Part A: Workplace Host Interview Questions

1. What is their Name, Job Title and Company Name?

Amy MacGregor, Director of Strategic Planning and Support at Manulife Financial

2. How did they first get started with this job?

Amy was 25 years old when she first got started with the company and she
was looking for an entry-level job in a large business so she could work her way up
to becoming more successful. Her first job or title at Manulife was as a customerservice representative. Amys previous role was in Operations, as an Operations
Director, however she was interested in getting into product development and
marketing so she saw an opportunity to apply for her current role, as a Strategic
Planning Director, and went for it. She also proactively reached out to her current
boss and made a good first impression.

3. What level of education or training is required for their present job?

At least a University degree, MBA is preferred, along with 7+ business
experience.

4. What are the duties or responsibilities of their job?

Amys role is a key and an integral part of the Insurance leadership
management team. This position includes the following areas:
-

Strategy coordination and execution

Planning and budgeting

Management communication and coordination

Lead the development, business casing and execution plan for new initiatives

5. What three things make their work challenging?

1. Taking an executives vision and making it understandable for employees
2. Volume of work
3. Working with so many different personalities

6. What skills do they need to be successful in their job?

Amy needs to be/have:

Strategic Thinker

Excellent relationship management skills

Leadership skills

Presentation skills

Ability to negotiate and influence effectively throughout the organization

Superb skills in the area of change management and implementation

Excellent Business Acumen, Communication, Decision Making & Personal

Effectiveness Skills

7 10 years of insurance/financial services business experience

7. What are some things they like most about their job? Things they
dislike?
Amy loves working with her colleagues, she loves working on her current
projects because theyre interesting and she loves how her work is challenging and
she learns something new each day. Amy dislikes not having a large team, like she
used to in Operations, because she misses that leadership. She also does not like
budgeting.

8. What is the starting salary for this field?

For an entry level job into the company it would be around $30,000 however
for Amys role it can vary between $80,000-120,000.

9. What are the opportunities for advancement in this field?

There are lots of opportunity in Insurance. Manulife has over 22,000
employees worldwide. People could move to sales, move to underwriting or stay at
the Canadian head office in Waterloo and keep moving up the ladder such as what
Amy is doing.

10. What are the future outlooks for jobs in this field?
The potential for jobs and growth is very positive. Professional Designation
jobs will be in high demand such as, underwriters, professional planners, business
analysis and leaders.

Part B: Job Shadowing Day Summary Report

1. What did you like about the day? What did you dislike?
I enjoyed meeting many of my mothers Colleagues, understanding what her
role as a Director entitles and what exactly she does on a daily basis. I did not like
attending the three-hour long Insurance Leadership Team meeting because it
became very tiring near the end.

2. How could the day have improved?

I had a great day job shadowing however it would have been nice if i couldve
helped in some way or did more hands-on things instead of just observing.

3. What did you learn?

I learned a variety of new vocabulary, what working in a business
environment is like and how it could be a potential career for me.