Amber Abernathy, Account Executive at Travelers, has been awarded with the inaugural ‘Alumni Spirit Award’ by Girl Talk, a nonprofit organization focused on peer-to-peer mentoring with teen girls.

The ‘Alumni Spirit Award’ is the first ever award given by Girl Talk. According to the organization, it is given to a Girl Talk alumna for inspiring confident leaders through the work they have done with the organization.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Amber said. “I got the phone call and was very surprised. I feel so grateful to be honored by an organization that I love and have grown so much with.”

Amber has been involved with Girl Talk since she was in sixth grade, when she worked with a high school mentor. She loved the program and became a mentor when she reached high school. From there, Amber has stayed active with Girl Talk, speaking at their Girl Talk Camp during the summer, working to build out the organization’s alumni network and contributing to other Girl Talk programming.

“Girl Talk is all about leadership, confidence and learning how to be the best version of yourself,” Amber said. “I honestly used to be so shy, I wouldn’t talk to people. I have always been a quiet person, but Girl Talk taught me how to be a quiet leader in the workplace and build confidence in that type of leadership.”

Amber joined Travelers as a Posse Scholar intern in 2017 through the company’s Posse Foundation partnership. After the internship, she was hired full-time as an Underwriting Professional Development Program participant and now serves as an Account Executive. She says Travelers is a workplace that feels like home.

“Travelers has provided me the flexibility and work-life balance to be able to volunteer with organizations like Girl Talk and give back to my community in ways that I am passionate about,” Amber said. “It’s truly an amazing feeling to be celebrated at work for things I do outside of work. The company celebrates me in all parts of my life.”

Anjali A.

While working towards earning her PhD in statistics, Anjali A. of Amherst, Massachusetts has spent this summer here at Travelers interning under the Data Science Leadership Development Program.

Anjali, who has one more year in her doctorate program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was introduced to Travelers through a modeling competition held at her school.  She admits that although insurance was not necessarily her first choice for a career, her interest was piqued shortly after she learned about all the fascinating data and insights that could be collected from insurance, as well as the employees that she had the opportunity of engaging with.

“One thing I love about my team is how open everyone is to sharing knowledge; I really look forward to presenting my work and discussing my work with my teammates,” says Anjali.

At the conclusion of the summer, Anjali hopes to have gained as much knowledge about insurance products as possible and to have built a broader skill set as a data scientist. She says, “Every single call I’ve had with someone here, I’ve learned so much; I learn something new every single time.”

Elijah K.

Rising senior at the University at Buffalo, Elijah K., joined Travelers this year as an LDP summer intern. Majoring in finance and working under the Operations Leadership Development Program, Elijah says an average day for him can begin anywhere from capacity reporting to mid-year cutoff reporting.

Elijah discovered Travelers three years ago through a family friend that had suggested he apply to the Claim internship program. Following his brief introduction to the company and several interviews, Elijah spent two summers virtually working in Claim until he accepted a position in Operations this summer.

He says, “[At Travelers] There are a lot of diverse roles you can be a part of. If you get tired of one thing, you won’t have to leave. There’s still another part of the company you can get training on and transfer to.”

By the end of the season, Elijah hopes to take his developed skill sets as an intern and apply them as a full-time employee in Operations. His advice to future interns is to truly understand the importance of networking. He says, “The more people that you meet, the better.”

Kateryna Y.

Originally from Ukraine, Kateryna Y. is spending her second summer under the umbrella as an intern for the Finance Leadership Development Program. Arriving to the United States in 2004, she now resides in Connecticut where she attends Central Connecticut State University double majoring in accounting and finance.

The opportunity to intern at Travelers was offered to Kateryna through her sources and professors at her university. She says, “Once I learned more about Travelers, I realized how many opportunities there are for learning, especially so early on in your career.”

One of Kateryna’s biggest learning opportunities this summer so far has been co-leading the LDP Intern Newsletter. Her new leadership position has helped her create relationships with members of other Leadership Development Programs outside of Finance, as well as develop strategies to keep track of personal and collective deadlines.

