Last month we interviewed Sim Segal about external networking. 
Internal networking – making connections within one’s own company – is another important skill. Most of us work on a team, and our coworkers become our closest network connections. It’s easy to get comfortable with those colleagues, but it’s important to keep your network growing and reach out to new people.
Today we interview Kanika Vats, FCAS, Associate Director & Actuary for Aon Global Risk Consulting. Kanika leads two strategic initiatives at Aon and regularly interacts with a variety of departments. It is helpful to already have relationships with contacts in each group, and Kanika is often a point of contact when new opportunities become available.
Future Fellows: Let's start with the basics. How do you make connections within your company? Do you find that they arise naturally, or do you actively seek them out?
Kanika: I use both avenues to develop connections. During the course of work, one meets business associates and the best way to establish strong connections is by delivering high quality work in a timely manner. I also pro-actively reach out to people within my company as I lead / work in several initiatives whose goals are to generate new business for the company’s actuarial practice.
Future Fellows: What is your networking strategy for company social events, such as dinners or cocktail hours? Do you try to see as many people as possible, or do you make sure to see a few key people?
Kanika: I try to meet as many people as I can but ensure that I spend at least several minutes with each person to give them and me an opportunity to make introductions.
Future Fellows: Do you use internal social media (such as Yammer) for networking? What are the most common mistakes you see people make in this networking environment? How do you get the most from these tools?
Kanika: I use internal social media such as People Finder and Yammer, to an extent. The People Finder tool is especially helpful to reach people in a specific practice group / offices around the globe. It is important to keep one’s profile complete and up-to-date on networking sites as this helps to get visibility. An incomplete / non-existent profile is the most common mistake that I have come across.
Future Fellows: Some may assume the most important people in your network are those in the highest levels of the company. Do you find this to be the case? Who are the most valuable people in your network?
Kanika: Over the course of my career, I have consistently believed that it is important to know people at all levels in a company. Networking with peers, junior colleagues, and senior employees both within and outside one’s team is always good.
Future Fellows: At different times, you've been both a mentor and a mentee in formalized mentoring relationships. What advice do you have for potential mentees?
Kanika: I have been both a mentor and a mentee at my company and I have found both relationships to be extremely beneficial. As a mentee, I had the privilege of gaining advice from a respected senior colleague who also became a strong advocate for me. As a mentor, I enjoyed giving advice to help my mentee get insights into building a successful professional career. I gained insights about the actuarial practice from my mentor and mentee that I probably would not have gained otherwise. I would advise mentees to stay committed to the program, define a few goals that they would like to achieve and ask specific questions of the mentor.
Future Fellows: Many actuarial candidates are new to the professional work environment or have only a few years of experience. What advice would you give to a candidate looking to expand his or her professional network to more than immediate colleagues?
Kanika: Strive to network with colleagues in other groups via one-on-one meetings, meet people outside your company at continuing education forums / trade fairs, and to the extent it is possible, establish rapport with clients.
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