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Finding the support I needed at Vanguard
A refreshing change of scenery Recently, I took the time to sit back and reflect on my experiences in the workforce as a whole and realized I’ve been pretty fortunate. I have worked in various fields – while not necessarily ideal since I’ve always wanted to work in finance, I still never worked in a role or for a company I didn’t enjoy. However, last year while working in the telecommunications field and with six years of military experience under my belt, I decided that I would finally do all I could to get into the financial industry. I joined Vanguard in September of 2017, and not only has it been a refreshing change of scenery in a new field, it’s been everything I’ve hoped for and more. An excellent support system As a Client Relationship Associate, there were a few daunting things I had to face to jump start my career – taking the Series 7 and Series 63 exams, and refreshing my finance knowledge from my accounting studies in college. I was fully prepared to go home each day and study like my career depended on it – because frankly, it did. This is when I first noticed the depth of Vanguard’s support. My fellow new hires and I were provided study materials free of cost and given a plethora of time to be able to study, ask questions, take classes, review scenarios, and everything else we needed. I passed both exams on the first try – despite not having a finance degree! Now, as I approach a year as a successful Client Relationship Associate at one of the largest firms in the world, I’ve started to pursue growth opportunities both professionally and personally—some of which include helping our local communities. I’ve had the opportunity to participate in the holiday giving season through Vanguard, and we’re also provided a volunteer time off day in which we get to help our communities while being paid! Professionally, I’ve been able to meet with fellow crew members in different departments and see a day in their lives, pick their brains about what’s needed to succeed in their role, and view them in action. My team leader Jake has been essential in not only lending his network to get me in contact with different departments, but also in getting me the free time to explore other roles at Vanguard. These sessions have been very important and have helped me identify next steps and roles I’d like to pursue at Vanguard.
The journey continues
With the free time to observe other departments combined with seeing how my team leader has helped me on my journey, I’ve figured out that I want to pursue either a financial advisor or leadership role. I’ve enjoyed seeing the way our leaders develop crew members through coaching and mentoring, and watching how our advisors add value to our clients’ lives by helping them accomplish their goals. It is my hope to continue to build even deeper and more meaningful relationships with my colleagues and our clients, as well as to further develop my skills in my career. Whether it be in leadership or as an advisor, I will continue to be a steward of Vanguard’s mission to take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success, all while fostering this same passion with the crew and clients I work with.
With Vanguard’s flexibility and support, I have full faith that I’ll be able to succeed and in a timely manner. As my journey continues, I’m excited to know I have Vanguard’s support and would encourage others to be unafraid of using all of the wonderful resources available to you. I know that I will be able to attain the career I want at Vanguard.
-Rod M.
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What is a VTO day?
When I joined Vanguard in the summer of 2016, it marked a return home for me to the Philadelphia region after college and work had taken me away for several years. Even though Philadelphia was home for me, I still found myself facing all of the normal jitters that come with a new experience: What would my new team be like? How would I fit in? How would I find my way? Luckily, two years later, I am happy to say these fears quickly subsided, in large part to my involvement with Vanguard’s community engagement efforts. Part of what attracted me to the firm was Vanguard’s strong corporate culture, which centers around three key focus areas – clients, crew, and community. During the recruitment process, I was particularly impressed to learn about the breadth and depth of Vanguard’s community involvement. Once I joined the firm, I was able to take advantage of several of our formal and informal community programs to deepen my connection to both Vanguard and the Philadelphia community.
Within my first two weeks at Vanguard, I was invited to join a group of teammates in a community engagement project at a local university. Together, we partnered with an undergraduate class on a semester-long marketing case project. Building from that experience, my manager suggested I plan a volunteer day for our whole team. Vanguard offers each employee one day of personal time to be used pursuing a volunteer engagement of their choice. We call the program “Volunteer Time Off” or VTO. Our team decided to spend our VTO day working at a local school. Having enjoyed both of those experiences, a mentor encouraged me to participate in a Vanguard Skills-Based Volunteering project. A team of colleagues from all across Vanguard were brought together to assist a Philadelphia-based non-profit with a strategic project.