After finishing undergrad, Kateryna aims to one day work full-time in the FLDP. She advises future interns at Travelers to never stop networking. She says, “Your internship is your opportunity to learn not only about your specific role, but also about how the company works, its goals and its culture. Building your network early on in your career is very helpful for your growth in the future.”

By Lynn Simon-Thomas

Manager, Diversity Engagement

Talent Acquisition

I often get calls from friends, colleagues, and family members seeking advice on how they should prepare for an interview after they’ve already scheduled it. Usually, the beginning of the conversation is loaded with anxiety because the mere thought of interviewing makes many people uncomfortable and nervous. On one hand, I can understand because some interviewers put candidates through an experience similar to a Senate confirmation hearing. On the other hand, I find it confusing because when you apply for a job, that usually means you believe you’re qualified to do it based on your experience. And who knows your experience better than you?

That question is the basis for one of the first questions I often ask when interviewing a candidate which is, “Why did you apply to the position?”

• Are you seeking a more challenging role due to a lack of growth opportunity within your current organization?
• Are you feeling stagnant as you watch other co-workers and friends climb the corporate ladder?
• Are you looking for a significant salary increase?
• Or are you just exploring possibilities because a recruiter reached out to you?

Point blank, why are you seeking another job? And particularly, why this job?

I always ask this question because it forces people to take a step back and really investigate the “why” behind their job search. It also inspires honest introspection and self-reflection, which can help determine whether a position may be the right opportunity. When you unequivocally understand your “why” and you are self-aware enough to know your strengths, as well as the things you need to improve upon, you become a much stronger and appealing candidate.

In addition to knowing your “why,” it’s also important that you have a solid understanding of the current job description. Do you clearly understand the tasks you will be asked to complete if given the role? One way to obtain this clarity is to ask the recruiter to share some insights into what the hiring manager seeks in a candidate. Armed with that information, be sure to ask yourself if you truly have the proper skills needed to succeed in the role. If you don’t, that can be okay if you consider the opportunity a “stretch” role and you have the desire to obtain those needed skills.

If and when the opportunity presents itself, be sure to ask potential co-workers to describe the culture within the company and department, as departmental culture can sometimes differ from the overall company culture. Enjoying what you do, and with whom you do it, is extremely important for your emotional well-being. It can impact your daily motivation, drive, and overall contribution to your job and the company. Take an honest look within yourself to uncover what makes you happy in your current job. Try to identify those things that bring you joy at work and make you excited to start your day. The ability to explain what you need from a job, as well as the opportunities you see in your next role, can go a long way towards ensuring the role is right for you.

Finally, once you have a better understanding of the role and what the hiring manager may be looking for in a candidate, you should be able to clearly articulate what you bring to the table through relevant examples of how your current skill set makes you an ideal candidate for the position. Perhaps you helped to improve a vital process that saved your current department a significant amount of money. Or maybe you were instrumental in turning overall customer sentiment from negative to positive. Regardless, when you can demonstrate that you have the expertise and experience to help a potential manager solve the problems they’re currently facing, you dramatically improve your chances of landing the role.

To help you remember these guidelines, I’ve created a short list of tips that can help you ace your next interview.

Interviewing Tips:

1. Know yourself.
   • Understand why you want the job and how it will help you achieve your professional goals. Be able to clearly state the skills you possess that would benefit the organization, as well as those which you’re working to improve to ensure you’d be successful in the position.
2. Understand the opportunity for growth/the career path the position could offer.
   • If you can’t visualize how you can advance your career beyond the role, be sure to ask about the potential career path and available support structures that can guide you towards success.
3. Attempt to obtain insight into the departmental culture.
   • Emotional well-being is vital to success in the work world. Be sure to inquire about the working dynamics within the team to help determine if the opportunity and environment is right for you.
4. Always treat the recruiter with respect.
   • Never view the recruiter as a simple hurdle to clear en route to the hiring manager. As the “first line of defense,” the recruiter can be the most important person in the interviewing process.

