Finding the Right Flock Makes for a Great Career

When asked to reflect on his experience at Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey, Keith thought about the people he met.

“It was a tight-knit community — my professors were highly experienced and helpful, and I still keep in touch with my friends and teammates to this day,” he said. “The people there had a big influence on my education and readiness to join the job market.”

As a Ramapo Roadrunner, Keith played on the school’s baseball team, participated in the Accounting Club, and explored the networking and internship opportunities within Ramapo’s Anisfield School of Business.

After graduating in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Keith started studying to be a licensed certified public accountant (CPA) and worked in private equity for some time. In 2021, he joined NJM as a general ledger accountant.

Keith chose to join NJM because of the people who welcomed him in for his interview. “Once I met a few people here, I knew this was where I wanted to be — a company that cares about its employees, where my coworkers would be friendly and have great personalities.”

Keith was among a cohort of employees who started their NJM journey while much of the company was still working from home full time. He felt that his onboarding was still effective in a virtual environment, in large part because the people in charge of introducing him to the company were so approachable and communicative.

“My supervisors made sure to provide adequate training, which included scheduling meetings with people so that I could get to know my coworkers,” Keith said. “The communication was always clear, and I always felt like I had a good understanding of the direction the company was headed.”

Even better, Keith felt he had a voice in the company from his very first day. “I can do tasks in the way that I feel is best, within reason, and I feel comfortable bringing new ideas to the table,” said Keith. “Our leaders are very open to improving processes and flexible to how we work best.”

In 2023, Keith took on the role of senior accountant, where he is challenged to take more initiative, lead more complex projects, and coach other accountants in his department. He also participated in the company’s Leadership Discovery course, which helps to prepare employees for increasing leadership responsibilities. One of his new roles is training new hires, a mix of recent college graduates, interns, and experienced financial professionals.

“For a lot of new hires, training is largely a matter of taking what they learned in school and helping them apply it to NJM,” Keith said. “We all learn from each other. It’s great working with them and seeing how they apply their academic experience to the practical tasks we do every day.”

From Ramapo Roadrunner to NJM accountant, Keith has made great strides in his career! He has many opportunities to continue learning and growing from others in the company, as well as sharing his own knowledge and experience with his coworkers. We’re happy to have Keith as part of the NJM family.

Are you considering a career move? Join us!

NJM Talent Acquisition Team
NJM Insurance Group
Careers@njm.com

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