Each of these three initiatives offered me the chance to get to know my new colleagues better and develop mentors from across the company. It was extremely rewarding to get to share skills I honed at Vanguard such as critical thinking, business strategy, competitive analysis, and public speaking—with students and community members, while also sharing Vanguard’s mission.
Volunteering outside of work
My community service work at Vanguard inspired me to become more involved in my spare time as well. I’ve always been passionate about the arts, and growing up, I took years of ballet lessons. I knew once I was back and immersed in Philadelphia’s atmosphere and culture, that I’d want to align my volunteer efforts with the things I love.
Lucky for me, a family friend connected me with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (GPCA). The GPCA serves as the organizing body for over 400 of Philadelphia’s cultural organizations and provides them with key grants, research, marketing, professional development, and advocacy services. Around the same time I was connected with the GPCA, the organization was launching a young professionals’ group, the Emerging Leaders Circle (ELC). I was delighted to be nominated for and accepted to the ELC. The group plans monthly professional development, networking, and educational events to connect young professionals in Philadelphia’s corporate and non-profit sectors. For the past year, I have served on the steering committee of the ELC and taken a more active role in planning ELC events. This leadership role has given me the opportunity to continue to grow many of the skills I develop at Vanguard—like project management, strategic thinking and planning, and public speaking.
As I assumed more responsibility within the ELC, I once again found myself facing the new-experience-jitters when I was tasked with organizing and moderating a panel presentation. I had no clue where to start, but I found confidence in knowing I had my Vanguard support system to guide me along the way. My colleagues helped me brainstorm panel topics, connected me with potential panelists, shared speaking tips, and even drove me to the event in the pouring rain! The event was a huge success, and in an audience of over 100 people, I was so happy to see several friendly faces from Vanguard.
My efforts with the ELC were formally recognized when I was selected by the GPCA as the 2018 Emerging Cultural Champion. I was thrilled to receive this award. I was even prouder when audience members came up to me to congratulate me AND gush about their love for Vanguard!
Two years later, I have answers to many of my initial concerns. I have found a network of colleagues I fit in with. These colleagues have offered me critical guidance and helped me become a better volunteer and leader. I know I will have many other challenges and new experiences at Vanguard, but I also am confident my colleagues will support me through them all.
-Jessica P.
If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our career opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
From Gardening to Taxes: My Volunteer Journey
I’ve always been drawn to the concept of Skills-based Volunteering (SBV). It’s a simple notion: find an area or skill in which you excel and support someone who needs help with that skillset. It’s a win-win for both parties. When I joined Vanguard, the question for me was not whether or not I wanted to volunteer, but rather where I could have the most impact. Specifically, I remember the announcement that Vanguard would be kicking off a community garden and crew members with “green thumbs” could put their talents to good use. Unfortunately for me, if you ever saw or experienced my gardening skills, you would see why our community garden team has not been knocking down my door. Okay, the community garden was out, which was probably best for all involved. So what skills could I put to good use…besides my lacking horticultural talents? Finding the right opportunity for me This question made me reflect a bit on my learning experiences since joining Vanguard in 2012, with the hope of narrowing down the appropriate skill to leverage before jumping head first into the Skills-based Volunteering “deep end.” To be honest, this was a tricky exercise for me. I have been very fortunate to have had a number of diverse learning experiences over the past seven years: participating in Vanguard’s rotational leadership development program, going back to graduate school for an MBA, and teaching business courses as an adjunct faculty member at a local community college. As valuable as these experiences have been for my development, I wouldn’t necessarily say they set me up to be a specialist in traditional SBV fields (IT, Legal, Finance, etc.). What they have impressed on me is the value and importance of being a lifelong learner. I paused after this reflection period, a bit frustrated that I hadn’t gotten any closer to locking in which skill to leverage when volunteering…or so I thought. The tax season flew by and I left with a renewed sense of why I wanted to leverage SBV in the first place. This opportunity provided countless memorable interactions, like a single parent telling me they used the refund money to save for their two daughters’ college educations, or a family of four that used their refund to pay a medical bill. It was a humbling experience in which I selfishly felt like I took more away than the families I worked with. It was a truly rewarding experience and one I will not soon forget. For me, it was a great reminder of the importance of being open minded to learning new skills and being a lifelong learner. You never know where you’ll be able put those talents to good use. -Marty L.
