Jump-Start Your Career
Insurance Providers Plug Brain Drain With Interns Who Eventually Become
Full-Time Employees.
By Lois Vidaver
According to USA Today, there’s a brain drain going on in American
industry due to the large numbers of baby boomers reaching retirement
age. Many new graduates will begin with internships that turn into full-time
employment, according to the report. The article goes on to mention
that Aflac, a Columbus, GA-based insurance provider, has a department
whose sole focus is to hire and place interns in the right jobs, The
article adds that these interns are offered a permanent position upon
completion of their internships.
KEYLA CABRET, AFLAC
Keyla Cabret knows whereof the report states. Promoted to university
relations supervisor in September 2006, the Aflac employee is right
in the middle to attempt to plug that brain drain, by managing Aflac’s
strategy, logistics, and implementation of all its campus and university
recruiting efforts. In addition, she oversees the research and building
expertise regarding recruiting issues and trends at colleges and universities.
She also administers the company’s SIFE (Student in Free Enterprise)
program, internships, and seasonal hiring programs and coordinates the
HIP (Health Insurance Program) with area high schools.
“Nationwide, Aflac is experiencing a talent drain in a pool that
was once full,” Cabret states. The mission of Aflac as it relates
to talent management is to recruit the best, brightest, and most qualified
individuals, she adds. Each team member of its talent management and
university relations divisions works directly with hiring managers to
assess the needs of the department and the future talent climate to
ensure that the recruiting requirements are fulfilled.
Cabret grew up in Columbus, GA, becoming aware of the student-focused
opportunities available in the hometown corporation Aflac. As a junior
in high school, she worked as a seasonal employee at the corporation
through the Future Business Executive (FBE) program, a local program
sponsored by Columbus State University and created with the goal to
introduce high-school students to the corporate environment. She assisted
the Human Resources (HR) division with administrative functions, primarily
those that supported the recruiting process. The job required her to
support any and all business functions that needed administrative assistance.
Not all of them were fascinating, she admits. “There were many
days that I was afforded the opportunity to work on exciting projects,
but on other days I would handle the less desirable work such as answering
telephone calls from applicants, screening candidates for different
positions, and reviewing pre-employment tests. I often looked at them
as being ‘boring’ or ‘grunt work,’ but in the
long run, I found these tasks helped me to progress within the company,
gain additional responsibilities, and ultimately be offered a supervisory
role.” When graduates take an entry-level position, they may feel
that the skills they gain will not be relevant in future endeavors or
to build experience. They should use all opportunities to expand their
knowledge and skillset, Cabret says.
Her advice to college and even high-school students who look to get
a head start on their career planning is to identify companies that
offer internship or career-building programs specific to their area
of interest. Many major corporations such as Aflac partner with universities
and high schools to train and recruit future employees—often providing
students with great experience during the summer months while they are
out of school.
“I also advise students to take advantage of recruiters who may
visit their schools by asking onsite key questions about any company
programs in place that provide training for students,” she states.
After graduation from high school, she began her studies toward a political
science degree at Columbus State University and progressed to an internship
within Aflac’s HR department. One of the areas she consistently
worked on was the intern and seasonal programs. After graduating with
a bachelor’s degree, Cabret was offered and accepted a corporate
recruiter 1 position.
“Having mentors continues to be one of the major reasons for my
career successes,” Cabret comments, grateful for those who guided
her through many career objectives and challenges. “Mentors have
been extremely insightful, personally and professionally. The value
that another person’s perspective, especially one who may be in
the same career path, brings to a situation is priceless. Also, it has
been even more rewarding to share my accomplishments with people who
have a sincere interest in my success.”
Her chosen career path gives her the opportunity to use the knowledge
that she gained while interning, as well as expanding her human resources
expertise, allowing her to build skillsets within different areas. For
example, earlier in her work experience, she was charged with being
the project lead for Aflac’s talent acquisition group while still
performing duties as a senior recruiter. Although she has an interest
in technology and adapts well to new processes, she did not think she
would be able to lead the project from beginning to end and thought
someone from the information technology department would be better fit
for the lead role. “To my surprise, I found that I was successful
in the role because it required attention to detail and extensive knowledge
of specific industry functions and skills. I’d taken these qualities
for granted in myself and they were just what the technical staff needed
to make sure that human resources had a great product,” she recalls.
