Huge congratulations to Adam who secured a graduate role with AIG after completing an intership with them last summer! Adam took some time to share with us the details of why he wanted to work in insurance and also offer some tips to his fellow Bright Network members.
Why did you apply to AIG?
AIG are a global firm with a huge amount of resources at their disposal to help develop you both personally and professionally. AIG are a known insurance firm and so, being someone who is interested in insurance, it only made sense that I apply to one of the biggest and best company’s in the world. I did an internship with them last summer which I thoroughly enjoyed. The people I met were all extremely friendly and receptive, encouraging us interns to get heavily involved. I received a variety of work to help me develop different skills. My manager was also keen to introduce me to different people in order to help me expand my network and understand a range of areas across the business.
Why did you want to go into insurance?
I’d say there are three major reasons that drove me to go into insurance. The first reason is simply that the work you do varies hugely. One day you might be working with the aerospace section of the company whilst the next day you might be working with the Property & Energy Team. Through working across different sectors, you become exposed to a huge variety of knowledge and experience.
Secondly, this is a people driven industry. Whilst we do work within the financial sector, the work we do is undeniably collaborative. For AIG to provide the services we do then us employees must work together in an inter-departmental approach that focuses on drawing on different individuals in different roles to produce the final service. People working in claims roles will often work with people in underwriting or distribution roles. Consequently, it is a sociable role which in itself appeals to me.
Thirdly, I feel that the work I do in insurance has a real, tangible impact on the world external to AIG. The day to day handlings of an insurance company are focused upon real life events – we underwrite real risks and handle claims which have occurred as a result of an actual loss. The areas which I am exposed to are impactful with real and important consequences.
What was the application process like?
When I applied to my internship the application process was fairly short with us only having to submit a CV online and then attend an assessment Centre. At the assessment centre we were interviewed twice with both interviewers examining our C.V.s and then asking us some competency-based questions. I then secured the internship and got my graduate role from my work on the internship. The Internship was 10 weeks long and on the last day I was offered a contract. I was offered a particular position within my team but if I didn’t want this position I could ask to change. There was no guarantee I would be offered the new role but they would fast track me to an assessment centre.
What three tips would you give to fellow Bright Network members looking to follow in your footsteps?
- Go into heavy detail on your CV about what you did in your previous jobs and what you learnt from them
- Gain a breadth of experience across multiple areas. That way you can show how you are able to adapt yourself/your skillset to a range of scenarios.
- Have a way of proving your interest in the industry, for example previous experience in that area, or being able to show how your skillset is relevant to it.
What was the hardest interview question you’ve ever faced?
Describe a time when you severely under-performed and then managed to obtain positive results?
