Career Spotlight: From college to career with Dorian, Director in Advisor Services.

“Schwab is a company that is invested in making sure that you are successful, and you have the skills and the tools that you need to grow in your career.”

What is your role and how long have you worked at Schwab?

Dorian: My job position is Director for the Advisor Services field marketing team. I oversee a team that works with one of our business development sales offices, they are responsible for bringing new Independent Advisors to Schwab’s platform. In two weeks, I will be celebrating my 10-year anniversary.

What resources has Schwab presented to help you grow within the company and in your career?

Dorian: There's a program called the Aspiring Leaders Program (ALP). I participated in ALP back in 2017. It's a four-month program that’s designed for top achievers who are looking for the next level of their career. The program helps nurture their career growth by teaching leadership skills that helps them develop as a people leader. I went through the program in 2017 and then, two years ago, I started being what they call a cohort leader for the program, so now I help others grow.

I am also a leader within one of our employee resource groups, Black Professionals at Charles Schwab (BPACS), which is open to all employees and creates a sense of community - I think that's important. Being able to have a network of people that I can talk to about different issues, has really helped me. It's also helped me network outside of my department.

What has made you stay with Schwab?

Dorian: I think the culture at the end of the day. I got my plaque in the mail a couple of days ago, for when you hit the 10-year mark. It came on my doorstep and I just looked at it and thought, “Wow, I’ve never spent 10 years anywhere.”

I'm located in Atlanta where we have a small office here and it's very much like a family environment, one where we can motivate each other, we joke around, and we have cohesiveness. They are truly like an extended version of our family. Last year, there were a few people in our office that created a group that anyone can join and it gave us an opportunity to openly talk about what's going on in the world. Schwab is a company that is invested in making sure that you are successful, and that you have the skills and the tools you need to grow in your career.

What has Schwab done to show their appreciation to their employees over the years that you have worked here?

Dorian: I've been able to receive different awards. I also see contributor awards being given out, which are awards that are given to high performers. I've been nominated for multiple different sales awards and I’ve received a couple of those over the years, so they recognize all the work I put in to help them be successful. There are all sorts of recognition programs that Schwab offers that can help you feel like the work that you're doing is being noticed.

What are some resources that Schwab offers that would benefit current students or recent college graduates?

Dorian: They have BPACS for Black Professionals at Charles Schwab, APINS for Asian Professionals Inclusion Network at Schwab, SOL for Schwab Organization of Latinx, or CSAN for Charles Schwab Abilities Network; whatever your group is, there's a community for those individuals.

Then within that, there's a mentorship program and if you’re someone who wants to get matched up with a mentor, that's a great way to try to find somebody. It’s also a really good way for you to get connected with someone that has been has a little bit more tenure with the company.

If you go on Schwab’s training portal, there are a bunch of Harvard library articles and videos that can help you with your career growth. If you want to focus on becoming a better leader this is a great tool because you don't have to be a people leader to be a leader. You can be a leader in whatever you're doing.

What’s one piece of advice that you would give a student transferring from a college into your first career role?

Dorian: I would say get a mentor, within your company and outside your company. Somebody that you admire, that you trust, and that has some tenure in their career that can help you because, I didn't get a mentor until later in my career.  Also, you can get a sponsor. A sponsor is even better because a sponsor is somebody that is going to go out there and advocate for you. Once they know what your career goals are, they're going to advocate on your behalf to the leaders within that organization.

I think I love the fact that Schwab has early career and internship resources that help  students with everything from interview prep, to getting their resumes together so that when they do get an opportunity, whether it is with Schwab or another institution, they're ready, and they have the proper resources available to them - I think it's a win-win for all of us.

Interested in reading more about Schwab’s commitment to D&I? Take a look at our Diversity and Inclusion initiatives.