The best job I’ve ever had (really)
I’ve been a journalist and editor for almost 30 years, but I didn’t know what the perfect job was for me until 2 ½ years ago when I joined Vanguard’s Client Experience and Digital (CXD) department.
So, what was missing from the previous jobs? It was often hard to determine if the content I was creating was having its intended impact.
When I started at Vanguard a colleague said, “you know you’re engaged in your work when you run up the stairs as you come into the office because you can’t wait to get started with your day.”
It might sound like a cliché but that’s how I feel working in CXD. We’re building so many cool new features I can’t wait to get them into the hands of our clients. And that’s why my role as a CXD content strategist is the best job I’ve ever had.
What is success?
Throughout my career, success has often been hard to define. Is a tweet series “successful” if it gets so many “likes” or retweets? Is a web article “successful” if it is viewed a certain number of times?
If content did achieve specified metrics did that success have any meaningful impact on the business? Did the content lead to client growth? Did our customers buy more products? It’s often hard to know.
Seeing the impact on clients
Vanguard employees who work in CXD are charged with improving the user experiences for clients that digitally engaging with Vanguard through our website. Specifically, I work on labs that build the platforms for clients who buy and sell ETFs, individual stocks, and mutual funds.
That’s what makes working in CXD so rewarding. We get to see the impact our work has on clients every single day. Over the course of a year, Vanguard clients place approximately 110 million trades!
When my lab builds an enhancement to the trading platform, we create a better experience for our clients. How do we know?
As we roll out a new feature like the ability to buy and sell Vanguard ETFs in dollars instead of only in whole shares, our clients are talking about it on forums like Bogleheads.org and it gets reported by the financial press.
We’re able to measure client satisfaction through survey data that tells us the number of clients who are able to complete their intended task. I never doubt that I’m part of a team that’s making meaningful change for millions of Vanguard clients.
Winding career path
Eleven years ago Vanguard hired me as a copywriter to create social media content for retail investors. Along the way, I moved in and out of various roles including managing the blog for retail investors, writing web articles, and creating content that marketed to financial advisors.
It took me a while to get here but I know this is what I was meant to do. This is where I know the content I’m creating is having a real impact. And this is where I’m able to help give Vanguard clients the best chance for achieving their financial dreams.
Interested in a career working in UX at Vanguard? Explore current opportunities on our careers site.
