On September 21, 2022, the Risk and Insurance Co-Curricular Learning Board (CCLB) hosted a panel event “How to Secure your Future in Risk & Insurance.” The CCLB consists of five companies: American Family Insurance, CUNA Mutual Group, Milliman, Swiss Re, and Travelers. At this event, there were 13 company representatives and 142 students in attendance. The evening demystified the various roles in the risk and insurance industry, and uncovered best practices for how to secure a job and advance one’s career.
The event was split into three different sessions: small panel, large panel, and networking.
The first session was a more intimate setting among students and panelists. Students were split into various rooms and each room had a panel of five to six employers, along with a moderator. Each panel also had a student representative who was able to share experiences from interviews and internships. The moderator posed various questions to the panelists regarding their career experience and lessons learned. Students were given time at the end of the session to ask questions.
I served as a student representative on one of the panels. I was able to share my experiences from my prior internships and interviews, and listen to experiences from the other panelists. Each of us had differing experience levels and backgrounds so we were able to cover various aspects of the interviewing and job-searching process.
The second session was a larger group setting. All students were brought to a large room with a single panel. There were 6 panelists, one from each CCLB company, and a student representative. The moderator posed questions regarding resume building, interview tips, job selection, networking advice, and interview experience. Students were given time to ask questions at the end of the session. I found the large panel very useful because the representatives had varying roles within their respective companies. Therefore, each panelist had a unique recommendation about what students should focus on in interviews and internships. This provided more diversity of ideas.
The final session was open networking and dinner. Students were able to meet the company representatives in a more casual setting and ask specific questions. There were many large group discussions with topics ranging from professional advice to sports. I found the networking session especially useful because it was more free-flowing and allowed us to get to know the employers better. I was able to catch up with some familiar faces and meet some new people!
The CCLB event was extremely successful in providing students a clear direction about how to approach securing their dream job or internship. I learned a lot from the company and student representatives about how to maximize opportunities and reach my highest potential. I am very grateful to the Risk and Insurance Department for hosting this event and hope to attend many more!