Graduate trainees: Keep being curious and enthusiastic

Mark Egan , a graduate from Temple University is a current member of the Munich Re International Graduate Trainee Program. He was originally drawn to Temple University for their music program, but also wanted to study business. Originally majoring in Finance, he happened to take an introductory course in Risk Management, and decided soon after to switch and major in Risk Management & Insurance and he excelled in the program. He was a Gamma Iota Sigma member and through the Gamma chapter’s internship reception, he found Munich Re’s table and applied for the SLDP (Student Leadership Development Program) internship, where he was sponsored by Corporate Engineering. He acknowledged that even with the COVID-19 pandemic going on, the culture of Munich Re “Bled through the screen” while working virtually. He noted that everyone was very helpful and encouraging, and he saw that the company valued new talent through meaningful projects and lots of company exposure.

His favorite part of the program is that “You get to rotate throughout the company as a graduate trainee. You get to pick what you want to do. There is a program already designed for you, but you can elect which teams you want to rotate with. For example, I even got to pick a team with HSB - Hartford Steam Boiler , a Munich Re subsidiary company, on their loss control team. No one has ever done that before. You get to do actual hands-on work for the company directly, as well as work on meaningful long-term projects that get many company eyes on them. It is a fantastic experience and a very well-run top of the line program. This is a ‘doing’ experience, whereas college was quite hypothetical. There is still a huge emphasis on learning, and you can even obtain your CPCU (Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter) designation.”

Mark works out of the Philadelphia, New York, and Princeton offices as needed. He explains that going from rotation to rotation is a challenge. “When you end a rotation, you must have closure. Ending is sometimes difficult because you might not have finished a project, yet you must transfer that project knowledge on to someone else. That daunting unknown knowledge transfer timing can sometimes bleed into the next rotation, and it can therefore interfere with new projects that are being assigned. Scheduling can also be tough, for you do not know where you will necessarily be in 5 months, but this also excites me.”

His biggest piece of advice would be to “definitely ask questions when stumped. You are not expected to know much, but you are expected to be a good learner. Also, start networking beyond your specific bubble, which means it is wise to select a rotation in an opposite field than where you see yourself ending up. Doing something like this allows you to get the whole picture of the field while being useful to others.?Who knows, you might like it! This goes for people in distant regions too. Break through the siloes and keep being curious and enthusiastic about what you do.”

Learn how you can be a part of the International Graduate Trainee Program at https://www.munichre.com/us-non-life/en/company/careers/student-opportunities.html

Written by Taylor Trafton , Creative Content Intern