Building a career at Bloomberg: Department changers

At Bloomberg, our structure isn’t built on people having formal titles. Our culture allows our employees to network more freely, learn about new career paths, and pursue them. And we openly encourage this kind of movement across departments, locations, and time zones.

Movement like this isn’t unique or a special case; it’s the norm at Bloomberg. Our structure is designed to encourage internal mobility, and we offer the training, skill development and tools to help our people succeed along the way. Here, two Bloomberg employees share their career journeys, and how they’ve made the most of their time at the company.

Natalia, Corporate Philanthropy

Starting down a new path in the middle of an otherwise successful career can be daunting. But at Bloomberg, it’s not uncommon. Natalia talks about her journey. 

“One of the great things about my previous role in finance is the fact that I got to interact with many people across the company. And one of the groups that I was exposed to was Corporate Philanthropy. 

In prior roles at other companies, I volunteered once in a while when the stars aligned, but it was hard to fit it in between working, having a child, and just living my life. Bloomberg made it easy to get involved in its corporate philanthropy initiatives. and  it was just something that I  incorporated into my life and my work. There’s robust programming for volunteering, donating, and getting involved. There’s no excuse not to. So I jumped in and started participating.

Before long, I started having conversations with people in Corporate Philanthropy about potential career opportunities within their team. Sure enough, they came back and they said, guess what? There’s a role opening on our Operation team. Are you interested in applying for it? And I didn’t really have to think about it. I knew the team, I knew their work, I had the right skillset, and I wanted to be a part of it. And my old team was very supportive of my life goals and what I wanted to do.

Part of the fabric at Bloomberg is that if you’re really trying to do something new, you can go for it – step up and try to do it. There are enough support systems in place that can help you move over to a different area. It may not happen instantly, but it is something that can – and does – happen.

Being in this new role has been amazing. I’ve learned much more about how Bloomberg helps people all around the world, not just its employees.

I would say if you’re trying to change careers and looking at Bloomberg, look past your current role and focus on all the skills and talents that you have. Because, at this company, you can be  exposed to a lot of different opportunities, people, and ways of working. There’s always the ability to find your niche somewhere at Bloomberg.”

Robinson, Analytics 

Robinson views the broad range of career-building experiences he’s had over his 17 years with Bloomberg as opportunities to choose his own adventure. Here’s a look at his successful career path.

“One of the amazing things about being at Bloomberg is the chance to take advantage of all the paths and options made available to you. When I joined as a college graduate 17 years ago, I was part of the entry-level training program and a career in Sales was my goal. It was very much a “Choose Your Own Adventure”: you know your destination, but how you get there is totally up to you.

Some people move really quickly through one business area, but some spend more time in one department than others. And that was my experience. I moved through Customer Support and Analytics, and then worked in Sales for ten years. I got to cover clients on both the buy-side and sell-side in the Caribbean and Dominican Republic, as well as the United Nations. I regularly visited clients on one of the largest trading floors in the world, talking with traders and analysts while representing Bloomberg.

Those moments were a culmination of all the things that I had learned in training and along the way. They’ve allowed me the chance to pursue exciting challenges until the next opportunity arises.

To anyone considering a career here: Come with a passion, curiosity, a drive to learn. If you have that, we can teach you all the tools of the trade to be successful.”