I come from a service-oriented family. From teachers and nurses to law enforcement and the military, my parents, grandparents, siblings, and even in-laws have all fields covered. So you can imagine how much of an oddball I was when I decided to pursue a career in finance after really enjoying my business classes in college. I had a personal dilemma of feeling like I needed to choose a career path that either put me or put others first. I graduated college in the midst of the global financial crisis, during which the reputation for most firms in the industry was at an all-time low. I pictured my future self sitting at a family dinner and talking about my day working with investments, and then hearing about family members saving lives or risking theirs for complete strangers. Talk about humbling.

Doing well while doing good

In researching companies with whom I wanted to work, Vanguard rose to the top after I spoke with a few crew members through mutual college friends. The biggest thing that struck me was the way they spoke about helping investors, genuinely putting others first, and the client and community-centered culture. I had a flashback to interviewing for another financial services firm where I was asked how many wealthy people I knew so that I could begin selling them products (Answer: Not many, and no thank you). At Vanguard, there seemed to be an opportunity to mix both ‘doing well’ in building a great career and ‘doing good’ for others through service.

My ‘day job’: Serving our clients

Fast forward eight years and Vanguard has given me the opportunity to help serve in both my ‘day’ and ‘night’ jobs. In my ‘day job’, I lead a team of investment analysts in our Personal Advisor Services group, where my team is responsible for building out the methodology used to construct and manage our clients’ portfolios. Each day, we work to solve complex issues that will ultimately impact our clients’ ability to reach their financial goals. Knowing what is riding on our success is a terrific motivating factor and our entire team is focused on the collective goal of doing the right thing for our clients.

I also get to see Vanguard’s financial advisors helping clients that need it most: those that don’t have the time, willingness, or ability to manage their money. I get to hear real stories about our crew making a difference in people’s lives by helping them achieve a goal or giving them peace of mind in volatile markets.

Interested in our Advice career opportunities? Start your search here.

My ‘night job’: Serving the community

In my ‘night job’, I am a member of the leadership team for My Classroom Economy, a completely free financial literacy program that enables educators to teach children financial responsibility. The program was developed by an incredible group of volunteers, many of whom were educators prior to working at Vanguard, and has reached over 800,000 students. I lead a team focused on building partnerships at the state and federal level, and pushing for district, county, and state-wide adoption of financial responsibility programs. Our ultimate goal is to ensure children receive the basic financial responsibility education they need, as having this skill has been proven to play such an important role in their lives.

Earlier this year, two peers and I went to Washington D.C. to meet with staff members in the Treasury Department, House, and Senate, in an effort to promote the importance of teaching financial literacy at an early age. We were frequently asked how much the program costs and, after saying it is 100% free, are asked “What’s in it for Vanguard, then?” The truth is that the program is powered completely by Vanguard volunteers, each and every one of us are driven to serve and make a positive difference in the community for no other reason than that it is the right thing to do.

If you’re currently seeking a job or choosing a career path, my advice would be don’t compromise on what is most important to you (your ‘non-negotiables’) and find a company you would be proud to represent. Doing this requires that you take the time to reflect on what you won’t compromise and do your due diligence to learn about the culture at prospective employers. My non-negotiables were working for an organization with a service mindset and for which there would be no conflict of interest between our success and our client’s success. I’m incredibly proud to represent Vanguard in both my ‘day’ and ‘night’ jobs, and I now have great stories to tell at the dinner table!

-Nick L.

We asked 7 leaders from all across Vanguard, “What is your career-related New Year’s resolution?” Here’s what they had to say:

1. Christina Selby, Principal in Finance:

Spend time each week reading to increase my understanding of the asset management industry and the markets.  There is so much change going on in today’s world and I want to make sure I carve out time to focus on my personal learning this year.

2. Steve Holman, Principal in Institutional Sales:

In the new year, I’m going to make a concerted effort to spend more time with front-line crew in their interactions with advisors and clients. I am still relatively new to my role as Head of Vanguard Retirement Plan Access (VRPA), so investing the time with our clients will not only force me to deepen my knowledge of our products and services, but it will also allow me to gain valuable first-hand insight about how we can serve clients better.

3. Jodi Miller, Principal in Retail:

Increase my investment acumen. Specifically, being new to Vanguard, I want to learn more about our investment and advice methodology as a firm and how we build funds for our clients.

4. Joe Davis, Chief Economist and Principal in Investment Management:

Read even more daily than I do (from 2 hours/day to 3 hours/day). Finish my Python course I am taking online. Complete 20 read books in 2019.

