Bloomberg Internships: Programs and Application Tips

Bloomberg internships are opportunities for students to get ahead in the financial services industry. Through programs in data, news, engineering, and more, students can explore their career options, build relevant skills, and get their foot in the door at one of the most well-known companies in the finance world. 

What Is a Bloomberg Internship?

Bloomberg internships are 10-week intensive programs offering students hands-on experience completing real-world projects. Students learn from experts and experienced professionals throughout their internship, gaining pivotal job skills and building a professional network. 

While Bloomberg offers internships in areas like data, software engineering, and news, students can expect to be immersed in technology and financial markets regardless of the program. Students also learn crucial skills that can set them up for success beyond Bloomberg, like protecting a professional reputation at work and making effective presentations for internal and external communications. 

During the ten weeks, interns also socialize and build connections with their peers through social outings and discounted or free access to events and cultural institutions through Bloomberg Philanthropies. Giving back to the community is another aspect of being both an intern and employee at Bloomberg — students can join projects focused on community needs like public health, arts and culture, and sustainability. 

Bloomberg internships are paid and students may receive certain benefits like corporate housing. Some locations and departments may have longer internship programs or “winternships” (winter-time internships). 

Previous Bloomberg interns rate their experience a 4.7 out of 5 on Glassdoor, with 97% reporting they’d recommend interning at Bloomberg to a friend. In positive reviews, interns highlight a welcoming environment with a well-stocked pantry with free snacks, where interns are respected and involved throughout the organization. On the other hand, negative reviews note that it can be difficult in some departments to move from internship to full-time roles, and the workload is sometimes demanding. 

Who’s Eligible for Bloomberg Internships?

While exact eligibility criteria are different for each role and location, you typically must have the following: 

• Availability for the full duration of the internship 
• Ability to begin a full-time role the year after your internship (meaning, in your junior or senior year of college)
• Demonstrable interest in financial services and financial markets
• The right to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship 

Bloomberg also values soft skills like critical thinking, curiosity, problem-solving, and adaptability. For specific programs, you will need relevant hard skills. For instance, engineering interns must have proficiency in a programming languages such as C++, Python, or JavaScript.

Bloomberg Internships and Student Programs

Depending on the location and time of year, Bloomberg offers internship programs in areas like sales, customer service, engineering, and analytics. 

Analytics Internships

In Bloomberg’s analytics internship program, students explore providing high-level customer support to Bloomberg product clients. The types of queries analytics interns may assist with include helping portfolio managers navigate Bloomberg Terminal or discussing how to source new trade options with corporate finance investors, like investment bankers. 

Bloomberg’s analytics team works with the sales department (the analytics and sales internship openings are often also grouped together). While the sales team builds the company’s client base, analytics professionals are there to get users up to speed on new products and onboarding. 

Students can explore a wide range of expertise and support services, since analytics professionals at Bloomberg typically specialize in one of these core areas:

• Fixed income
• Equities
• Foreign exchange (FX) 
• Commodities

Students with a business-level proficiency in a foreign language may get a leg-up in the analytics internship, too, as the company’s clients span more than 15 languages. 

Sales Internships

The Bloomberg sales internship program allows students to build crucial skills in client services, relationship management, revenue generation, and sales tactics. Interns assist sales professionals in helping potential clients meet their goals using Bloomberg’s range of products and services. 

Through cold-calling, networking, and leveraging a diverse client base, sales interns play a key role in improving clients’ trading and business decisions worldwide. 

In addition to working closely with the analytics team, the sales department helps product engineering teams understand what products and services clients are looking for so interns gain insights into how sales teams can inspire improvements and expansions in business products. 

Customer Support Internships

The Bloomberg customer support internship program lets interns play a key role in helping clients navigate financial markets and Bloomberg Terminal. Throughout the program, interns build skills in troubleshooting, hardware and software installation, and product setup. 

The two main priorities of interns in this program are:

• Provide customer service and support to Bloomberg clients
• Solve client hardware and software issues while managing their workflows 

Customer support interns typically handle tasks like login problem resolution, communicating with clients via email, live chat, and phone, and finding solutions to larger-scale problems in conjunction with coworkers and product teams. 

As a team that provides support globally in more than 18 languages, proficiency in foreign languages is desirable. Target languages include Portuguese, French, Spanish, and Italian. 

Engineering Internships

Engineering interns learn the ins and outs of the space where Bloomberg exists: the intersection of technology and finance. Interns handle their own projects, taking full ownership while under the mentorship of professional software engineers. 

When applying for a Bloomberg engineering internship, you can’t choose which area you want to focus on. Rather, the engineering department wants to learn your interests and skills through the interview process to find the best placement for you. 

Most of the work completed by Bloomberg engineers is in C++, JavaScript, and Python, so a general grasp of one of those programming languages is crucial. However, students without an official computer science degree background are still encouraged to apply — what matters most is technical abilities and problem-solving skills. 

