Black Collegian Career Center

Close your eyes and let your mind wander for a moment. Imagine a career that gives you the freedom to be your own boss, set your own hours, and decide whom you want to work with on a daily basis. Then imagine a career working with one of the most respected companies in the nation. Not bad, right? Well, keep dreaming.

Visualize a career where your income actually reflects your hard work and effort. And one that still allows you to have a positive impact on peoples’ lives every day. “Yeah, right,” you say. Sound like a dream? It doesn’t have to be. You can make these dreams a definite reality by becoming a financial representative with the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.

Many sales careers offer flexibility and attractive income potential, but few offer the opportunity to be in the business of helping people with one of the nation’s most highly rated companies. Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, the sales and distribution arm of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been selected as America’s Best Sales Force by Sales & Marketing Management Magazine. The Company’s 7,500 Financial Representatives tied with Cisco Systems for first place in the magazine’s annual ranking, which was published in the July, 2000 edition of the magazine.

For the 16^th straight year, FORTUNE magazine listed Northwestern Mutual as the Most Admired Company in America in the life and health insurance industry. If you can’t envision yourself selling life insurance, keep reading. The company’s new name reflects some exciting new dimensions to the career. Formerly known as Northwestern Mutual Life, the company has broadened its scope to become the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, a name that better reflects the full range of financial services the company offers. Working alongside specialists, financial representatives offer clients expert guidance and innovative solutions related to insurance planning, retirement planning, personal finance, education funding, estate planning and benefit planning. According to Mark Gmach, Northwestern Mutual’s director of Recruitment, “People entering the field want to do more than sell one product. They want to help clients meet their financial goals. Being a financial representative expands both the focus and perception of what this career involves.”

For many graduates, a career with the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network is indeed a dream come true. Take Ernest Draper, for example. He got his first real taste of the career through a college internship. This enterprising graduate of Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota was immediately drawn to the entrepreneurial nature of the profession. “What the network allows me to do is to have the freedom to manage my own business, to run my own schedule and to interact with people, which was something that is very important to me.” The strength of the company only solidified his decision to pursue a full-time career. “I interviewed with several companies before I decided to go with Northwestern Mutual,” recalls Draper. “Their reputation and quality of products assured me that I was making a good career decision.”

Northwestern Mutual’s college internship is rated among the best in the nation. The college program appeared for the fifth time on the list of America’s Top 10 Internships, according to Princeton Review’s yearly publication, America’s Top Internships.  Internship participants agree with that finding. According to one former intern, “every internship pales in comparison to my experience at Northwestern Mutual.”  So what does this “dream” internship involve in real life? Northwestern Mutual interns are full-fledged, fully licensed business owners whose professional focus is helping individuals, families and businesses with their various financial needs. The responsibilities of an intern are precisely those of career financial representatives: zeroing in on markets, finding and nurturing relationships with clients, and achieving sales. Because the program is challenging, the company goes to great lengths to enhance the intern’s development and potential for success through training, mentoring, and motivational contests.

The tremendous “real world” responsibilities afforded interns make this program attractive to a number of employers who view former Northwestern Mutual interns as extremely mature and self-motivated. And to those interns who choose to pursue a full-time career with the network, success is rarely a dream, it’s almost a fact. Statistically, former interns perform measurably better than their colleagues who did not participate in the internship. A recent study of compensation for Network Financial Representatives revealed that the average annual income of interns 10 years out of the program is $140,000 versus $119,000 for non-interns. Even more impressive, the top 25 percent of former college interns make $328,000 by their early thirties, compared to $259,000 for the top 25% of Financial Representatives in the company who were not interns.

Draper’s internship experience clearly paved the way for his success as a full-time financial representative. “I really used the internship as a launching pad,” says Draper. “My learning curve was so much shorter because the internship had already prepared me for everything I would be doing as a full-time financial representative. I was able to take full advantage of that experience and have a significant level of production right from the start.” Outstanding is more like it. Ernest Draper recently earned a spot among the “top ten” former interns whose production led the company during their first 12 months as full-time financial representatives. Regardless of whether you begin your career with Northwestern Mutual as an intern or as a recent college graduate, the benefits of starting the career early are clear. Of the top 100 associates in a field force of 7,500, over half joined the company at the age of 25 or younger. Draper couldn’t agree more. “When we’re young, we don’t have as many family responsibilities or financial obligations as we would when we’re older. This is the ideal time to try this career, allowing you the time needed to start your practice.”  He also realizes that with time and hard work, the financial rewards increase. “The longer I’m in this business, the more I see the potential,” says Draper. “All the hard work I put in is definitely paying off.”

Perhaps the most unique feature of a career with Northwestern Mutual is the myriad of career paths available. “I have the freedom to choose my own path,” says Draper. “That’s one of the key aspects that attracted me to Northwestern Mutual.” The company encourages financial representatives to pursue their interests and strength areas whether in personal sales, management, or becoming a product specialist. In fact, personal development is a way of life at Northwestern Mutual. “The training is ongoing,” notes Draper. “We have mentors that we meet with regularly, and have continuing education meetings every week.” There are many things that Ernest Draper finds rewarding about his career.  “The best thing about my career,” he says, “is that I’m able to help people. It’s a wonderful thing to find a career you enjoy where you can make a difference in people’s lives.” And that, Ernest Draper will tell you, is a dream come true.

Find out if you have what it takes to be self-employed! Take an online Self-Employment Screen (SES) test to measure your suitability in a range of business opportunities. The SES can be found on Northwestern Mutual’s Web site at:  http://www.northwesternmutual.com/sales/index.html along with information on the Financial Representative internship and career opportunities.

Nancy Smith is a marketing communications consultant who frequently works with Northwestern Mutual on internship and campus-related projects.