5. Kevin Jestice, Principal in Information Technology & Security:

My career New Year’s resolution is to schedule more unscheduled time. Sounds funny, but my most productive and creative times come from talking to members of our team, drawing on white boards, and spontaneous interactions. I intend to free up more time in my days for those types of interactions by scheduling free time.

6. Lisha Davis, Head of the Innovation Studio:

Go completely paperless and create more teambuilding time.

7. Manuel Calero, Principal in Retail:

I love to read books that can help me be a better leader. Some of my favorites are Thinking: Fast and Slow, Factfulness, and The Captain Class. I often recommend books I think offer relevant and practical ideas for improvement, but I think I can do more than just recommend the book. For the new year, I am committing to hosting one lunch per month where I facilitate a hands-on activity that introduces a concept I read about in a way that makes it easy to apply to our day-to-day responsibilities.

Are you ready to make it count this year? Search our opportunities.

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One fall day in 2017, it was time for my 1-on-1 discussion with my manager, Christine. I work as a solutions architect and my team researches emerging technologies and ways to experiment with these technologies. So it made sense when, during our 1-on-1, Christine asked me “How do we get more innovative?” I thought about it for a few seconds and said “we ask the crew.” My manager’s eyes lit up, and she said “let’s do it!” What sounded like a simple answer spun into a new web of ideas on how we could get the crew equally excited about this new opportunity.

After shopping around our idea and gaining support from leaders to move forward, Discovery Challenge was born. Discovery Challenge was basically an ideation event for crew to submit ideas that would solve a business problem using a new or existing technology. Amber, a participant in this event, described it as “Vanguard’s version of the TV show, Shark Tank. It was an opportunity to take an innovative idea and plead its case for viability.” Over a 3 week period, 196 people participated and submitted a total of 121 creative ideas! The 4th week consisted of crew getting 5 votes to use on the ideas they liked. An astounding 5,255 votes were cast! After 2 rounds of narrowing down ideas, 5 ideas were selected to present in front of a panel of senior business and IT leaders at what we called Discovery Challenge Day.

Looking for a change in your IT career? Make it count with Vanguard.

Planning an event like this is definitely not easy and I now have a new appreciation for event planning. Of course, I could not do it all myself. My planning team was just as much involved in the intricate details as I was. And keep in mind, we were doing this as an extracurricular activity. We still had our day jobs, but we were meeting at least twice a week to coordinate all aspects of Discovery Challenge. My partner in planning, Charlotte, summed it up as, “Discovery Challenge was about discovering new ideas, but I also discovered my own potential while planning the event. I was able to develop skills that I don’t normally use in my day-to-day job. I feel grateful to have the opportunity and the support of my manager and team to learn new things and be creative in a new way at work.” Planning also involved marketing to get people thinking and excited about submitting ideas. We held promotional events to entice participation. We created a positive energy for Discovery Challenge, as well as generated an opportunity to have fun at work. Our efforts even led to getting idea submissions from departments we didn’t market to. It was amazing to actually see this event getting around to so many people!

Discovery Challenge Day was full of energy! What was even more special about this event was we were able to successfully do it cross-site with crew from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Arizona. The teams and individuals presenting their ideas did a fantastic job impressing the judges and the audience. Claire, a planner and emcee for the presentations, said it best: “My favorite part of the Discovery Challenge was seeing the innovation and creativity of my fellow crew. I was blown away by their intelligence and how connected they are with cutting edge technology and how we can use it to better serve our clients and crew.” It was awesome to see crew showcase their talents outside of their everyday work. The winning team from our North Carolina site, husband and wife, David and Jess, were very appreciative of the opportunity, “When we submitted our idea to the Discovery Challenge there was an excitement that so many people wanted to be a part of. We bounced our ideas off crew members across job disciplines, divisions, and job sites. The enthusiasm we received while we looked for feedback blew us away. By the time we presented our idea to management we had all the business knowledge we needed to make an effective pitch. It’s a good thing too because the judges didn’t go easy on the Q&A portion! The whole experience made us realize that innovation is on everyone’s minds all across Vanguard.”

Since the challenge ended in April, the rest of the planning team and I have been busy trying to find a home for as many of the ideas as possible. We feel it is important to connect ideas to owners to show that every idea is important and has the potential to make a difference. Alex and her team had a great experience with Discovery Challenge, “The Discovery Challenge was a great process for our team. We were able to submit a problem with divisional impact and that we knew had been an ongoing opportunity. Although our idea was not selected as a part of the competition, we still felt validation knowing our idea was heard and is currently being pursued by the impacted groups.”