Concentrating on these four things can help you navigate your next interview successfully and remove some of the pre-interview anxiety many people experience. Good luck!

Lynn Simon-Thomas is Manager, Diversity Engagement within Talent Acquisition. Lynn has over 15 years of experience in recruiting and diversity engagement. She serves as the diversity and inclusion subject matter expert focused on the execution of targeted diverse talent sourcing strategies.

Connect with Lynn Simon-Thomas and other Travelers leaders on LinkedIn.

By Lynn Simon-Thomas

Manager, Diversity Engagement

Talent Acquisition

For some people, making professional connections can be a rather challenging and intimidating task. Then, when you throw in extraordinary times like those in which we’re currently living, the fear factor goes from, “What if I blow this because I say something silly?” to “What if I blow this because I look a mess on camera?” I know, I get it. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

One thing to keep in mind when you’re networking, whether virtually or in person, is that the other person is just that: a person. Just like you, they are a human being who has dreams and goals, family and friends, strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and, of course, quirks and idiosyncrasies that make them unique and interesting. Who knows? You may have something in common, but you’ll never know if you don’t accept the invite, phone call or email to connect.

Once you’ve made a new connection, it’s important to stay connected, even when you are unable to do it face-to-face. It’s no secret we’ve all had to get used to having more Zoom conversations than we care to count and learning how to “show up” in a virtual environment is an art in and of itself. But just about anything is possible when you focus and commit adequate time and effort.

If you stop to think about it, everyone (yes, even you) has a network. Starting with family and friends, you probably have people you can count on to help guide you with sound advice, as well as those who may periodically seek your advice. Professional networks are no different. They’re just as, if not more, important than personal ones, as they can impact the trajectory of your career path. And just like any living thing, they need to be fed and nurtured to remain healthy. As a Diversity Recruiting Manager, I regularly share articles or just send a note to my connections to say, “Hello.”

In 2021 we started a program called Just Coffee at Travelers to help facilitate network building. The goal was to connect several passive candidates with leaders at Travelers for an informal, yet professional, conversation via Zoom. To ensure both parties remained at ease, we reminded them that the conversation was not an interview, but really an opportunity to make a new connection and build their respective networks. Just Coffee has been well-received by both candidates and Travelers’ leaders, which has shown me that many people are still open to the idea of spending 30 minutes with another human, simply for the sake of getting to know someone new. That’s networking at its finest.

Networking is an art that must be practiced regularly. Below I’ve included a few tips to help you improve your networking skills.

Lynn’s Top 4 Networking Tips:

1. Don’t reach out to your network only when you need something. It’s important to stay in contact with your network often, even if you are just saying, “Hello” or sharing an article.
2. When someone reaches out to you, do your best to respond in a timely manner. I say “do your best” because I know we’re all busy and sometimes cannot afford to log on to LinkedIn regularly.
3. Send a brief follow-up note if you haven’t received a response from someone in a few weeks. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve learned that my message was not received because the person was on vacation.
4. Always be authentic with your outreach. Remember to relax, be yourself, and enjoy the meeting, whether with a new connection or an old friend.

Lynn Simon-Thomas is Manager, Diversity Engagement within Talent Acquisition. Lynn has over 15 years of experience in recruiting and diversity engagement. She serves as the diversity and inclusion subject matter expert focused on the execution of targeted diverse talent sourcing strategies.

Connect with Lynn Simon-Thomas and other Travelers leaders on LinkedIn.

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Preparing For a Video Interview

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Video interviewing is becoming more common in the hiring process. Advanced technology and the accessibility of video chat apps and programs give job seekers and employers face-to-face interaction without having to meet in person.

Although your job interview may take place in a casual atmosphere, that doesn’t mean you should have a casual attitude about it. It is still a job interview, with the same implications as an in-person office meeting.

Preparation and set up for the video interview is crucial. Consider this advice as you set up, dress up and take on your next video interview.

