Fall Activities - 2020 Version

We wrote a tip similar to this last year but things have changed a bit since then so we wanted to update!

Fall brings so many fun activities- Football, Hikes, PSL’s, Pumpkin Patches….

Each State, County, Family, and Individual is going about their day to day lives with COVID differently and while you may not be going to packed bars and watching football games, you may still have the opportunity to do some recruiting virtually OR in smaller groups.

Watching Football

  • If you are at a bar or house with a bunch of Alumni from your college look around for the person who seems to know everyone!

    • You can ask your friends for their contact information later OR simply strike up a conversation with that person after the next touchdown!

    • NOTE: Do Not actually try to recruit them at the bar :) Get to know them a bit and exchange cards OR simply find them on LinkedIn on Monday and connect with them.

  • Language: “Hey- this may seem random but we met on Sunday at {insert bar or house} - go {insert team}! It’s always nice to connect with other Alumni in {insert city}. Take care”

  • COVID/Small Group Edit: If the conversation with your close group of friends and family flips to “how are things going with work?”- tell them about how exciting it is to be with NM right now! There is no other company as stable as NM other than Microsoft! That speaks volumes to the stability of the career and the company. Use the tips above to further direct the conversation.

Pumpkin Patch

  • Strike up a conversation with young families (from 6 feet apart). Again, this is not the place to talk about NM or recruiting but a great way to connect with people doing something fun.

  • Listen for thing like “I wish I didn’t have to travel tomorrow” or “I wish I had more time for things like this” or “oh this year has been rough”—- Dig a little deeper (not in an awkward way) by saying something like “yikes, yeah so many people are out of work, its crazy”. Normally if you bring it up, someone will say if they were laid off or not OR they will indicate whether they are happy in their job

  • Assuming you get to know the family enough ask them questions about what they do for a living but leave it at that…

When ordering your PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte)!

  • Look around for anyone who is studying for Life and Health, SIE, Series exams, or CFP. I am sure they would like a break from studying if you walk up and ask them about it. Introduce yourself and NM.

  • Language: “Hey- Saw you studying for {insert exam}— that one is a tough one! What company are you with?”

  • COIVID Edit: “People are STILL going to coffee shops to study. If you are going out and about, keep your eyes open.

The key is to build a habit of identifying talent no matter where you are (Virtual or Not)!

—This document and the information in it are provided for Northwestern Mutual Recruiters and Leadership Teams and may not be distributed to any other organization or used for any other purpose without written consent from Claire Myers Consulting.—