Our mission for the Discovery Challenge was to provide an opportunity for crew to share an innovative idea on how to use technology to meet a business need, to be creative, and to give crew exposure to a forum outside of day-to-day project work. The whole experience was gratifying for everyone that participated. I am so proud of this event and to have accomplished the mission set forth. It has been personally satisfying to be able to make a difference, especially when you have the right support from your leaders. This whole experience has emphasized Vanguard’s dedication to crew development.

Who would have thought a random idea in my 1-on-1 could positively affect as many people as it did? Pretty powerful.

-Linda C.

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The end of the year is often a time to reflect on all that’s been accomplished in the last twelve months. We pulled together the top five career stories from 2018. Whether it’s your first read or you’re revisiting a favorite, we hope you enjoy!

https://www.vanguardjobs.com/career-blog/2018/08/31/chief-investment-officer-story/

Greg looks back at his upbringing, his early job history, and why he ultimately came to–and stayed at–Vanguard.

“Although I never thought of pursuing Vanguard as an employer, I was curious about their trading floor and Vanguard’s approach to investment management. I started researching the markets and the investment side of the insurance industry. I had no idea I was planning my future career.”

https://www.vanguardjobs.com/career-blog/2018/06/13/daughter-book-club/

We celebrated Father’s Day with this story about how three things drove a crew member to start a book club with his daughter.

“Has the universe ever given you a sign?  An unmistakable, it’s-time-to-act type of signal?  Well, as I was sitting at Vanguard’s Leadership Symposium in Philadelphia last fall, a topic hit my radar for the third time in the span of a few months…”

https://www.vanguardjobs.com/career-blog/2018/05/07/working-mom-love/

Schuyler reveals why she loves being a working mom at Vanguard and how she was supported during maternity leave.

“I love my job and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, in fact, I would go as far to say I love being a working mom. There is no secret formula to create a balance or even a magic number of how much time should be spent at home vs. work. Instead, it is all about flexibility.”

https://www.vanguardjobs.com/career-blog/2018/07/27/prepare-vanguard-interview/

Not sure what to expect for your first interview at Vanguard? Whether it’s a phone screen, or an in-person interview on one of our campuses, these tips will give you a behind-the-scenes look at questions to prepare for, how to stand out, and general best practices for our entry level interviews.

https://www.vanguardjobs.com/career-blog/2018/11/11/boots-suits-veterans-day/

Anne-Marie, a US Air Force veteran, shares how she made the transition from boots to suits, and how her military experience prepared her for a career at Vanguard.

“At Vanguard, as in the military, leaders are expected to prioritize their people. I learned very early on that if you take care of your people, they will take care of you. Vanguard does an exceptional job of prioritizing and committing resources to crew development—and the results of that focus are crystal clear to me each and every day.”

Inspired? Make your career count—search our opportunities.

As the end of the year approaches, crew members around the world join together to help brighten the lives of children, seniors, and families in need. We call this effort Vanguard’s Giving Season. Since 1995, crew members have provided more than a quarter of a million gifts to thousands of deserving individuals.

Vanguard partners with different local agencies and organizations to administer the program, allowing the initiative to take on unique dimensions at each of our sites. For instance, crew members may create gift boxes, or purchase toys, books, clothing, and treats (at some sites, crew sponsors receive gift suggestions for the child or senior assigned to them).

This holiday season, our Malvern, Pennsylvania office crew provided gifts for over 1,800 local children. And crew volunteered more than just gifts: over 250 crew members used their volunteer time off days to assist with Giving Season activities like gift shopping, wrapping and packaging, and delivering gifts to the local agencies. Learn more about other Vanguard community efforts.

Do you aspire to be part of a global company that serves a greater good? Make it count.

Worried about the support you’ll have in your summer internship? Hear our interns talk about the types of people you will meet at Vanguard through the College to Corporate Internship Program, and how that impacted their summer experience.

Make your summer count! Learn more about our internships.

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It’s National Career Development Month this November, and Vanguard Leadership Performance Consultant Matt P. offered to share his insight on creating a feedback culture—and as he mentions, it doesn’t need to be scary!

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times: “I’m open to feedback. Please share it with me as soon as you have it.” But once there’s something to share, feedback becomes the “gift” everyone wants to return.

For over ten years now, feedback has been an integral part of my professional (and personal) life. As a corporate trainer, leader, and now Leadership Performance Consultant, I recognize that feedback is an essential ingredient in the development and growth of others (myself included). I rely on both dispensing and receiving it. And others rely on my ability to articulate its importance and understand its impact to their career.