Set the stage: Choose a quiet space where you can control the surroundings. If you can, try to avoid public places or spots with background activity. Ensure that your backdrop is simple, clean and well-lit. Face a window to take advantage of natural light or set up a lamp behind your camera. Facing the light will help eliminate distracting shadows from your face and background.

Avoid distractions by cleaning off your desk and keeping a glass of water, a pen and paper and a copy of your resume handy. Close applications that may be running on your computer or phone and set all notifications to “do not disturb.”

Tech check: Find out beforehand what app or video platform the employer would like to use and download if need be. Test the application with your internet, audio and video connections, to ensure its stability. It is a great idea to test with a friend to ensure that everything works properly.

Set up your camera at eye level, leaving 10-20% of the screen above your head empty. If your computer is too low, use books to prop it up. If using your phone or tablet, you can also use books or something stable to prop it up.

Using headphones will help prevent echos in the audio and a microphone will help your voice come through clearly.

Dress the part: You may be in your bedroom or kitchen, but you still need to look like a professional. Wear what you would wear to an in-person interview at the company, from head to toe. You will feel and act more professionally if you look the part.

Steer clear of very bright, distracting colors or prints, like stripes, that may cause a visual glitch on camera. Avoid jewelry that makes noise or causes a glare.

During the interview: Similar to an office interview, you want to convey optimism and positive body language. Maintain good posture with your feet on the floor and your back straight, with arms rested on your desk or lap.

Eye contact is essential. When you are talking, make sure you are looking at the camera and not the screen. When listening, smile and nod to show you are engaged. Use hand gestures when it feels appropriate, keeping your movements small and close to your body. Avoid fidgeting, touching your face or looking away from your device.

At the end of the interview, be sure to thank the interviewer for their time and follow up the next day with a thank you email.

If things don’t go to plan: Make sure you have a secondary way to contact your interviewer. If you lose audio, video, or internet connection, call your interviewer and see if you can continue by phone or reschedule.

If an unexpected noise or disruption occurs, simply apologize for the interruption, ask for a moment to step away, or wait for the noise to subside. Mute your microphone and secure the space before beginning the interview again.

With these tips, along with your traditional interview prep, you will be well on your way to making a great first impression.

By Hansford Johnson

Assistant Vice President, Human Resources

Enterprise Diversity & Inclusion, Talent Management & Talent Acquisition

Managing your career can be an arduous task, but a very necessary one. While managing one’s career is a priority, I find that many people will exhale after landing a job, settle into it and then stay in that job even after years of frustration or doubts about their career path. Who says you have to stop pursuing a “career” that is meaningful, gratifying and has some semblance of what you dreamed of or dressed up as during Career Day in elementary school?

There is something powerful about transferring what is in your head, what you dream about and what you envision, to what is on a piece of paper. A study done by Dominican University psychology professor, Dr. Gail Matthews, shows that those who write out their goals are 42% more likely to achieve their goals. You know what is even more powerful than writing down your goals? Following through with them. And it all starts with how you see and manage the 50 or so hours you spend working each week. I don’t have the exact answer because we are all uniquely different, but I hope these three principles can serve as maintenance or help you start managing you career – I call them The Three P’s of career navigation.

Passion

Passion is what gets you going.  It is that “thing” you do until your brain hurts. It keeps you up at night, and then you wake up only to do it again. Steve Jobs famously said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” The best way to accomplish this is by starting with your passion. Otherwise, you will waste a lot of time trying to find it.

Now you are probably asking yourself, “How do I find it?” Again, I do not have a “one size fits all” answer, but you can start with these questions:

1. What would I do if I didn’t have to work?
2. What issue in society do I want to solve?
3. What comes easy to me?

Purpose

Often, we hear the words “passion” and “purpose” used synonymously. However, I like to think of passion as the catalyst and purpose as the totality. If passion is what gets you started, then purpose is what keeps you going. If we organize our life around our passion, we can turn our passion into our story, and then turn our story into something bigger – something that matters and is purposeful. The concept of purpose can be difficult, however here are some building blocks to figure it out:

1. Who are you? What do you stand for and what qualities, beliefs and personality traits make you authentically you?
2. What do you do? Your default answer may be to describe your occupation, but I am asking about your calling. Another way to phrase the question is, what is the one thing you feel supremely qualified to teach others?
3. Who do you serve or who do you do it for? Who are the people you’re helping to achieve happiness, fulfillment and significance?
4. What do they want or need that they come to you for? How can they benefit from your skillset, network or/and knowing you?
5. How do others change or transform as a result of what you give? What impact do you want to create?

