Name: Mante Abaravičiūtė
Track: Finance/ Risk
Studied: Financial Economics
Trainee year: 2018
I finished the Traineeship, what now?
This is my testimonial on the NN Group Traineeship in Finance and Risk. I hope it helps you as a trainee candidate, to make the right decision regarding your future path.
What did the traineeship bring you?
For me, a traineeship is a high-leverage activity. Finance has taught us that financial instruments, such as options, provide a form of leverage. For any given investment, the use of options magnifies the financial consequences. This is no different for certain activities in our personal lives: some offer greater leverage than others. This is how at a small initial cost, paid as the time and effort I put into applying for the traineeship, I ended up receiving much greater returns, in terms of its impact on my career and personal development.
However, the traineeship is by no means a lottery ticket. Getting the traineeship does not set you up for guaranteed success in the future. The experiences that you accumulate throughout the traineeship are the product of your design. In the spirit of a function:
Return on traineeship = time spent * consistency * proactiveness
Your returns will compound in the form of knowledge and interpersonal and technical skills. Since everyone in the company wants you to succeed and give you responsibilities, you can grow without any external limits. And that is exciting!
While the experience and challenges I faced were unique, the traineeship is built on various fundamental elements that I could not be more grateful for:
- My peers – the trainees. They challenged me, and I challenged them in return. We learned from each other and we had fun. Most importantly, it was a great support network. We are still in touch now, and I have no doubts that we will be for years to come.
- Leadership programme: every quarter, my trainee group would spend two days reflecting on our identity, our history, and our future. We would search for our strengths and weaknesses. We would discuss and analyse how we react in group settings and the natural roles we take. Sometimes, we would practice with actors and face hypothetical situations that we feared. It was a comprehensive programme that nudged us to face our blind spots and grow.
- In-house content training sessions: we received numerous lessons and training sessions on the insurance business, asset management, banking business, and more. We had the opportunity to deepen our knowledge of finance and risk with teachers who were true experts in their field.
- Business unit days: there were events at which we were introduced to NN’s various business units, (e.g. NN Investment partners, NN Banking, Reinsurance), and the strategic commitments of each of them. We got a first-hand look at day-to-day activities in variety of domains and even joined the operational side, where we experienced how the call center and the claims management department worked. These extensive, interactive introductions were extremely valuable for me, letting to see different side of the business.
Where are you now?
Since I was curious about corporate innovation and new products, I have joined the Strategic Transformation Office. This is the corporate innovation office where we explore adjacent markets and partnerships. I am looking forward to my new job.
Advice for candidates
Take time to think about what you want to accomplish with your career, what you’re good at, and where you want to grow. Try to talk to people outside of the application process as well.
If you would like to chat more about this, you can contact me at Mante.Abaraviciute@nn-group.com or via LinkedIn.
