Application Process & Interviews at BlackRock Australia

The interview included submitting the application, conducting a competence assessment, then a pre-recorded video interview, then a final live Teams interview.

The first step was submitting cover letters, CVs and doing a personality test. After that was a one way interview where you had 30 seconds to prepare your answer and 30 seconds to answer. Then two Zoom interviews. The process was done early in the year which was good and we found out if we were accepted within a reasonable time.

The interview process was extensive, but that's not a bad thing. I had to apply online, then went through GIA assessments, a one-way online interview, and two face-to-face interviews with managers.

You complete an online application and record a virtual cover letter (a short pre-recorded video interview). If you pass the initial screening, you're invited to a 1st round interview with a panel of people from different business areas in the company. This is followed by a 2nd round panel interview. Successful candidates are given offers after 2nd panel interview.

I had to submit my CV and then a digitial cover letter (2 questions over video). Following this I had a first round interview with 3 people in the business and then a second round interview with 2 interviers. This was one of my favourite processes as I most enjoy the in-person interviews in a job application process. As it brings out the human element, and abulity to chat and get a feel for the culture of a company.

Fill application, video interview, 2 rounds of in office interviews where the first round I had 3 people then second round I had 2 people and finally offer. People interviewing you were very senior people within the organization from a multitude of teams.

- What would you usually do in your spare time? - What is one skill that you have recently learnt? - Sell me this pen

They were more personality and previous work based questioned. Things like "tell me a time where you failed", "what are you proudest about", "where do you see yourself in 5 years" etc

I was asked about my experience and specific questions on how I would apply that experience to different situations.

In my interviews, I was mainly asked behavioural and situational questions. The questions focussed on my experience dealing with difficult situations, managing conflicting objectives either in university or in the casual job I had at the time.

I got asked about my previous experiences mainly and then the conversation flowed.

Why BlackRock, What is a skill you've picked from your past jobs, Tell us a time that you showed innovation, What motivates you, What do you like to do in spare time, Where in asset management would you like to work in, and Could you recap what's happening in markets right now?.

- Be authentic - Try to relate your strengths to what the company is looking for in an employee - Prepare scenarios and examples to help justify any questions they may have

Research the business and the interviewers. It is easy to memorize answers to soft skill questions that you would be asked in any interview, but it shows a far more commitment and preparation knowing about what the company does, and the interviewers do.

I would recommend attempting a few trial GIA tests for the GIA section. For the one-way interviews, you will have 30 seconds before answering the questions, so it's best to write brief notes during those 30 seconds to guide you when answering the questions. For the face-to-face interviews, be authentic and share stories when answering questions about how you would handle given situations. Also, it doesn't hurt to show an interest in the person interviewing you and ask a curious question about them at the end.

I recommend looking up the companies core principles and linking them to your own principles and your experiences. Reading our CEO's annual letter to CEOs is a great way to learn about the company's priorities going forward. Familiarising yourself with key industry trends or preparing a topic of interest that you can discuss is a good way to demonstrate interest in the industry.

Research the company, show your interest and show why you would be a good fit. There are so many resources out there but don't stress and be yourself!

Read up on BlackRock published papers and market news, really show your interest in why you would like to work at BlackRock