GLG is the world’s insight network, connecting decision makers to the right experts so they can act with the confidence that comes from true clarity. The company works directly with the world’s best businesses, collaborating across teams and geographies to drive successful outcomes for their clients and experts.
GLG has locations all over the world, including hubs in New York, Austin, Hong Kong, and London. We’re excited to share that they’re expanding with a brand-new office in Philadelphia, located in The Bourse in Old City. And… they’re hiring for a number of entry-level roles!
GLG is looking for smart, curious people to join their Client Solutions team, be part of their values-driven culture, and help bring the power of insight to every great professional decision. GLG Client Solutions Associates recruit experts to help deliver best-in-class client service, all while building lifelong research and business skills and enjoying the flexibility of hybrid work with no preset limit on vacation days, tuition reimbursements for continued education, and many other benefits. Does this sound like you? Apply today!
We got to connect with two of GLG’s newest Client Solutions Associates to learn more about their careers at GLG. Sam Berrettini and Lexy Pathickal shared their favorite parts of the job, company perks, advice for recent grads, and so much more!
Sam Berrettini graduated with an interdisciplinary Liberal Arts degree from St. John’s College (Annapolis, MD) in 2021. There, he studied subjects from quantum mechanics to ancient tragedies, and his final and largest project was an examination of Socrates and Alcibiades in Plato’s Symposium. After graduating, Sam worked on campus for a summer while working on job applications, and eventually took his first “real” job at GLG and moved to Philadelphia this past September.
Lexy Pathickal graduated with a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Penn State University in 2021. In her role at GLG, she strives to use her curiosity to learn alongside her clients and help with their research needs, all while exemplifying the qualities of determination and empathy to reach individual and team goals.
As a recent grad, how did your on-campus experience help prepare you for “adulting”? Any tips/advice to recommend to students graduating soon?
Sam: I did a lot of collaborative work in college – discussion classes, theater groups, student government – which really helped prepare me for the team structure at GLG. Juggling different assignments, relationships, and extracurriculars also let me practice prioritizing my time, which is vital now that I don’t have family or the college administration looking out for me. If you’re graduating soon, congrats! Don’t sell yourself short in job interviews or other areas of “adulting” – there’s always a learning curve, but you’ll be surprised by how much of what you did in school translates to the “real world”!
Lexy: When I was at Penn State, I was a part of three different organizations in addition to being the undergraduate Student Body Vice President at University Park. I was taking 15 credits while planning for different internships. Not to mention, I had a part-time job! Since I was juggling so many things at once, I learned to multitask and manage my time as efficiently as possible. If you can be proactive, organized to the best of your ability, and remain curious, “adulting” is not as daunting of a task as you think. I recommend having a planner AND an online calendar – I had two things holding me accountable to my commitments, and two is always better than one.
Tell us about your role as a Client Solutions Associate at GLG. What’s a typical day like?
Sam: Every day I begin by answering the emails and messages that have come in overnight, trying to set myself up for the day the best I can. Then I have my team check-ins and beginning-of-day updates and get started with the main part of my job: looking for leads on experts to fit my projects. Projects can be about anything, from data aggregation to hardware components to influencer marketing, but while each day has different priorities and new topics to research, the core skills are the same—quick, clear communication and the ability to problem-solve to find the right people for the project. Some days, I have a career development meeting or a larger company meeting that gives me more insight about our business as a whole. If my workload is super heavy that day, I let my manager know so I don’t get new projects, or if it’s light I ask for new work. I try to make sure I’ve made progress on all my projects so I can start wrapping up, updating my partners about their projects and getting my notes organized so I’m ready to hit the ground running the next morning!
Lexy: A typical day, especially with work from home, is getting up about an hour before my first check-in meeting to have some time in the morning to myself. I try to log on about 30 minutes before my first meeting to make sure I have all my emails and tasks completed so I’m in a good spot to report updates to my manager. After the first meeting, this is where the days can differ. Some days my projects are really active and some days not as much. It really depends on the types of people I’m reaching out to for projects. I’m also learning about different industries every single day, since we do research and recruiting for projects in countless industries. I’ve always been a curious person who loves to learn about new things, so my projects definitely keep me engaged.
What’s your favorite part about working for GLG?
Sam: I really enjoy the variety of topics that I get to work on, but my FAVORITE thing has to be the people. All of my coworkers are smart, encouraging, and fun, and I instantly felt at home. We try to have outings and team events every so often, and they’re always good times.
Lexy: I absolutely love my manager, direct team, and the overall business unit. The Philadelphia office hasn’t opened yet, but, I’ve been able to build friendships very quickly even in a virtual setting. Since Associates are working out of different offices, it’s so cool to be able to say that I have friends as far as Austin, Texas already!
GLG is a big company, with offices around the world and more than 2,500 employees. How have you built new relationships and connected with coworkers in your role?
Sam: GLG is good about bringing coworkers together in more informal settings, even starting with training, which is organized in groups so you meet a lot of other new hires right off the bat. Once you’re more settled into your job, you typically end up working with other people on different projects, and over time you each get to know how the other one works. And it never hurts to reach out directly! I think every GLGer I’ve shadowed or trained with has told me I could ask them any questions I had.
Lexy: The Philly team has had a few get-togethers already so it’s nice to talk to someone new every time we meet up. It hasn’t been as frequent as we all would have liked because of COVID, but I’ve still been able to connect with people virtually. My recruiting class is a group of fun people, so it was pretty easy to message them and video chat so we could train/practice together. It’s all about being as personable as you can, since being virtual makes relationship building a little harder.
What was your first month like at GLG?
Sam: GLG has almost a month of training for the Client Solutions Associate position, so a lot of my first month was taken up with Zoom meetings and certifications (there aren’t that many meetings once you get through training, I promise!). They ran me through things like how to search for experts efficiently, and they helped me get to know the other new hires and the team I was joining. Towards the end of the month, I was able to help some of my team members with their projects in small ways, which was a good way to build rapport and contribute to the company while also letting them check my work and offer advice.
Lexy: The first month was a lot of training and introductions, but it was done in a way to make sure we were fully prepared to excel in our positions. We had the basic introduction seminars, and I even had a recruiting class of about 30 other new hires around my age. The recruiting class was led by three amazing recruiting coaches who were in charge of all of the training and certifications we needed to complete. We trained together, practiced together, were in meetings together, etc. By the time I started working on projects, I felt fully prepared to be in my role.
If you were to offer ONE piece of advice to a current college student interested in launching their career at GLG, what would it be?
Sam: Don’t be afraid if you think you don’t know anything about business or the corporate world. GLG is more than happy to train you in that sort of thing—what you need to bring to the table is the willingness to learn and an excitement about lots of different topics. People skills don’t hurt either!
Lexy: Stay curious and excited. You will only continue to learn and excel in your role when you stay engaged with what you are doing and the people you are working with!
