Updating Results

Future Insure Graduate Program

4.4
  • 100 - 500 employees

Mat Norman

My daily work consists of contacting and negotiating with various insurance companies to acquire optimal coverage at a reasonable price for the client.

What's your job about?

My employer facilitates the insurance needs and wants of our clients across multiple countries. My area of responsibility is to ease this process by managing and correlating the back of house processing tasks in an efficient manner so the account managers can focus their energy on servicing our clients directly. My daily work consists of contacting and negotiating with various insurance companies to acquire optimal coverage at a reasonable price for the client. A teenager could understand the gist of my role but would need training in negotiation and critical thinking to achieve the level of results required.

What's your background?

I grew up in rural Victoria. I lived the first 19 years of my life in the same small town of around 6000. After VCE I had a gap year where I travelled to many countries including Europe and Nepal. I hiked through the Himalayas, sat on the beaches of Portugal and experienced the World Cup in England. After this, I moved to Melbourne where I began a Bachelor of Commerce at Deakin University. I had an affinity for maths and money which eased my decision to major in finance after my first year. I also enjoyed assisting personal growth and development and therefore coupled this major with a management major. I started in my current role by luck. After applying for another position where the employer was unable to take additional people on board, a recruitment agency set up an interview with my current employer. I have been here for nearly three months and thoroughly enjoy what I do. As many have told me, everyone falls into insurance and I certainly did. But I am very grateful for this as I couldn’t see myself working anywhere else. It couples all aspects of my degree into one profession. 

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Yes, they could. Many people from all backgrounds have the necessary abilities to do my role. What's most important is to have a willingness to learn, ask questions and common sense. 

What's the coolest thing about your job?

I enjoy the learning aspect. The more I learn about insurance the more I realise I totally underestimated how vital it is to everyday life, how poor cover can impact peoples lives and how important my role is. Specifically, I enjoy the knowledge that my life experience and knowhow of different professions could potentially one day save a client’s livelihood or protect them from losing everything. I also love that everyday I am surrounded by people who help me to grow in areas that help me in my everyday life and allows me to hone in on interpersonal skills that I lack.

What are the limitations of your job?

The biggest limitation I found is learning a system that by design is confusing and my current role is to navigate this confusion. This can include computer systems, insurance jargon or even contracts.

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

  • My biggest tip would be to do an internship.
  • Top marks are a big part of finding a job but companies invest just as much in finding the right cultural fit. Be yourself and if you do, it will make the transition into work so much smoother.
  • Be open. Don’t limit yourself to just one career path. Many other avenues exist that I never thought of until I left university. Don’t rely on the university to do the job hunting for you. Many universities will only give as much as you take. Be hungry and chase that role, opportunity or goal!