When working for an insurance provider, each potential employee must
have a corporate-wide mindset, able to see the big picture, and how
their job fits into the company’s overall objective. Additionally,
they must have a proven record of good performance, energy, intellect,
and follow-through, able to fill the needs of our customers in a professional
manner and have a customer-service mindset, according to Cabret. “Human
resources skills are highly valuable, but the profession has evolved
to a greater business-focused environment, and those who understand
profit/loss and financing and individuals with business degrees are
highly sought after. But all who have energy and intellect can be taught
to do the job,” Cabret concludes.
JENNIFER KOLDEN, SECURIAN FINANCIAL GROUP
Jennifer Kolden, who works for Securian Financial Group, Inc., also
took advantage of the available corporate internship opportunities,
which exposed her to corporate environments, encouraged her to graduate
from college, make good career choices, build professional relationships,
gain a successful entry into the corporate workplace, and develop a
lasting support network.
A resident of Douglas, ND, Kolden graduated from Minnesota State University
Moorhead (MSUM) as a business administration major. Her college years
afforded her a plethora of opportunities, one of them serving as president
of the American Indian Student Association. Highlights of her college
years include an honors apprentice scholarship wherein apprentices are
MSUM scholarship recipients who participate in creative and scholarly
activities. The students in conjunction with faculty choose these apprenticeships
and staff mentors. The apprentices average five hours per week in their
apprenticeship activities, along with participating in social and cultural
activities, and present their work at the student academic conference.
Kolden was also active in the Minority Expose to Corporate America (MECA)
program, an initiative undertaken by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
and 3M Company. MECA was founded in 1989 to provide corporate internships
and scholarship support for students of color—African American,
American Indian, Hispanic, and Asian Pacific--who attend state universities.
This is a two-year program for those who have achieved junior class
standing at one of Minnesota’s state universities. Each MECA student
receives a scholarship, paid internship, and leadership development
and mentorship opportunities.
Kolden joined Securian’s management development program, a customized
career track for emerging leaders, in 2002. She had the chance to build
her marketing skills during rotations with the Securian retirement and
Securian advisor services divisions. Currently with Securian retirement
distributors, the company’s pension marketing and sales divisions,
she develops and implements marketing campaigns for the sales team to
increase brand awareness and achieve sales goals. She also supports
the sales team’s communication needs through the development of
collateral material and presentations. Examples of marketing collateral
include wholesaler newsletters, continuing education presentations,
biographies, sales success stories, client presentations, sales ideas,
article reprints, and Html E-mails.
The mission of the corporation is to use the power of ingenuity and
the spirit of mutuality to create financial security and long-term value
for its customers. Its ongoing success springs from the values of strength,
integrity, quality, respect, and community that were established when
the company was founded—values they have nurtured and adhered
to since 1880. “We will be here when they need us,” Kolden
says. She has worked for Securian for five years.
Kolden notes that at every stage of my life and career, she had strong
mentors who helped her grow into the professional adult she is today.
First and foremost, her parents and family: “I was the youngest
of five so I had set expectations to live up to. I was an independent
child, which they saw as a good thing and let me be involved in everything
and anything. They always pushed for bigger and better, but taught me
the fundamental morals to keep me grounded,” she remembers.
She had fantastic mentors in her honors apprenticeship as well as the
MECA program. As an apprentice to the manager in the business office
at MSUM, Kolden admired her boss, who was not only was a master at her
job, but took the time out to mentor students and take an active role
in college life. “Her work ethic, personality, compassion, and
conflict management skills are characteristics that I strive to emulate,”
Kolden states.
Her mentors at 3M solidified her decision to work in corporate America.
“My direct supervisor and my mentor pushed me out of my comfort
zone during my internship, gave me invaluable career advice, and stayed
in touch with me after I started my full-time job at Securian,”
she comments
Joining Securian as an assistant analyst in the management services
program afforded her access to a rich bank of mentors. Her boss was
among the most inspiring as she pushed the employee to focus on excellence.
“She is also a minority woman who was a striving professional
role model,” Kolden says.
In her position, Kolden especially enjoys project management responsibilities
where she is able to manage a project from its inception through implementation.
“Watching it translate into sales and bottom-line growth is even
better,” she declares. She also enjoys the creativity aspect of
her job, along with the sales environment that can be fast-paced and
intense. “I thrive in that kind of environment,” she says.
