Millennials' views of the finance sector as a whole have changed from the perceptions among newly-minted college grads decades ago.
"Bankers themselves have certainly done their best to encourage the impression that they've repented," wrote Peter Finocchiaro in a Salon article published earlier this year, explaining why fewer young people are succumbing to the allure of high finance. "Bonuses are down. New standards were [grudgingly] implemented. Even their once-extravagant holiday parties have been scaled back to human levels of decadence."
In the asset management world, what are providers and fund executives doing to attract and retain young talent?
Rusty Vanneman, Chief Investment Officer, CLS Investments
"The keys for hiring are to create an environment where a new hire can become relevant as quickly as possible. Relevant in terms of making and presenting investment decisions and having an impact on portfolios and client service. An attractive work environment is also critical. There is an expectation - a push - to always improve. Autonomy and flexibility, at least as much as possible, is also attractive to many.
David Hoffman, Public Relations Associate, Vanguard
"Our program EXPLORE gives undergraduate college students the opportunity to visit our headquarters, network with professionals, and learn about Vanguard and its career opportunities. As a fund financial associate, for example, college graduates are introduced to Vanguard's approach to mutual fund management and contribute to the daily calculation of the net asset values of Vanguard's mutual funds. We offer an array of one year rotational programs."
Joseph Halpern, Chief Executive Officer, Exceed Investments
"We have focused our search for talent on Linkedin. It's a great tool to identify candidates that match our criteria, providing the ability for candidates to define themselves."
BlackRock, meanwhile, tweets from @BlackRockCampus outlining events, positions, tips and important disclosures for students thinking about pursuing a career with the firm.
We'll examine this issue more closely in a future column, so stay tuned.
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