By Alexandra Hanson
This past Tuesday, my fellow interns and I were invited to participate in a “speed networking” event with some of our leadership team on both campuses. It was formatted so that we’d have five minutes to network with a National Life leader before a bell would be rung and we’d shift over to the next person. By the end of the event we would have connected with 10 of National Life’s leaders.
This sounded easy enough. Five minutes is a decent amount of time, and we were informed that each of the 38 leaders who had agreed to come truly wanted us to succeed. Yet, on the day of the event, nerves were still high as each intern internally rehearsed an elevator pitch and went through questions to ask the leaders we’d soon be meeting.
The first person I sat down with was Carey Earle, AVP of Branding. My attempt to go through an elevator pitch was rough, but Carey’s smile was encouraging as our conversation turned into something more organic – a discussion about a marketing boutique she ran in New York City. The five minutes rapidly disappeared and before I knew it, we were saying our goodbyes and moving on to the next seat. The room buzzed with similar conversation as both interns and leaders discussed their jobs, hobbies, and life experiences.
I think I can speak for most of the interns when I say that the entire event was enjoyable. I was able to meet with leaders from departments all over the company and take away pieces of advice from each of them. Don Messier told me to always stay open to new opportunities while Kristin Cook advised me to not put too much pressure on my first job out of college.
Having the opportunity to meet with such influential people has really set this internship program apart from others. Although five minutes is a VERY short amount of time, many of us were able to form connections that we will carry with us long after our time ends here in August.
Thank you to everyone who constructed and participated in this event!
