Our Culture

• Degree(s):B.A. in Business Administration
• Location:Seattle
• Job title:Analyst
• Group:Alternative Investments

My role resides on the marketing and client servicing side of BlackRock Alternative Advisors, a premier fund of funds platform providing hedge, private equity and real asset fund of funds to institutional and individual investors worldwide.  I am primarily involved in the development of quarterly and monthly client deliverables, as well as RFI- and RFP-related content, marketing documents for newly launched funds, ad hoc presentations and informational responses to client inquiries.  Most deliverables and projects for which I am responsible are related to our closed-end products (i.e., real assets products, private capital products, hybrid products).

Understanding Business and Finance

In addition to the high standards of quality that are upheld in our processes of content generation and client servicing, as well as the high expectations for one’s writing skills, there is also a need for a robust understanding of business and finance concepts. One could succeed in a role like mine regardless of the degree earned, as long as the individual is willing to continue the process of knowledge accumulation.

Truly Global

BlackRock is a truly global investment manager with a number of business units that offer possible job opportunities for the future, which is an advantage of working for a large financial services company. I also appreciate BlackRock's policy of sponsoring professional designations that are relevant to our business, such as my candidacy for the Certified Alternative Investment Analyst designation.

Cohesive Culture

The BlackRock culture is perhaps less intimate than that of some smaller financial services companies, but is nonetheless a cohesive culture that brings employees together through shared professional values.

7:45 a.m. – Arrival. Arrive at the office ready to start work. Quickly glance through Reuters to get a feel for the U.S. and world economies’ pulses.

8:00 a.m. – Responses. Begin to respond to voice messages and emails.

8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – Projects. Work on projects (i.e., managing market commentaries and in-depth quarterly reports for BAA’s closed-end funds, answering Requests for Information and Requests for Proposals that we receive from current and prospective clients).

12:00 p.m. – Break. Take lunch at my desk while reading news.

12:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Team Meetings. We will meet as a group to discuss numerous topics which might include updates on our business, the market environment and what the senior-level professionals from our firm think about the "new news" and meetings for strategizing how to complete projects (RFIs, RFPs, etc.) and to whom certain parts of the project should be delegated.