Online Application

BlackRock asks you to submit a CV, and you are then sent an invite to complete a ‘virtual cover letter’, where you record yourself answering a couple of questions.

How to respond for success

I made sure to think about what were important skills to have when working in asset management. I then ensured to try and relate my skills and previous experiences to these things.

Expect a 1-week wait before progressing to the next stage.

‍

Virtual Cover Letter

In this stage you are given a question / number of questions , and then you record yourself answering them. You typically have around 30 seconds to prepare your answer, then a number of minutes to answer. It’s common for AI to analyse your virtual cover letter, so eye contact and body language are really important. To prepare, I did a lot of research into BlackRock as a company. I also ensured I was up to date with current financial affairs. Apart from that, I mainly considered things such as my strengths/weaknesses and when I had used these skills in the past.

Example task

‘Why do you want to work at BlackRock’, and ‘Tell me a financial news story you are following and how it will impact the markets?’

How to respond for success

I believe two things made my application stand out. At the time of the interview I was halfway through the CFA Investment Qualification, which is a qualification designed for people to usually take on Grad schemes.

Having already completed half of this before my spring week showed them the great initiative. It also showed I already had a certain level of knowledge about the industry (I would recommend anyone looking to work in Asset Management have a look at this qualification). The second thing I felt made me stand out was my commercial awareness. It is such a common interview topic, so I feel it is essential to be able to confidently talk about what is going on in the financial news and be able to give an opinion on it.

To summarise, I think to be successful at this stage: know the company as well as you can, be comfortable with a news story, have an opinion, and have an idea how markets will/have reacted. Be comfortable talking about your CV and when you have demonstrated certain skills. Dress formally. I wore a shirt and tie with a suit jacket.

Expect a 1 to 2 month wait before progressing to the next stage.

Final Interview

I had two interviews in the final stage. Each interview was around 30 minutes. My preparation was very similar to the virtual cover letter. I also prepared some questions to ask my interviewer at the end.

Example task

My first interview was mainly about me as a person and my experiences. Such as how would you handle x situation, or tell me a time when you have used x skill. I also discussed my personal investing and the success I had with that. My second interview was mostly about commercial awareness. We spoke about current financial news for around 20 minutes, this is why I think it is so important to be prepared for this!

How to respond for success

I think my commercial awareness helped me stand out, especially giving my own opinion on a news story. Also, I was able to provide my answers without any hesitation because I had prepared thoroughly, and I think this helped me to succeed.