between clients and fellow members of a cohort. Essentially, empathy allows Bloomberg employees to gain real knowledge of the industry by understanding customer needs in any given moment. That industry knowledge translates into the ability to anticipate issues, provide value, and build long-lasting relationships. And doing all of that is the way that Bloomberg got to where it is today.
Sound like you? Check out open opportunities at Bloomberg on WayUp right now!
