Oregon State Business Students at Mutual of Enumclaw

When talking to college students, president and CEO of Mutual of Enumclaw Eric Nelson aims to clear up misconceptions about the insurance industry. A presentation called “The Accidental Career” talks about how rarely people proactively seek employment in the insurance industry, but often become lifelong employees once they stumble upon it. Mutual of Enumclaw’s goal to raise awareness of the insurance industry and to educate students on the breadth and depth of opportunities available has resulted in a successful partnership with the Oregon State College of Business.

“Our goal is to start getting some word of mouth at the college level that insurance actually is not a bad career choice,” said Nelson. “Many universities still track insurance into finance, and it’s broader than that. It’s not just a finance career.”

For Mutual of Enumclaw, becoming a College of Business Corporate Partner was one way to help achieve their goals, and also demonstrates their commitment to investing in and developing students to become leaders. Every summer, Mutual of Enumclaw offers four internship positions to College of Business students. They are provided housing and put to work at Mutual of Enumclaw’s headquarters in Enumclaw, Wash.

“We aim to create an experience that helps them understand the business, helps them understand all the career tracks, and then we actually give them a culminating project that they get to do and present to the senior executive team,” said Nelson.

In addition to providing an experiential learning opportunity for students, Mutual of Enumclaw is looking ahead at an anticipated need for talent, caused by the large percentage—nearly 65 percent according to Nelson—of current employees that are approaching retirement age.

“One of the reasons we have this big talent need over the next 10 years is because when people do get into the business, it’s rare that they leave,” said Nelson.

Mutual of Enumclaw has been in business for 115 years and provides personal and business insurance products and services in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah. Their thoughtful and progressive approach inspired employees to recognize them as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in Washington, and has also made a huge impact on the interns that spend the summer there.

“From day one, all the interns were floored by how welcoming everyone was, and how they all went above and beyond to help their customers,” said senior Madeline Mill, who interned in the summer of 2013. “They all genuinely cared about us and wanted us to succeed. They really redefined the negative stereotype insurance companies often have. ”