After completing their eight week summer internships in our offices - including York, Colchester and London - we asked some of our 2019 interns about the useful new skills they learnt, and about the areas where they’ve developed. Here’s what they had to say:
Will Stobbs, Actuarial Intern: I was given the chance to develop practical skills including becoming more proficient on Excel; learning new functions and capabilities. This will be extremely useful in the future and has inspired me to try and learn even more about Excel and how it can be used in an actuarial setting. Alongside this I have also had the chance to develop other softer business skills which has been invaluable. Notably, I think my communication and prioritisation skills have developed which will be extremely useful in my final year at university and in my future career.
Eloise Payne, Underwriting Intern: During the internship not only have I been exposed to the role of an underwriter and the process behind it but I gained enough knowledge to write some policies myself - it was rewarding to be trusted enough to write policies independently. Something which I feel that I can do better now than I did before is network effectively and not be worried about talking to senior people and asking them questions.
Natalie Canterbury, Finance Intern: After completing the internship I now understand how different parts of the Group interact with each other, and the process that goes into half year reporting. I feel like I have gained a really good insight into Group Finance as well as the career paths of my team which has helped me decide on my next steps. I’ve also learnt a lot about the insurance market and how an insurance company is run, and gained insight into underwriting, which I didn’t think I’d like, and I really enjoyed it.
Jonathan Olufowobi, Operations Intern: Before the internship I hoped to increase my knowledge and confidence (especially when presenting). During my time at Hiscox I have achieved both, as well as some other things I thought I wouldn’t get the opportunity to achieve, such as autonomy to carry out my own project and to push myself and build resilience, initiative and time management skills. I now feel more confident building relationships in the workplace, and I am so much better at building and giving presentations. I also feel more confident standing my ground, and building a justified argument.
Christopher Seare, Claims Intern: Prior to the internship I was not the most confident at approaching people I had never met. Throughout the internship I realised this is an essential skill needed in the workplace as there are many people with different and better skills than you in areas that you will need to use. Because of this I believe I have improved in my ability to approach people by introducing myself and asking questions for advice or help. Although my internship was with the Claims team, I was also able to learn about many other aspects of Hiscox and the insurance industry and it has really allowed me to evaluate all possible career options within insurance.
Lewis Davenport, Underwriting Intern: The area in which I have really progressed in is my presentation skills. Yes, it needs to develop a great deal more but the help and support Hiscox has given me has really helped me. Overall the internship has instilled in me a well-structured working attitude, something that I can take back and use in my studies. The internship has allowed me to quickly adapt into the working life that is insurance and has taken my technical knowledge to the next level.