I had lunch with a mentor of mine later that week and shared my SBV conundrum. As a good mentor does, she responded with some sound questioning. I expressed to her that I had hoped to leverage the skills I’ve developed at Vanguard to help give back in a meaningful manner. She shared with me an opportunity to help lower-income families file their taxes in a program called VITA at Vanguard. As someone with an undergraduate degree in biology, I initially balked at the recommendation, thinking I had no business helping anyone with his or her taxes. She chuckled a bit, then shared that Vanguard leads an onsite training to help you prepare for the IRS designation and certification for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Like so many times in the past, Vanguard provided me with an opportunity to learn a new skill and put it to good use. I was sold and decided to sign up for the first available training.
More than just taxes
Sharing our expertise with others is one way Vanguard crew connect with our communities. Learn more about how Vanguard helps communities have the best chance for success. And if you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our career opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
The Power of Rice
One of the best parts of working at Vanguard is our fervent passion to give back to the communities where we live and work. But for one very special event, it was a community across the globe that needed our support – the children of the Philippines. Recently, crew members from Human Resources and the Vanguard Black Professional Network (VBPN) partnered together for a volunteer event for Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit that provides malnourished children with nutritionally complete meals. Over 41 crew members arrived to pack boxes of MannaPack Rice – a product that provides a single nutritious meal for children all over the world. In the spirit of friendly competition, the entire group moved as fast as possible to pack the food. Laughter and joy filled the room as crew shouted out the next cheer “table 7, box 10!”– both to alert volunteer movers where to pick up the next box and so the entire room would know who was taking the lead in packing the meals. Cups of rice, veggies, and soy whizzed down the assembly lines, bags of rice piled high at the end of the tables, and the packers scrambled to keep up with how fast everything moved. Anthony D. recalls, “The camaraderie and free spirited fun were on full display as crew raced against one another to hold the title (bragging rights) of most meals made.” The final tally In just a little over an hour, 240 boxes were packed. This means that 51,840 meals were prepared and packed that will feed 142 children for a single year. Vanguard’s volunteers pushed out $11,404.80 of meals for children in need. Best of all, we’re contributing to the efforts to feed those in poverty-stricken areas and helping these communities heal and rebuild. There’s something about stepping outside your own neighborhood to focus on the needs of others that inspires you to help again and again. At the end of the day, we had the opportunity to learn about the recipients of our volunteer efforts. We saw a picture of Anna, who at one year old weighed just nine pounds, and had sunken eyes, a distended belly, and swollen cheeks. After seven months on a nutritional program of MannaPack rice, she had gained 36 pounds. The updated photo of this little girl, now healthy and vibrant, is something we will never forget. She is the reason we give back.
Giving back and having fun
As crew worked, you could feel the Vanguard culture in the room – it truly extends past the buildings we work in. The positive atmosphere was contagious, whether it was the vocal encouragement from the team, the networking with crew we don’t get to see often, or the funny chants we yelled to energize each other. Another crew member shared, “This was a nice change of pace, as most events are a little more formal in setting. It was great to be more hands on.”
It’s not just about rice
If you enjoyed this post, check out more from our #LifeatVanguard Blog. And if you’re ready for a more rewarding, engaging, meaningful career, search our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
Building financial literacy through My Classroom Economy
During my tenure with Vanguard, I have had the humbling opportunity to return to my alma mater several times to help recruit new talent. This was an incredibly nostalgic experience for me, as the career fair is where I gained my first impressions of Vanguard – where I would spend the next ten years of my career (and counting!). Whenever I am meeting students, explaining who Vanguard is and what we do, a question that I am inevitably asked is, “Why did you accept a job at Vanguard?” This is a great question to have when exploring employer options as it is natural to want to understand a current employee’s motivation for joining a company. That being said, there is a more illuminating question to ask. If you really want to uncover a true sense of the company culture, try asking “What made you stay at Vanguard?”
