Milwaukee is one of the best cities to be in if you’re a recent college graduate and Northwestern Mutual is the one of the best places to begin your career.
Don’t believe us? We were recently named one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” by Forbes magazine, while Milwaukee was named one of the best cities in the U.S. for job-hunting college graduates by The Wall Street Journal.
Our very own Kelly Culler, Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer, recently shared thoughts with The Wall Street Journal to answer some questions on what makes us and the city we love one of the best places to be for young professionals.
Relationships are centric to our business, so we want to build relationships with students early on. That's no different when it comes to recruiting talent at all levels, including interns. We give students the opportunity to get to know the world of financial services and learn our business. Our culture is unique and the 150 interns who work with us each summer get to experience that while seeing first-hand what a career at Northwestern Mutual looks like. We want students to envision their future selves at the company and see themselves here in Milwaukee long-term.
And our recruitment extends beyond that. We show up at college campuses, support local high school students through tutoring programs and offer scholarships for secondary education. It’s advantageous to have high school and college students who are excited about careers here well before they apply for their first job.
In what ways have recruiting efforts been ramped up to hire soon-to-be or recent grads to fill entry-level roles over the past year or so? How has the company stepped up or evolved its recruiting of college graduates/or college seniors recently or in recent years?
A strong contingent of our workforce either grew up in Milwaukee or attended one of the top ranked colleges in the city. We've created meaningful relationships with institutions like Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to tap into that talent early and help create a future workforce pipeline. As an example, we’ve launched the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute in partnership with these two universities to help shape southeastern Wisconsin into a technology destination through academics. And, over half of the interns who have become full-time employees are from these two Milwaukee-area schools.
There’s also an ecosystem of non-profits here that can help us reach students we might not otherwise know. All-In Milwaukee is a national organization with a local presence that is working with companies like Northwestern Mutual to ensure local young people succeed in their college experience and find job placement. They provide aid and advice for high potential, limited-income students. Through this partnership we have funded scholarships, hosted student interns and hired full-time employees after graduation.
During our 10-week summer internship program, we show off all that Milwaukee has to offer through experiences like boat tours of downtown Milwaukee to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee Brewers baseball games. Interns tell us that they love our downtown Milwaukee campus amenities too like our onsite gym and coffee shops.
Milwaukeeans are loyal to their city, and the Milwaukee community is united in wanting young people to stay and thrive in Wisconsin. We want students to find and make a home here in Milwaukee, and we invest in our hometown in countless ways to make sure it’s a great place to be.
We’ve seen a rebirth of the city over the last decade with new developments downtown, and job opportunities. As an example, Northwestern Mutual recently announced a $500 million investment in our downtown Milwaukee campus. Milwaukee is a welcoming city and has a lot to offer in terms of the arts, sports, restaurants, neighborhoods, and even commute times compared to big cities. We’ve also seen an influx of young professionals in the city and programs that offer networking opportunities.
Interested in working at NM? Check out our open roles and stay connected by joining our talent community.
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At Northwestern Mutual, we understand that life doesn't pause when you step into the office. Our flexible culture enables our employees who are parents to balance their professional and personal lives, so they can thrive both at work and at home.