Adam Lewis
BA (Hons) Law & Politics, 2006
Queen Mary College,University of London
I studied for a degree in Law and Politics at Queen Mary College, University of London. I had a great experience at university and graduated with a 2.1 Hons degree.
I decided to search for a career during my final year of university, as I wanted to waste as little time as possible. I spent a lot of time researching the companies I wanted to apply to, and went through the recruitment process with a variety of companies. Immediately I was impressed with Zurich – the way in which the interview process was organised was different from the rest. I had a very pleasant experience through all the stages of recruitment and was excited at the prospects Zurich had to offer. For me it is the ideal place to begin my career.
I learnt while going through the recruitment process that my other skills and interests were of equal importance to my academic results. I have been involved in a variety of extracurricular activities throughout my education and now realise that all of these activities have provided me with skills that will assist me in my career.
My keen participation in drama, sport, debating and youth work has given me public speaking skills, confidence, the ability to think analytically,teamworking skills and the ability to learn from friends and colleagues.
I decided to go into sales because I enjoy building and maintaining relationships. In sales you’re at the forefront of the business and gain an in-depth knowledge of the company’s products.
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Robbie McNab
BA Economics, 2004
Glasgow University
Having completed school and gained the required grades to attend university, I decided to take a gap year. I spent about six months travelling overseas and six months working in the UK. This was a great experience and helped to give me a better idea of what I wanted to do after university.
At university I studied international business administration for two years before specialising in economics. I graduated in 2004 with a 2:1 in Economics. Having consulted a number of people I was still unsure of my career path, although I knew I wanted to enter the Finance sector with a job that allowed me to travel both domestically and abroad, so I looked specifically at multinationals that could provide this opportunity. I wanted to work for a large company with a wide range of roles, giving me the flexibility to move around the company should I not enjoy my chosen area. Zurich, a company that is keen to develop and reward graduates, met these requirements. Zurich are also very keen to support activities outside of work (which for me is rowing), highlighting the need for a work/life balance.
I work within the sales environment and get tremendous support from both the Graduate Programme and my immediate managers.
I immediately felt welcome here and enjoyed the atmosphere around the company. The Graduate Programme has provided terrific opportunities, helping to develop my soft skills, so important in business today. I have also had first-rate sales training. The programme’s framework has allowed me to develop, to meet some very nice people and to make good friends. I have been given responsibility and freedom to do things how I choose, which I believe has given me an excellent start to my career.