Data Internships 

Bloomberg’s data internship program lets students analyze numbers and transform them into business and financial insights. To help clients make smart investing decisions on Bloomberg Terminal, interns work with professional data analysts and data scientists to collect, clean, and communicate findings. 

The data team at Bloomberg also works with other departments across the business, helping the news teams create inspiring content and guiding clients to appropriate technical and platform support and assistance departments. 

Beyond an eye for detail and strong analytical skills, potential interns can benefit from having a deep interest in financial services and investments.

>>MORE: Jumpstart your career with the best data job simulations on Forage.

News Internships

News interns at Bloomberg work alongside journalists and research analysts to give Bloomberg’s audience high-quality financial news, breaking coverage, and in-depth analysis. Through Bloomberg Terminal, Bloomberg News has over 325,000 subscribers across the finance and investing world. Interns help educate them about initial public offerings (IPOs), upcoming mergers and acquisitions (M&As), and the research readers need to stay ahead of the ever-changing financial markets.  

In the research area of news at Bloomberg, there are two primary sections: 

• Bloomberg NEF (BNEF) provides independent analysis in energy, transport, technology, and commodity industries. 
• Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) focuses on broader research and analysis, helping clients understand how historical trends affect the investing world today. 

Through this internship, students also have the opportunity to pitch and write original story ideas and have their work published in Bloomberg Terminal. 

Chief Technology Office Internships 

Internships in Bloomberg’s Chief Technology Office are typically only open to students in master’s or Ph.D. programs. The CTO office centers around helping both Bloomberg teams and external clients reach goals and drive innovation. 

Focus areas in Bloomberg’s CTO department include: 

• Technologists who provide technological professional services, like data science, machine learning, automation, and data management. 
• Developers who build applications to integrate, automate, and innovate workflows.
• Quantitative analysts who perform in-depth quantitative research and analysis to drive business and investing decisions. 

Across the technology office, professionals and interns rely on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automated workflows to help business and finance leaders sort and understand data faster and more effectively.

Bloomberg Discovery and Diversity Programs

Bloomberg’s discovery and diversity programs include opportunities for first- and second-year undergraduate students to explore career opportunities at the company, as well as diversity and inclusion events for those later in their college careers. Some commonly offered programs include:

Externships

The analytics and sales department offers four-day externships for second-year students to explore the diverse career paths at Bloomberg, network with professionals and recruiters, shadow specific roles, and build relevant job skills in personal branding and customer support. Participants may also be able to interview for summer internship opportunities. 

>>MORE: Learn the difference between externships and internships.

Bloomberg Engineering Accelerator 

The Bloomberg engineering accelerator program provides Black and Latinx students vital skills for preparing for technical interviews. Students have weekly one-on-one mentoring and coaching sessions with a Bloomberg engineer to help them build coding, problem-solving, and technical interview skills. Students also participate in mock interviews and workshops. 

Upon completion, students are fast-tracked to the technical interview stage for Bloomberg engineering internships, skipping the phone or screening interview step. 

Bloomberg Launch

Bloomberg Launch programs are one-week seminars allowing students to explore the key business areas at Bloomberg, network with hiring managers, professionals, and recruiters, and engage in relevant workshops. The programs end with interviews for internships and entry-level, full-time roles. 

Only students at specific schools are eligible to apply for Launch programs, and the programs are generally set in specific cities, such as Miami (for Florida and Puerto Rico college students) and New York City (for CUNY students). 

Discover Bloomberg

Discover Bloomberg is a series of programs for second- and third-year students to explore specific business areas at the company. The programs are in-person, so students must be relatively local or able to travel to the office locations to participate. Additionally, some programs are specifically designed for students from underrepresented backgrounds. 

Examples of past Discover Bloomberg events include: 

• Discover Bloomberg: Data
• Discover Bloomberg: Analytics and Sales — San Francisco
• Discover Bloomberg: Accelerate and <GO> 

Participation in a Discover Bloomberg event also fast-tracks students’ interview process for internships and entry-level, full-time roles. 

First-Year Insights

First-Year Insights is a series of online workshops for first-year students from underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds. The workshops help students learn crucial skills in networking and building a personal brand, meet with recruiters, and explore resources available for wellness, mental health, and growing life skills. 

Upon completion, students may be eligible to win prizes (like UberEats codes and resume reviews) and have the opportunity to apply early for internships. 

Applying for a Bloomberg Internship

Bloomberg accepts applications on a rolling basis, meaning the first ones in are the first to be reviewed (and potentially receive an internship offer). Applying early is the best way to ensure your resume gets seen by the hiring team. 

Bloomberg Internship Application Process

Applications must be submitted online unless a recruiter advises otherwise. You will need to upload a resume and include your previous work experience, relevant certifications, and education details. 

