Empowering the Next Generation: How Skyward Specialty's Internship Program Drives Talent and Growth

As head of Talent Acquisition at Skyward Specialty, I assist the business in finding the talent it needs to execute its strategy, deliver top-tier results and fuel future growth. While I am frequently immersed in recruitment at the highest levels of the organization, working directly with some of the most talented leaders in the industry, nothing I do creates as much gratification for me personally as does our college internship program. 

In a society that often bemoans the younger generations for their lack of this or that, I have a front-row seat each summer to just how talented, smart and capable they really are. As someone who is likely closer to the end of my career than the beginning, I find it refreshing and inspiring.

Our internship program aims to attract early career, diverse talent to our organization or, as a consolation, to the insurance industry. We have been quite successful. Skyward Specialty has hosted 39 interns over the four summers of the program thus far. Of those 39, 79% have received a full-time offer and we have a 95% acceptance rate. In fact, 90% of the interns who joined the Company full-time are still part of the Skyward Specialty team today. We have also been named as an “Elite 50” internship in the insurance industry by RISE three years in a row. Here is some insight into how we did it.

Selection Process

Perhaps the most important part of the process is the selection of the intern candidates. After our business units and functional areas submit their requests for a summer intern, our team broadly posts the positions and, in addition, works closely with a few select universities. We do an initial resume review, request videos from our candidates, conduct an initial screening, and then schedule our finalists with the host department for a final interview. After an extensive selection process involving thousands of applicants, we typically narrow it down to about ten final candidates.

Culture is paramount at Skyward Specialty, so our evaluation goes well beyond GPAs, degree programs, and extracurriculars. We want to truly get a sense for who these candidates are as people and how they will fit into the Skyward Specialty culture. 

A few of the keys we look for are:

• Initiative/Drive: As a Company we have fully embraced a remote and hybrid workplace, so it is essential to the success of the intern experience they take initiative to remain engaged with their teams regardless of environment.
• Flexibility/Adaptability: We are not the stereotypical insurance carrier. We are fast-moving, dynamic, technology-forward, and entrepreneurial. We need interns and employees who can thrive in that environment.
• Collaboration/Teamwork: Our organization is very interconnected and collaborative. As a result, we look for evidence that our candidates truly believe they are better as part of a team than as individuals. 

Program Structure

Through feedback directly from our interns, we refine our program design each year. Through their valuable feedback, we established some key focus areas: 

• Challenging Projects: We want our interns to do real-world, hands-on work that allows them to see their contribution and added value. We don’t want them focused only on administrative tasks or doing “practice” assignments.
• Mentorship: Our program offers many opportunities to connect and build safe, open relationships with industry professionals where our participants can comfortably ask questions and seek career advice.
• Networking: Even if an intern does not ultimately join the Company full-time, we want them to leave having bolstered their professional network and having forged some valuable, enduring relationships in the industry.
• Teambuilding: Our interns are also provided the opportunity to bond with each other, lean on each other and learn to function as a high-performing cohort of professionals.
• Community Involvement: As an organization, we are very involved in charitable activities and the internship is no different. Each year our interns are tasked with choosing a cause or organization to support and deliver on a project to raise money, volunteer, or both.

Each summer, we begin with a “kick-off” week at our Company headquarters in Houston. Our interns travel in from all over the country and spend three days going through an orientation, learning basic industry concepts and terminology, and setting expectations for the summer. There are also some fun events to facilitate teambuilding and there is also food. Lots and lots of food!

The interns then transition into their hosting departments for the balance of the summer and dive into their day-to-day responsibilities and projects. Each intern works closely with a mentor or group of mentors to guide them and get them up to speed. In addition to their daily tasks, each intern will also have an overarching project that they work to achieve over the course of the summer.

Finally, we conclude the summer by bringing our interns back to Houston for the final week to celebrate our successes and deliver final presentations about their summer to our senior leadership, their fellow interns and to the Skyward Specialty employees they have gotten to know over the course of their internship. While this can be an intimidating environment, it provides a real feeling of accomplishment to cap the experience and a chance to have a “mic-drop” moment to end the summer. 

Skyward Specialty firmly believes that if we can successfully attract and retain the best talent, we will win. No small piece of that puzzle; our internship program continues to provide the organization with the next generation of talented professionals ready to learn, grow, develop, and lead in the years to come. To play a part in that process and to watch these former interns grow as professionals and as people is something I am continually humbled by and grateful for.

At Skyward Specialty, we're dedicated to fosterring talent and driving innovation within the insurance industry. If you're passionate about making an impact, we invite you to explore our internship program and career opportunities. Let's build a brighter future together!

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