Why I stay
My answer, at least partly, is my experience with My Classroom Economy. My Classroom Economy, or MyCE for short, is a robust classroom management system that focuses on building financial literacy through experiential learning. The basic idea is that MyCE provides the resources necessary for educators to establish an “economy” in their classroom that is interactive, ongoing, and builds essential financial skills. The economy created in the classroom introduces and reinforces basic financial topics such as receiving a paycheck, saving, and spending. In addition, students get to experience paying rent, buying insurance, and budgeting. The entire program is entirely free to use and totally customizable to each classroom’s needs.
Why it matters to me
This particular outreach from Vanguard into the community is important to me because of the mission and its connection to my own life. My mother was an elementary school teacher for her entire career and I witnessed first-hand the impact that an educator can have on their students outside of traditional school curriculum topics. By engaging with MyCE and giving back to educators, I’m able to help contribute to the effectiveness of teachers across the country.
What I do for MyCE
In addition to providing the materials via our website, Vanguard’s North Carolina campus takes a further step into the community by hosting My Classroom Economy Day with a local school each year. This year, I had the privilege of leading the event and facilitating a field trip to our campus. In September, 80 fifth grade students from Shamrock Gardens Elementary School in Charlotte, NC joined us for a day of fun and learning. Our students picked from several career tracks and earned paychecks by participating in small groups with different areas of our business. They were offered the ability to buy insurance, and those who didn’t had to surrender some of their earned “money” when a natural disaster struck later in the day. They were then able to use their earned money to bid on auction items to take home with them. They also participated in a hands-on activity regarding professional presence that taught lessons about how their actions and words with classmates can have unintended consequences. This keynote event was a culmination of a year of planning by my team of volunteers and left a lasting impression on the students and those of us, nearly 40 in total, who worked to make this day possible.
So as you explore careers on your journey, remember to find ways to uncover a company’s true culture by asking the right questions. You may come to find that the work you do for a company is only half of the reason for starting your career there and the rest may be opportunities like My Classroom Economy. MyCE is just the tip of the iceberg for reasons why my peers and I choose to work for Vanguard.
-AJ W.
Want to learn more about My Classroom Economy? Check out these videos! And if you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our career opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
Looking for crew in all the right places
Vanguard is always looking for people who are bright, collaborative, and, of course, focused on our clients. But recruiting new crew can be a challenge – there are so many available jobs in our industry and we always want someone who fits into our culture. Sometimes we have to think outside the box to find those who believe in our mission.
Recently, we found many of these like-minded individuals while volunteering in our community. Since charitable work is a big part of our culture, it made sense that we would find others there who share our values of client-first, teamwork, inclusion, and integrity. We also discovered that these events gave us an opportunity to answer questions about life at Vanguard and how to join our crew, while still making a difference. Thus, the College Community Outreach (CCO) program was born.
The program is a recruiting initiative, a volunteer program, a networking opportunity, and a coaching session all rolled into one. Vanguard’s University Relations team, in partnership with VetsConnect (our internal military network), invite motivated college students to join us at community service events with a goal of improving our community and learning more about Vanguard. While volunteering, students are able to discuss our culture and career options, and speak directly with hiring managers and HR professionals. And the program isn’t just for potential crew, it also allows current crew to develop leadership, project management, and relationship skills.
Robert G., an Operations Associate in our Retail Investor Group, shares how the program helped him secure a position at Vanguard. “The many volunteer projects afforded me the opportunity to meet with some of Vanguard’s crew. I was able to talk with them and get to know them on a personal level, hearing their stories as they reflected on their time at Vanguard.”