The online application portal also allows you to include supporting documents, like a cover letter or portfolio. You can even include links to online supporting materials, such as your LinkedIn profile or an online portfolio. 

For non-technical roles, such as analytics or sales, you’ll likely need to complete an assessment that tests general cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills. 

Non-Technical Internship Interviews at Bloomberg

Non-engineering internship interviews follow a similar process as most financial services or corporate roles: some form of screening interview followed by in-person interviews with team managers or leaders. 

One-Way Interviews

If you’re applying for non-engineering roles, the first part of the interview process involves completing a one-way interview. One-way interviews are pre-recorded videos where you answer specific questions about your experience, why you’re interested in Bloomberg, and why you’re qualified for the position. 

For one-way interviews, remember to: 

• Rehearse ahead of time — you may not get to retake the videos, so getting it right the first time is vital. 
• Find a quiet space.
• Be mindful of your body language — act as if it’s a typical interview since the recruiter, hiring manager, or interviewer will pay attention to your mannerisms as you speak!

If the role you’ve applied for requires a foreign language, you may need to answer questions in both English and your second language. 

Some roles may have a phone interview instead of or in addition to a one-way interview, so don’t forget to practice commonly asked phone interview questions. 

Assessment Day 

Bloomberg hosts Assessment Days, also called Superdays, which are weekend-long networking and interviewing events in a Bloomberg office. These days can be stressful, but they give you the opportunity to meet managers in real life, tour the offices, job shadow, and show off your relevant skills. 

Some tips for acing Superday at Bloomberg include: 

• Research the role and the company to show how motivated and knowledgeable you are. 
• Don’t be afraid to express your passions and interests throughout your interviews. 
• Ask questions whenever you can! The right questions can make you a memorable candidate and show your excitement about Bloomberg. 

>>MORE: Learn what questions you should be asking in interviews. 

Engineering Internship Interview Process

Engineering internships follow a process similar to regular interviews but often include technical assessments to understand your skills in relevant areas like programming languages, software development, and troubleshooting. 

Virtual Interview

The first step in a Bloomberg engineering internship interview is a virtual interview over Zoom. This interview is typically with one of the engineers at the company and allows them to get a general overview of your skills and interest in the role. 

>>MORE: Check out 12 tips for your next zoom interview.

In-Person Interviews

After a Zoom interview, you may be invited to two to three in-person technical interviews with Bloomberg engineers. 

In these technical interviews, you’ll answer questions and solve problems on topics like: 

• Technical projects you included in your resume and your experience in engineering and software development
• Relevant skills in coding, data structures, problem-solving, and algorithms (you can choose which programming language to complete these skills assessments in!)

A portion of the interview will include open-ended questions, allowing the interviewers to understand how you think. These questions may still be technical-based, but finding the correct answer isn’t the point. Instead, they want to know how you think through and break down complex issues. 

Bloomberg’s engineering team offers some tips for preparing and nailing technical interviews, such as: 

• Your thought process is more important than having perfect syntax in your code.
• Communicate your thoughts and ask for feedback whenever possible. 
• Practice coding beforehand so you feel comfortable — focus on data structures and algorithms.
• Research the company and its work so you can speak confidently about your interest areas at Bloomberg.
• Don’t forget to show your personality and interests — talking about the organizations or communities you’re in or special interest projects you’ve completed can help you stand out.

Tips for Landing Bloomberg Internships 

Getting an internship at Bloomberg can be tricky — the programs are competitive and often receive significantly more applicants than open roles. Here are some tips to help you get ahead of the curve when trying to land an internship at Bloomberg.

Practice Common Questions

When preparing for an interview, going through commonly asked questions can help you ready your answers so you sound confident and knowledgeable when answering. Some guides to common interview questions include: 

• Software engineering interview questions
• Coding interview questions
• Data analyst interview questions
• Data scientist interview questions
• Financial analyst interview questions 

Network, Network, Network

When trying to land your dream job, it’s all about what you know and who you know. Networking can significantly increase your chances of landing an interview. You can attend virtual networking events and on-campus events hosted by employers or reach out to recruiters or professionals on LinkedIn. It helps to have something in common with someone when reaching out on LinkedIn, though, so do your research beforehand. 

>>MORE: Learn more about virtual networking. 

Highlight Your Skills 

Relevant and demonstrable skills can help make sure hiring managers notice your application. Read the job description carefully so you know which skills to emphasize in your resume, cover letter, and screening interview. 

If you’re missing some of the critical skills, you can:

• Join a relevant on-campus organization or club.
• Take courses online or at your school that focus on those skills.
• Work with a mentor.
• Enroll in a free virtual job simulation.

Virtual job simulations show employers that you’re both highly motivated and have the skills they want. Stand out from the crowd by checking out Bloomberg’s free job simulations. 

We asked students who got hired at JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wayfair, and Walmart to share their top tips on what actually works to get a finance or software engineering internship:

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