FCA Student Spotlight: Sarah Antony -- Northwestern Mutual Internship Experience

Northwestern Mutual Financial Representative Internship

By Sarah Antony, '16

Fordham Career Ambassador

I first looked into an internship with Northwestern Mutual because I liked their company philosophy. It is focused on financial planning for the long term. True to form, the Financial Representative internship is also geared towards preparing interns for a career in the long term.

About the Internship Itself

       Northwestern Mutual treats its interns like full-time Financial Reps; we are encouraged to view ourselves as the CEO of our own financial services practices. The internship is difficult, but gives college students a head start on a long career. Northwestern Mutual is built on meaningful, trusting relationships with clients. Part of the expectation for new Financial Representatives is building up a client base for our own personal practices, with relationships that hopefully last a lifetime.

       That being said, the company knows it’s tough and has an incredible support system in place. Northwestern Mutual actually provides training and sponsors financial services licensing for each state. More experienced financial planners accompany new reps on client meetings. We attend weekly meetings where interns pick up soft skills and get a chance to ask for help with specific problems. Successful financial advisors, many of whom started out in the internship program, are more than willing to share their experiences, advice, and inspiration.

How to succeed

       This internship might be a good fit for outgoing people, but even if you don’t feel that networking comes to you naturally, anyone can learn how to do it. As a Financial Rep, I get a chance to put all the soft skills that I picked up as a Fordham Career Ambassador to work. Little things like sending prompt follow-up emails and presenting yourself professionally go a long way.

       If you are considering this internship, I recommend practicing meeting people in a casual setting to talk about your professional goals or schoolwork. It can be as simple as contacting a favorite professor or one of your friends who graduated and started working recently, and asking them to meet you for coffee.  This allows you to get used to the idea of arranging meetings, which I used to find awkward. In addition, it keeps your connections from going stale, and at the very least gives you the chance to enjoy a chat with someone you don’t get to see normally. You will have a much easier time as a Financial Rep if you have expanded the circle of people you feel comfortable reaching out to beforehand.

       Get into the mindset early on that you should be reaching out to the people you meet on campus and through Career Services events. Career Services taught me how to build a network, and the Financial Representative internship taught me what do with it.

-- For more information on this position and to apply, visit CareerLink, Job ID# 51006