We recently spoke with Lydia about securing a role with Allianz, her top tips for Bright Network members looking to follow in her footsteps and her tips and tricks for going through the application process.
How did Bright Network help you secure this role?
Bright Network has a great platform and is my go-to place for graduate jobs and careers advice. I listen to the Thinking Commercially podcast by Ben Triggs and Chris Stoakes, and even though it is not directly about insurance, understating how professionals read and analyse the financial markets really helped me think more critically about the insurance landscape when I was preparing for the assessment centre. I would definitely recommend listening to it if you are interested in financial or professional services.
What’s been the toughest interview question you've faced and how did you tackle it?
I was asked, "What do you think is the greatest operational risk insurers face during the pandemic?". It threw me a bit because saying 'insurers' meant I thought it was referring to more specific risks. So, I went with my gut and gave two answers; one which was insurance specific and one more general risk which most companies are facing. I said 1) the pandemic has sped up the transition towards digitising insurance products which means they need to have enhanced data security to avoid cybercrime, ensure their IT infrastructure is up-to-date and be sure not to penalise vulnerable customers who are unable to access digital platforms and 2) working in isolation can have huge impacts on the mental and physical health of the workforce which not only affects the workplace wellbeing and culture but also worsens productivity and possibly professional conduct, too.
What top three tips would you give Bright Network members looking to follow in your footsteps?
- Believe in yourself - there is no such thing as the 'perfect' candidate, and you are capable enough to get that graduate job!
- Ask challenging questions - these employers might set you up for the rest of your career so find out if they are the right one for you. My favourite one is 'if there was one thing you could change about the company, what would it be and why?'.
- Read up on the industry as well as the company - just a light Google News search with your company's name will be enough to know what's happening.
