Karim Laib, a 2012 Drexel graduate with a bachelor’s in Business Administration, has achieved the ultimate goal of finding a job right out of college in an increasingly difficult job market.
Laib completed his first co-op with Susquehanna International Group, and was hired by BlackRock, a global investment managing firm, for his second and third co-ops, which led to his now permanent position with the company.
“My first co-op at Susquehanna built the foundation that helped me to accomplish my future goals,” said Laib. “I worked in the Investment Banking Division at Susquehanna International Group, where I learned the different methods of valuing a company.”
In his most recent co-op with BlackRock, as part of the Global Opportunities team, Laib handled most of the business’ critical data, from claims processing to risk analysis. Everyday tasks included the creation of attribution reports for funds and daily trade reports for active trades.
“What I enjoyed most about working for BlackRock’s Global Opportunities team was the team itself. They are a group of very bright individuals who are all experts in their respective fields,” he said. “I got to meet with some of the best research analysts in the industry and learned a great deal about different industries and how they work.”
For BlackRock, Laib will be an analyst and continue working with the Global Opportunities team to manage equity assets. Laib will conduct research on stocks and different industries to assist senior analysts and portfolio managers in the selection of stocks for funds.
The Drexel co-op program helped Laib expand his learning experiences beyond the classroom, he said, and gain hands-on skills and network connections needed to find a job in his perspective field.
“The Drexel co-op gave me the opportunity to work in investment banking and investment management at a young age,” Said Laib. “As a result, I had two and half years of work experience before I even graduated school.”
The Drexel co-op program enables students like Laib to be more competitive for career-level positions than their peers, when they graduate.
“I feel that without the Drexel co-op system, I would have never gotten my offer at BlackRock. It is very rare for a person to get a full-time offer from the buy-side right out of college,” he says. “I credit that all to my co-op experiences.”
In the future, Laib plans to continue working for the Global Opportunities team at BlackRock, with the hope of becoming a senior analyst. With the experience that Laib has gained through his co-op it’s clear that he is well prepared to succeed.
“The responsibilities of being in charge of an entire sector can be stressful but very exciting. I hope to make it to that level one day, and ultimately become a portfolio manager.”