By Lisa, Participant Services Team Lead
FIND YOUR FIDELITY in the unlikeliest places.
Leadership opportunities to grow your career are everywhere at Fidelity.
Upward mobility. We all want it in our career, but how often can you truly see and feel it happening all around you? The truth is, people choose a career at Fidelity for a myriad of reasons. But as Fidelity Associates quickly learn, room for professional growth comes with every new opportunity. This is Lisa’s story.
I was feeling rather stationary in my last customer-service role at another company. I had been there for about three years, and was looking for a new call-center opportunity that could provide upward mobility and room to grow. I wanted to feel like I mattered.
And to be honest, I initially had no interest in the financial services industry. It hadn’t even crossed my mind. But once I got into the interview and started to find out more about Fidelity, the more it piqued my interest.
I already knew a thing or two about 401(k), as most companies I’ve worked for had it as a benefit. And I knew Fidelity was also a trusted name in the industry. I just had never thought about a career in it.
But when researching new customer service opportunities in the Albuquerque area, Fidelity popped up in my search, and I immediately saw the potential of working for such a well-respected company.
My “let’s-give-it-a-try-and-see-what-happens” instinct kicked in and I applied.
And the second I walked in for the interview, everything about it just felt right. I don’t know how to exactly explain it other than it was just a good feel. Sometimes it takes stepping out of your comfort zone, and dipping your foot in some different water, to feel that. It felt like this was my opportunity to truly matter.
Loving What You Do…
That interview was only the beginning of my journey at Fidelity. I quickly discovered there are so many things that I can do here. And not just in 401(k). The more that I learn about other areas in Fidelity, the more I realize that this is something that I didn’t even know I wanted to do.
When I started my new job in Albuquerque a couple years ago, I was fortunate enough to do the onboarding on site. This was another instance when I instantly recognized yet another thing about Fidelity. Fidelity’s training program was amazing. It was very thorough, really engaging, and got me motivated to learn all I could about 401(k)!
I thought, wow, they really put time into this onboarding program. Now I will do the same. Sometimes you don’t know if you like something until you try it. And it turns out, I love it.
…And All That You Can Do
So in my current role as a Participant Services Team Lead, my area of expertise is still expanding. Now tasked with multi-product – meaning, I service both 401(k) and pension plans – my job literally takes on a whole-new meaning. I’m helping people with their retirement plans each and every day. And guess what? That matters.
It’s different to be able to look at some of these people that have worked many, many years ago and are collecting this pension now. I get the happy task of explaining to them all the different options they have for their retirement. And the more I educate our customers about them, it makes me think. You kinda wish that they still had these kind of pensions around.
But don’t worry. Fidelity benefits are really great, too.
That’s the thing about my job at Fidelity. My desire to learn new areas of interest is not only encouraged, it’s rewarded. And because of this, I now have even more confidence that I MATTER.
The Opportunity to Express Yourself
At my last job, I was really shy about reaching out and trying new things. But just like exploring financial services for a career, I wasn’t timid this go around.
I had some pension associates on my team, and thought to myself, let’s find out what that’s all about. So I just expressed interest to my manager, and she said it would be a great move for me and a good fit for my skillset. Again, these small gestures of encouragement only reinforces that I matter.
Support like this from your peers, direct manager, or even C-level leadership is not uncommon at Fidelity. Personally, my manager is always responsive to my curiosities. “Let’s get you upskilled so that you can start learning about that,” is a frequent refrain from her. And I’ve been inquiring about potential new career paths and learning opportunities ever since.
It’s not so much that my managers are reaching out about these new opportunities either. I’m sure they would prefer that I stay on the team. But that’s the difference at Fidelity. They’re so receptive to my personal and professional growth. I’m consistently asked to express what my goals are, and my goal is upward mobility. My goal is leadership and beyond. That’s what I want to do.
I feel very supported in any choice that I make or anything that I want to pursue. All of the time.
At Fidelity, my success is theirs. My ongoing development matters, and I work with my manager to set aside integrals of time to help me find any answers I’m looking for. Currently, I’m heavily involved with both of Fidelity’s peer coaching and leadership programs to further develop my skills (and ultimately, our new hires’ skills) even further. And of course, meet even more great coworkers along the way.
I haven’t worked at any of the other Fidelity sites, but as far as Albuquerque opportunities are concerned, it’s so incredibly diverse and inclusive here. My managers are always so accommodating. My peers are always so encouraging. And each new person I meet somehow seems to come from a different background.
Now THAT’s the part of Fidelity’s culture I really love the most. Around here, EVERYONE matters.
Think a financial services career isn’t meant for you? Think again.