It’s normal for our skin to get too “thin” when it comes to feedback. And aside from the good game a person may talk, feedback is generally avoided. You can predict the result: Development stalls, or even halts completely. Feedback doesn’t need to be scary. And although it’s often misunderstood, it isn’t complicated. My advice: Run toward feedback! Dispense it with empathy, and receive it with gratitude.

So what is feedback?

Well, at its most basic, we use feedback to “grow, show, or know.” More specifically, this means providing “developmental” or “evaluative” (sometime both) feedback to help someone. And that someone shouldn’t necessarily be an employee who is getting a message from a leader. Feedback works best when it’s given peer-to-peer, leader-to-direct, and direct-to-leader. We’re all in this together. So what are the nuances between developmental and evaluative?

At the highest level, developmental feedback is based on a desire to grow or develop someone at an individual level. It provides detailed information on how behavior or performance can be changed or maintained. It also gives minimal indication or performance relative to others. In contrast, evaluative feedback is usually for a defined period of time and aligned to a specific competency. It’s often tied to specific rewards or compensation, and focuses on outcomes or relative impact to others. Lastly, feedback is not coaching. But feedback informs and drives coaching. Feedback is factually based and past tense. “In yesterday’s meeting, you did XYZ. Here was the impact.” Coaching gets into where you go from here.

Often times, people give compliments in lieu of feedback. “Great job in today’s meeting!” Thanks. But what was so great? This is a prime opportunity for specifics. “Great job” is more of an opinion—a compliment at its best (at its worst, it avoids giving detail and thoughtful insight). Instead, try linking what someone did to the expected results of the job, or something the recipient is working to improve. And don’t worry; you can still be complimentary: “Great job instilling confidence in your stakeholders yesterday. During the meeting, you answered every question with detail, affirmed next steps, and assigned deadlines appropriately. As a result, everyone left with a better understanding of his or her responsibilities, as well as where the project is going.” See the difference?

Find your approach

In order to be truly effective, feedback needs to become habitual—think brushing your teeth or going to the gym. Each of us should be looking for opportunities, regardless of role or level, to make feedback more deliberate and disciplined. If you’re asking for it, reflect on what you can do to solicit for it, and make it safe and easy for others to provide it. Don’t get defensive. Seek to understand, thank the messenger, and reflect on what you heard. If you’re giving it, be thoughtful and specific with the message, and show that you’re invested in someone’s growth, not looking to nit-pick. Provide it often so it becomes routine and is expected by others.

So often what I observe is that feedback is only given when someone does something that falls on the furthest ends of what I call the “Nailed it! Failed it!” spectrum. If Cynthia does a “great job” in a meeting (Nailed it!), she gets a compliment (again, not feedback). If Cynthia messes up (Failed it!), she gets feedback about what she did “wrong” (and coaching may or may not accompany it). Resist the temptation to live on the fringe. Most of what we do in our careers are neither “Nailed it” nor “Failed it” case studies. We live in the “in-between”. And here lies the greatest room for feedback to work its magic.

Here’s an example: “Matt, I appreciated your participation and insight in yesterday’s staff meeting. Can I offer you some feedback? I noticed a few times throughout the meeting you were checking your phone. During one of these instances, you weren’t able to notice the non-verbal reaction several teammates had to something you said. Keep in mind that looking down at your phone instead of reading the room may serve as an impediment to your ability to counter resistance, read the room, convey commitment, and or effectively influence others.” This is an instance of where giving a precise and meaningful piece of feedback can help a teammate understand the impact of his behavior. And, should he chose to act on it, get better!

Make feedback more habitual by carving out time in one-on-ones, team meetings, and/or coffee chats with colleagues. After a while, others will see feedback for what it is—a conduit for insight and development, not penalization. The more people understand that it’s being given not only to address large skill gaps (appropriate, though not the norm), but to reinforce positive behavior and improve performance and overall development, the more people will seek it out–even expect and appreciate it! Create a safe, empathetic environment for giving and receiving feedback, and strive to make feedback more expected, so it’s accepted. Only then will it truly be the “gift” that everyone wants to receive.

-Matt P.

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In this roundtable video series, five tenured Vanguard crew members talk about how and why they started their careers at Vanguard more than 10 years ago. The panel delves into topics such as Vanguard’s culture of continuous improvement, client-centered global expansion, career advice, and the relationships they’ve built over the past decade.

Curious about our Client Services career opportunities? Make it count at Vanguard.

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In this roundtable video series, five tenured Vanguard crew members talk about how and why they started their careers at Vanguard more than 10 years ago. The panel delves into topics such as Vanguard’s culture of continuous improvement, client-centered global expansion, career advice, and the relationships they’ve built over the past decade.

Interested in our Client Services career opportunities? Make it count at Vanguard.