“Additionally, looking for new ways to market existing programs
and products is challenging.” The company’s policy to promote
from within encourages employees to move among the various Securian
businesses and grow professionally.
The company, committed to the community, encourages volunteerism in
St. Paul, MN. The program Kolden has been most involved in is the multicultural
excellence program (MEP), allowing her to spend one hour every month
mentoring high-school multicultural students, while encouraging them
to earn a higher education and show them what it takes to succeed in
the business world.
Important skills to develop are communication, strong leadership, and
effective writing skills, she advises. “Without effective communication
and personal relationships and projects can go very wrong,” she
adds. Leadership skills build trust among employees and effective writing
is also essential, not only to develop technical reports and marketing
copy, but to compose E-mails, letters and memos.
Kolden’s all-time favorite project, which has been running for
three years, was the research, recommendation, and implantation of the
women’s advisor group. As an assistant analyst, she conducted
the background research required to make a recommendation, pitched it
to management, and sees it through to implementation. She conducted
telephone surveys with the existing female advisors and interviewed
other women throughout the organization. “I was able to see not
only what minority women do in the financial services industry, but
what a great skillset they offer,” she says. Her advice for young
people interested to work for insurance providers is:
€Take advantage of internships and other programs offered through
your university. Be confident and work on those areas in which you are
not confident.
€Realize that everyone makes mistakes. Be willing to put yourself
out there because in the end you learn from mistakes and grow as a person.
€Step outside of your comfort zone, personally and professionally.
It can only lead to personal growth and positive change.
€Attend job fairs and job shadow. Exploit every opportunity to
learn, grow, and develop your own brand of professionalism.
Kolden concludes, “I was fortunate to have access to programs
that put me in leadership roles and exposed me to a variety of business
settings. These experiences were invaluable and gave me a competitive
edge when I applied for jobs. My hiring manager said I was a ‘diamond
in the rough.’ I believe the experiences I had helped me show
her my potential.”
LOU SANTIAGO, STATE FARM INSURANCE
He began as a trainee agent in 1989, but now Lou Santiago is a State
Farm agent with responsibilities to represent the company as an independent
contractor in the sale of insurance products and financial services.
State Farm’s mission, Santiago says, is to help people manage
the risks of every day life, recover from the unexpected, and realize
their dreams.
Santiago credits various mentors along with his own curiosity with starting
him on his career path. Throughout college, he held part-time jobs in
retail and director sales, and remembers, “I always asked questions
about business and rationales for various decisions. Some managers answered
all of my questions. My mentors were those who took the time to talk
to me and let me formulate my questions and thinking.”
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, he was brought to New York State at an early
age where his family settled in Central New York. Upon graduation from
high school there, he attended Daemen College in Amherst, located in
Western New York. Post-graduation, he settled on a position with the
General Adjustment Bureau (GAB) at its branch in Buffalo. “It
was with GAB that I learned the basics of the insurance industry from
a claims handling standpoint,” he says.
“Being an insurance agent is a career,” Santiago adds. “It
is not a nine-to-five position. You get to meet and have business relationships
with clients. You are their confidant and also the objective observer
as they go through their lives. If you are in the business long enough,
you will see them grow up, marry, sometimes divorce, have children,
and take care of the parents. You are also there when their loved ones
pass on. It is a satisfying, rewarding career that is truly like no
other. As a business owner you are respected and invited to involve
yourself in various aspects of the community.”
His most interesting project was in giving up a stable agency so that
he could serve the Latino community in Buffalo. After 12 years as an
agent in a suburban town, he was offered the opportunity to move a portion
of his agency to downtown Buffalo in order to fill the position as a
Spanish-speaking agent in that area. His advice for aspiring Hispanics
who want to take part in his field is to, “Stay in school, be
standup, and strive. It is obtainable.” Santiago states that a
strong sense of integrity, faith in the ability to get the job done,
a strong sense of trustworthiness, and a strong will all help when having
to make hard decisions.
“I have always felt that a member of a minority group feels like
an invited guest in this country and depending on opportunities presented
or how the person was raised, some may feel more comfortable than others
in reaching out and testing the waters outside of the ethnic enclave.
It is OK to reach out and still maintain the connection with the ethnic
roots,” he concludes.
