On Monday, September 29th, I spent an hour at the Risk and Insurance Career Fair in Gordon Commons. There were more than 70 companies in attendance, from the biggest names in insurance and consulting to local companies and reinsurers. It was very well organized. I spoke with Willis Towers Watson, Allstate, Northwestern Mutual, Milliman, Marsh, and Swiss Re. Overall, it was a great night spent networking with fellow students and prospective employers.
In preparation for the event, the Career Center helped us master our elevator pitches to make the most of every meeting. In fact, less than a week before the career fair, Laura Berkan, Assistant Director of Career Management, visited our class and had each of us give our elevator pitch so she could give us feedback. It was a very helpful exercise as I was pitching myself throughout the career fair. It helped with professionalism, which was critical at the event. Many of the companies in attendance were represented by hiring managers and other employees, making first impressions especially important.
One highlight of the night was speaking with Milliman. I started with my elevator pitch and then spoke about a couple of projects I had worked on. The representatives were particularly excited about my background in trading because they have front office and hedging roles available. Unfortunately, they were only looking for interns at the career fair, but I gave them my resume as they said they would pass it along to the appropriate teams. I also collected their business cards and connected with them on LinkedIn. It was a successful encounter.
Although not every company was looking for MBA students, the career fair was a valuable experience. All the preparation with resumes, researching companies and positions, and elevator pitches paid off greatly. As a newcomer to the insurance industry, networking is a must for me. It helps to have an employee referral when applying to jobs, and the career fair gave me numerous contacts to utilize. Everyone was very welcoming and open to answering questions there, and in the future. It was a great experience, and I highly recommend it to all UW-Madison students interested in insurance.
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