Preparation

The Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” If passion is your “what” and purpose is your “why,” then preparation is your “how.”

However you define success, and whichever ladder you choose to climb, it’s inevitable that you will face some adversity and setbacks in your professional pursuits, but it should not be for a lack of preparation. Here are a few tools that have helped me along the way:

1. Conduct informational interviews with as many people as you can to learn about their career journey, secrets to success, influences and inflection points. Never stop learning.
2. Operate in your current job as if you are already in that next job. Stay a step ahead of the “game.”
3. Block out time at the end of the week to review meetings and deliverables for the next week. Dedicate a max of 15 minutes to each future meeting to go over the audience, purpose and meeting agenda.

Put your career in the right perspective. Breaking your career plan down into small action steps will keep your focus on your passion and your goals. Your career is a journey with many inflection points. Put pen to paper, begin with an end in mind, and start by figuring out your what (Passion), why (Purpose) and how (Preparation).

Here are a few more resources to help you figure out your what, why and how:

1. The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan (Book)
2. Fixed vs Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives by Maria Popova (Article)
3. Start With Why – TEDx by Simon Sinek (Video)

Hansford Johnson is Assistant Vice President, Human Resources for Enterprise Diversity & Inclusion, Talent Management & Talent Acquisition. Hansford has over 15 years of experience in human capital management and higher education leadership. He serves as the diversity and inclusion subject matter expert focused on the execution of targeted enterprise-wide diverse talent sourcing strategies.

Connect with Hansford Johnson and other Travelers leaders on LinkedIn.

“Tell me about yourself.”

“What is your biggest strength? Biggest weakness?”

“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

At one point or another, we have all prepared ourselves to answer the cliché interview questions. However, with company cultures shifting and technologies evolving, the interview process is changing every day.

As hiring efforts continue at Travelers, we sat down with some of our senior recruiters to ask what advice they would give to jobseekers looking for opportunities under the umbrella.

Read below to learn their tips for: virtual interviewing, knowing yourself, resume best practices and remembering the basics.

Erik – Virtual Interviewing

With most companies interviewing candidates virtually, Erik suggests that preparation and follow up are key. Communication with the interviewer, before and after the interview, is especially important in a remote work environment. He also reminds jobseekers to not only mentally prepare for their interview, but to make sure their physical space is set up, too.

“Treat these interviews as if they were in person interviews making sure that you dress professionally and that you have a quiet place to be able to interview from,” Erik explains. For more tips, read our article on Preparing For a Video Interview

Myron Adamson

Myron Adamson of Boston, Mass. is participating in a Bond & Specialty Insurance internship at Travelers this summer.

Adamson is currently studying Mathematics at Bunker Hill Community College. When it came to an internship at Travelers, Adamson says it was, “the perfect timing of the perfect opportunity.”

“I was ready to take the next step in my insurance career—earn an internship for growth and development at a prospective employer in the P&C sector, get a feel for their work culture, and develop relationships there,” Adamson says.

Adamson came across Travelers while networking at the 2019 CPCU annual conference, where he met a representative from the company who mentioned opportunities for the Underwriting Professional Development Program (UPDP) internship program. He kept an eye out for the position opening, applied, and is now working on the Commercial Surety team.

Although his role involves learning the insurance products offered, familiarizing himself with the enterprise, and delivering on individual and team projects throughout the summer, Adamson says his personal goal is to use these experiences to better himself as an underwriter.

“To this end, I deem this internship a professional evaluation experience that continues to make me more aware of who I am now while also indicating who I need to become, and how I may make those changes,” Adamson says.

