Final Internship Report at Northwestern Mutual

By: Daryll B. Jones

Northwestern Mutual(NWM) is a financial services firm specializing in insurance and investments. For the past few decades, NWM has been running an exceptional internship program developing young, new advisors into the industry of financial services. For over 20 years straight, NWM has been ranked to have one of the top ten internships in the nation; giving students the opportunity to test drive a high in demand career and to do the work necessary to understand the true nature of the job function of a financial advisor. Approaching the end of the internship program at NWM, I can attest to these reviews to say they were one hundred percent true. I have received an unimaginable experience that has put me in a better position on how I see my career after graduating college. In this report, I will assess my experience with NWM and address how I was able to apply my training in university to my internship role. Furthermore, I will conclude with how this internship has changed my perspective on both my short and long-term career goals.

In retrospect, the process to achieving this internship has been lengthy. NWM defers to a “mutual selection process”, in which the company takes the candidate through several interviews and pre-screenings before extending an offer. It allows the company to realize if the candidate will be a good fit for the company and indirectly it shows the candidate if this career is suitable for them as well. Fortunately, for me I passed the selection process seamlessly as I knew this position was for me. The next step, before an offer was extended, was to pass licensing exams to be contracted within the company as a financial representative. NWM administers a study class for prospective candidates to further prepare for the exam. This is the final and determinant step on behalf of NWM to truly see if the candidate will be a fit. In my opinion, it is more than just a test, it is a demonstration of a candidates will power to succeed which is the basis of a career as a financial representative.

After passing the exam, I began my first week as a financial representative. I had trouble getting acclimated to the system and the day to day of the job. While other interns were already two weeks into the program, I started later because of school obligations. This put me at a disadvantage initially because, I wanted to show this company what I am capable of and I felt that my setback was portraying me as less effective to upper management. Still, what set me apart was my dedication to my work and my passion to succeed. I came early and stayed late, networked with executives and full-time representatives, spoke with anyone who would lend an ear to listen and provide me with coaching or advice.

My efforts came into realization when I was recognized by the CID (Chief of Internship Development), he invited me into his office for a one on one meeting. I was first apprehensive about the meeting because I have never met with anyone in the C-class of a company but, this is also my first internship experience. I knew that this meeting was going to be detrimental to how I was viewed within the company so I began reflecting to my “communications for executives” (taught by Oskanna Reynolds) class, I took in the spring 2017 semester, for direction. There was one lesson specifically on body language and nonverbal communication that I knew would directly affect the meeting with the CID. It was said that over 80 percent of communication is nonverbal and because I will do more listening than talking, I wanted to be sure I made the right impression and use my active listening techniques effectively.

This concept has been studied for years and many scholars have held testament to the theory. There are certain nonverbal ques that can allow a lister to be perceived as paying attention. For example: maintaing eye contact and keeping a slight head nod of approval when listening, asking questions for clarification, and smiling. All these communicators can help sharpen the image that one is actively listening. In hindsight, this was the most memorable experience I’ve had in the company but overall this has been a great experience holistically. That meeting taught me that the firm truly does care about each person individually and their development within the company. C-class executives are typically very busy and lead high stress lives so, I truly appreciate the time being taken out of his schedule to have met with me and get to know me better.

This internship has helped me to understand my career goals post-graduation and has also given me a different perspective on a career in finance. Before this internship experience, I knew I wanted to do sales or a variation of consultation type work. However, after completing this internship I have a better understanding of a career as a financial advisor and I do believe that while the nature of the job is relationship based; after securing a strong relationship with a client, a sale is usually made between the advisor and client. However, it is an integrated approach in which the transaction made; benefits both parties. This aspect of the job heavily resonated with me because, advisors are motivated by helping people help them which creates a different type of motivation and mindset for advisors. The idea is to treat people well to succeed.

I intend to continue down this path as financial advisor and become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). I also want to do some consultation work with small businesses and/or business development by working on specific projects within companies to improve their functionality. The beauty of this career is that it will allow me to have a flexible schedule to pursue multiple interest at one time. Therefore, I plan to pursue many entrepreneurial roles that will allow me to be flexible with my career without me having to be tied down to a desk from day to day.

However, I went through a few hurdles before discovering that this career was for me. Before achieving slight success, I quickly realized that I had to become more sociable. Personally, I have always been a social person. I consider myself friendly and welcoming to others. Still, it will take more than just those traits to allow me to succeed in this field. I realized I needed to be outgoing, assertive and purposeful but also patient and understanding. Finding a happy medium between the two became a challenge of mine when beginning.