Issac is an Economics graduate from the University of Sheffield. He secured an Analyst role in Insurance Consulting at Lane, Clark and Peacock in London, through Bright Network. 
First, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
“I've always had a passion for using maths and economics to try and understand why the world worked like it did. From this, it seemed like going down the actuarial pathway made sense as models are used to try and predict future claims across insurance, pensions and many other industries.
I decided to go to the University of Sheffield as it has a great economics department, is a Russel Group university and is a cheap city to live in and make the most of the university experience. I really did make the most of this experience, being a member of the water polo team and making friends that will last me a lifetime.
I chose to go into insurance as it is one of the oldest industries globally, with London as one of, if not the, largest insurance hubs. Insurance is also essential for business and people to ensure that they can carry on the business despite the possibility of worst case scenarios.
After a year in industry as a pricing analyst for private healthcare schemes, I realised I wanted to do more general insurance to gain more experience before specialising. As an Insurance Consultant, I will gain this experience from some of the best in the business.”
What motivated you to apply for your role?
“LCP is a great company to work for. When considering which companies to apply for, look on Glassdoor reviews. In my experience, a company with a good culture is a lot easier to work for than a bad culture company, and you will get more out of the role.
Alongside this, the Partners and Senior Consultants you learn from are truly the best in the business. Many of them have won awards, been involved in discussions with the regulators about the future of insurance and advise the PRA on issues such as the Ogden rate.
Even at the junior level, analysts and associate consultants are involved in IFoA committees, podcasts and news articles about the future of insurance. It is a place you can truly make a difference.”
What was the application process like?
“After filling in the application form, I was invited to complete an assessment. From then I took part in a video interview about my interest in working for LCP, soft skills and questions around commercial awareness. The video interview process is slightly different than others as you get a second chance if you need it.
About a month later, I received an email inviting me to an assessment centre. During this day, I completed a group exercise, maths test, competency interview and case study interview, alongside a tour of the office with some recent grads.
It was a great process and surprisingly quick considering so many people applied. If you want to work for LCP, it is worth applying early as I was told many people were disappointed as applications were closed early.”
How did Bright Network help you secure your role?
“I applied through Bright Network and used various articles associated with the role to complete the video interview and assessment centre.”
What are you most proud of about your journey?
“I’m most proud of never giving up and constantly working hard to get this role. The graduate job market is very difficult to break into and there’s lots of rejections, but you just have to keep going.
This means you need to constantly learn from the interviews you have done, how to prepare for them and improve your performance in psychometric testing.
When I got the call that they were going to make a job offer, it was a feeling I haven't experienced before, one of just pure relief and excitement as from the assessment centre I knew this would be a great company to work for.”
What have you learnt from going through the process?
“I learned to trust my gut more about the insurance market as the case study they give in the assessment centre is not trying to trick you. Overall, the process was shorter than I expected as LCP want to complete the application process early to ensure the best applicants.
I’ve also learned that there’s no such thing as too much preparation. It’s best to practice talking to yourself or your friends and family about soft skills and try to pre-empt what questions you’ll get asked based on previous interviews you’ve done.”
What are your tips for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
“My advice would be to articulate why you want to work for LCP, why you want to become an actuary and have a good understanding of the general insurance market including future trends.
Alongside this, key examples of soft skills will be extremely useful in the interview process.”
Tell us about the future. What’s next?
“I’m most looking forward to moving to London, experiencing lifestyle in the capital amongst friends and learning a lot, quickly as a consultant.
Hopefully, this experience will teach me a lot about the industry as a whole before possible specialisation in a specific sector of insurance. Working alongside LCP is going to be a great experience and enable me to make connections for life.”
Find insight schemes, graduate jobs, training contracts and more at Bright Network.