Rubaiya Sultana

A few years after moving from Dhaka, Bangladesh to Manchester, Conn. in 2014, Rubaiya Sultana attended Eastern Connecticut State University where she is currently studying Labor Relations and Human Resource Management.

This summer, Sultana is working with Travelers’ Talent Acquisition team, learning about the full cycle recruitment process. She came across the internship opportunity after attending an information session hosted by a member of the University Relations team.

“I always heard great things about Travelers from its current employees and former interns, but when I did my own research about the company, I just fell in love with their corporate ethics, employee benefits and the Travelers Promise – the commitment to take care of our customers, communities and employees.”

Sultana says her goal this summer is not only to learn about the recruitment process, but also to network with individuals from the company to, “add knowledge and value to the work that I do and enhance my growth as an aspiring HR professional.”

Bach Tran

Travelers Risk Control intern Bach Tran grew up in Vietnam, attended Virginia Tech to earn a BS in Civil Engineering, and now currently attends Roger Williams University studying Construction Management.

While searching for a summer internship, Tran connected with a Travelers representative online to learn more about the company. After applying, he landed a spot as an intern in the Risk Control organization.

Tran says the opportunity to explore the insurance industry was exciting. “I had no experience in that field and was very curious,” Tran says, “The opportunity to learn more about construction risk exposures and how contractors can improve their safety plan really interested me to apply.”

This summer, Tran’s goal is to gain a better understanding of the different types of construction insurance coverages, learn how Travelers Risk Control consultants communicate with construction contractors, and understand the various risk exposures and ways to improve site management.

“One of my projects is assisting consultants in categorizing on-site observations into different types of risk exposures,” Tran says, “I am learning a lot by having conversations with other Risk Control consultants, Claim professionals, and members of the Underwriting organization.”

Kate M.
FMLDP Participant
St. Paul, MN

Former Travelers EDGE scholar, Kate McCollam, sat down with our team to discuss how the program affected her education, her career and ultimately her life here at Travelers.

Kate is an FMLDP participant currently supporting Corporate Audit in St. Paul, MN. She became a Travelers EDGE scholar during her second year in college and has now been working at Travelers for 2 years and 7 months. Read more below to learn about Kate’s EDGE journey.

How long have you been at Travelers?
Two years and seven months.

How did you get involved with Travelers EDGE?
In my second year at college, I became a Travelers EDGE scholar. At the time, I was looking for qualifying scholarships and being a first-generation college student in the U.S. presented the opportunity to apply and become an EDGE scholar.

How did Travelers EDGE affect your education?
I obtained an Accounting Degree in 3 years due to the support of Travelers EDGE.

When I began to pursue my accounting degree, I started at a community college. It was more affordable; I was able to work during the day and attend classes in the evening to ensure that I was making payments towards my education and would not have to address a big debt after college.

The moment I became a scholar, I was fortunate to receive financial support that gave me the freedom to take classes at the pace that I was able to address rather than at the pace I was able to afford.

How did Travelers EDGE affect your career?
Being an EDGE scholar and utilizing the internship experience and connections that I built, helped me obtain an amazing job here at Travelers. Travelers is a driving leader in the insurance industry and to be part of that is powerful.

Tell us about your current role.
I am a Financial Management Leadership Development Program (FMLDP) participant. The FMLDP is a 3-year rotational program that offers a diverse set of assignments in financial planning and analysis, internal auditing, international finance, and corporate accounting. For my current assignment, I am working within our internal auditing function where I have the chance to work with a dynamic team of talented professionals and learn about Travelers’ control environment, governance and risk management processes.

Is there anything else you wish to share?
It feels great to be part of such a vibrant community. Working at Travelers is not simply doing your job, but rather a continuous promise to be your best self and leverage the available resources to keep getting better. It is being continuously challenged, but always having a friendly resource to ensure you feel supported. It is a place where hard work, enthusiasm and professional ethic are the key drivers of the culture and I truly appreciate that.