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My Vanguard career began during a transition. A transition that involved moving to a new town and starting a life together with my now husband, Chris. As I prepared for the move, and for leaving my job, I knew I was looking for a company where I could grow and develop a lifelong career. That goal landed me in a Client Relationship Associate role in Vanguard’s Retail Services group.

As soon as I walked through the door on my first day, and began learning more about Vanguard, I connected with the core values of the company: to enable investors to achieve investment success. I loved talking to a variety of clients about how to invest their hard earned money in hopes they could someday achieve their investment goals—it made me feel like I was making a difference for them. Being new to the investment industry, the support and guidance from my early leaders solidified my interest in giving back the same support to other crew on their Vanguard journey. I’ll never forget contemplating my next career step, just a year or so into my new role one of my colleagues told me, “You should become a team leader–you would be a great leader.” This resonated, because I naturally care for others and want to help them succeed. Who knew a simple compliment could be a turning point for my career?

I worked hard the next few years to become a Vanguard leader; I attended trainings, connected with mentors and coaches, and met with crew all over the firm. Then, I was ready to apply for my next role, a leadership role. I felt empowered, excited and ready to take on the challenge. I landed a team leader role in Brokerage Services and was…terrified! I went into the challenge with all I had and luckily came out the other side as a successful leader with a team of high performing crew. Phew. Being a team leader was an awesome journey and it led me to yet another transition in my career…back to an individual contributor role when I least expected it.

I remember the call like it was yesterday, a former colleague from my Brokerage Services days had earned a promotion in a new role. Her role was going to become available and she thought I’d be a great fit. I was super curious to hear why she had thought of me, as I wasn’t actively seeking a new opportunity at that time and didn’t know her very well.  We ended up having lunch to talk about the opportunity and the rest is history. A few weeks later, I was moving on to a new division after 5 years in our Retail division. I cried. I was so overcome with emotion on that last day (also because my team decided to package my 5 year anniversary celebration with my going away celebration), I was feeling so many emotions. Happiness, sadness, gratitude. I was happy, scared and most importantly, I was ready.

Ready for a more meaningful, rewarding career? Make it count with Vanguard.

On my first day in my new division, Financial Advisor Services, I felt this electric energy and excitement. I made a few quick friends and was assimilating into my new role quite nicely, when suddenly I found out that after 3 months in the job, I was pregnant with our first child. Did I mention that we were in the throes of wedding planning too? “OMG. What am I going to do, how are we going to raise a child!? What about the wedding? How do I tell my boss? How is this all going to play out?” I was in panic mode, a huge life transition was happening at the same time as another huge life transition, at the same time as a career transition. I had to figure out a plan, and fast.

Ultimately, once I had some time to digest this new information, talk with some of my support network, I practiced resiliency and reframed my mind and thought—I can do this, I am grateful for this, this is meant to be. In a recent session I attended, Wharton Professor Adam Grant, talked about resiliency in transitions and how they are means of catapulting into success. When he said this, I reflected back to these days.

Fast forward to the end of my maternity leave, I had been home with our son, Will, for 4 wonderful months. He was the perfect baby, and slept, ate, and traveled well. I was loving my new job as his mom. As I prepared to return to work in the role that I had left, another serendipitous situation arose. A promotional opportunity within my current team. Initially, I thought, “I am so not doing that to myself, I am not ready, I already have no idea how I will juggle work with all my new responsibilities at home…” The excuses were pouring out of me. Quickly, I realized I had to check myself and take a step back to look at the broader picture and think about what I really wanted and could achieve. I decided to go for the job, and it has proved to be one of the best career decisions I have made. That role that helped me to push myself harder than ever before.

After a few years in that role, and enrolling in an MBA program, the leadership spark returned and I was ready to get back to my true passion, leading people. Thanks to a vast network of coaches and mentors, and the experience I had gained over the past 5 years, I earned a new role. However, I was due with my second son about 4 weeks later and was in the midst of my MBA program. This time I thought—no big deal. I can handle this! I took 6 months off with Ben and enjoyed every moment with him, knowing that when I returned to my brand new job, I would figure it all out with the help of my amazing husband, classmates, colleagues and managers.

As I reflect on my career, I realize how the moments when the walls felt like they were going to come crashing down have turned into my most memorable and successful moments both in my personal life and in my career. In times of change and transition we can choose to let it break us down or chose to grow with the change and use it as a catapult to success. There have been some tough times during each of the transitions but through those pivotal moments, I’ve learned and grown the most. I am proud to say I have used them as a trajectory for success and look forward to what exciting changes and opportunities are ahead of me.

-Kristen S.

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