Another benefit is those seeking employment with Vanguard not only learn about our culture, but can also better prepare for an interview. Due to his service in the navy, Robert is passionate about veteran’s programs and was able to meet Vanguard crew volunteering at the Veterans Multi Service Center (VMSC) in Philadelphia. Robert explains, “In my previous career in the Navy, volunteering for projects was a frequent undertaking. After hearing about crew experiences, I was able to reflect upon my time in the Navy and figure out a way to apply my experiences and talents during my interviews.” After being hired fulltime, Robert will be supported in his continuing efforts with VMSC and other organizations by his leaders, peers, and VetsConnect. And maybe one day he’ll be the one sharing his experiences while searching for the next new crew member.
If you enjoyed this post, check out more from our #LifeatVanguard Blog. And if you’re ready for a more rewarding, engaging, meaningful career, check out our opportunities at www.vanguardjobs.com.
How a simulation showed us the reality of poverty
At Vanguard, our crew are dedicated to improving and supporting our communities. We volunteer with local organizations, hold food drives, and harvest a community garden for food banks. But how many of us truly know what it’s like to be in need? For those of us who have never experienced serious hunger or been unable to pay the rent, we may not understand the harsh realities of living in poverty. Exposing ourselves to these conditions, even in a simulated environment, can inspire us to have an even greater impact in helping our neighbors in need. This summer, approximately 30 crew members did just that when they participated in a poverty simulation in Charlotte.
During the exercise, the group was divided into families and asked how they would make daily decisions based on the limited resources they had. For example, many had to choose between eating a meal and paying a utility bill. The families were represented in a diverse manner – some were unemployed, others had parents in prison, some were deserted by a caregiver. During these discussions, crew experienced, on a small scale, the trade-offs of spending limited income on food, utilities, or education.
Trang P., an Investment Analyst who participated in the exercise, shares how she learned that, “Individuals from resource-constrained families have a lot of responsibilities. They are so preoccupied with getting food, finding a job, and paying bills that what seem to be trivial tasks can end up being a mountain of work.”
Ultimately, our crew walked away from the event with a better understanding of poverty conditions in Charlotte and policies affecting the economically-disadvantaged population. They feel more educated about what the less fortunate face on a daily basis and are confident that they can identify additional ways to support the communities where we live and work.
For all crew, the experience was life changing. Trang went on to say, “I want to be an ambassador who demystifies stereotypes and promotes empathy.”
Vanguard & the 3 C’s
When it comes to caring about crew, Vanguard is unmatched. With amazing health benefits, on-campus gyms, and even pet insurance, it’s hard to dispute that Vanguard is one the best companies to work for. One of the benefits I want to focus on today is Vanguard’s annual Volunteer Time Off, or VTO day. Every year, crew members get to take a paid day off from work to volunteer, sometimes with their team or on their own with their favorite charity. Many teams organize group activities at non-profits like Cradles to Crayons, while some crew go off on their own to volunteer at a local charity that needs help.
Here at Vanguard our work revolves around the three Cs: Clients, Crew and Community. Our clients differ based on the different divisions at Vanguard, but as crew we are always dedicated to serving these clients in the best way possible. The Retail Investor Group (RIG) is our largest division, serving approximately 7 billion clients and small businesses with over $1 trillion in assets under management (AUM). These clients are individuals who trust Vanguard with their savings because of our low-costs but also the way we treat them in every day interactions.
Karin Risi, the Managing Director of RIG, has been at Vanguard for 20 years. She reports directly to Vanguard’s CEO and has a large team with six different subdivisions in RIG. Each of these business areas work together in creating an engaging and positive environment for our clients.
Last but not least, Vanguard strives to make communities stronger in many different ways through a variety of activities. One unique experience I was able to have through the internship program was being placed on a team within Vanguard Charitable where we specifically analyzed ways to positively influence high impact philanthropy. The goal is to better assist donors in making long term contributions to 501c3 organizations of their choice, whose missions align with the type of impact they hope to make with their charitable donations. Supporting Vanguard Charitable clients and making an impact in the community at the same time was a great experience.
The idea of serving others before self has been ingrained in our culture and is why our third “C”, community, is so important to everyone here at Vanguard.