The Connection Magazine AIM MUTUAL Spring 2019 | Page 29

A.I.M.
Mutual
recently
brought
two interns on board as Premium
Audit Reviewers. These students are
accounting and finance majors who did
not know much about the industry, let
alone premium audit. The experience was
a win-win as the students gained valuable
experience working in a professional
environment while learning about
workers’ compensation, and we found two
high-potential future employees. Erica
and Sylvia wrote about their experiences.
WHERE AUDIT FITS IN
BY: ERICA CHIN
On my first day at A.I.M. Mutual, I will
admit I was nervous. I had just completed
my freshman year of college, my mind
still consumed by the final exam I had just
taken. Nevertheless, as soon as I walked
in, any sort of nervousness immediately
went away. Everyone at A.I.M. Mutual was
extremely kind and made sure to make me
feel welcomed.
After being introduced to everyone in
the audit and surrounding departments,
I began my training. It wasn’t long before
I found myself in my own cubicle doing
audit reviews. By reviewing audits, I have
developed many skills that are useful not
only for my intended career in accounting
but also for my own personal development.
I have learned the importance of diligence,
attentiveness, and patience. When
reviewing an audit, you have to check for
many things. Therefore, it is essential that
you maintain a structured system, full of
attention and detail. Any small detail can
be erroneous and you have to make sure
you are aware of all parts of the audit.
One highlight was getting to meet with
the CFO, Paul Kehoe. Paul did an excellent
job going through the financials of the
company with me. It was exciting to see
the financial statements and information
we learned in the classroom brought to
life. I also greatly enjoyed hearing about
how the company made their financial
decisions and the impacts these had on
the company and their numbers.
I met with other departments to see
how the audits were related. Seeing
directly how audits impacted other
departments not only allowed me to
better understand my work, but it also
gave me a full understanding of the other
processes in the company. It was my
glance into the interconnectedness of a
company, filled with several departments,
all working together to make it stand
where it is today. It was interesting to see
concepts I learned in school brought to life
in the workplace.
Additionally,
I
was
thoroughly
impressed by the resources and support
A.I.M. Mutual provides their employees
and the friendly and positive company
culture.
SEEING THE BIG PICTURE
BY: SILVIA HUANG
Interning at A.I.M. Mutual was
definitely an invaluable experience for
me in pursuing my career path. During the
process, I learned about the big picture of
the workers’ compensation industry and
the company’s culture from an internal
perspective. Such a perspective gave me
deeper insights about how a company or a
department can successfully operate and
perform.
While working in Premium Audit, one
thing I found impressive was that my
department was consistently looking
for ways to improve efficiency. We had
meetings in which all employees gave
suggestions regarding the current
business process, such as how we
can make better use of automation.
When everyone has such a mind-set—
striving for efficiency—then the whole
department can make its way toward
efficiency. As a result, the whole company
can successfully achieve it.
Everyone in my department was really
supportive and patient when helping me
with my work. At first, I was trained by a
few different employees to get an idea
about what the department does and
what their daily tasks are like. I also had a
training manual to which I could refer when
I started to do things on my own. I always
got very specific and clear instructions
on what to do so I could complete tasks in
an efficient manner. During the first few
weeks, I had lots of questions regarding
the audits I reviewed, but thanks to the
other experienced employees, I was able
to understand the entire process much
better.
I was able to see how the company gives
importance to its employees’ personal and
career development. I had an opportunity
to take a “Soup to Nuts” course in which I
learned about the big picture and different
aspects of the workers’ compensation
industry. Moreover, when I expressed a
desire to learn about other departments
within the company, I got scheduled with
Finance, Premium Receivables, and Rating
right away. These valuable meetings
allowed me to see how our work relates
to and fits into the work done by other
departments.
ABOUT MARK MILLETT
MARK MILLETT, SHRM-CP, is the Recruiter and Learning
& Development Specialist at A.I.M. Mutual and has been
with the company since 2017. He has been in HR since
2001, serving as AVP of Learning & Development for St.
Mary’s Credit Union and AVP of HR for Athol Savings
Bank prior to working for A.I.M. Mutual. He is a member
of the Society for Human Resource Management
(SHRM) and holds the SHRM-CP designation. He is
also a member of the Northeast Human Resource
Association and is past president for the Central MA
Chapter of the Association for Talent Development.
29