Christopher Cooper, the CEO and Chairman of International Investments for Prudential, welcomed the spring 2012 Prudential Global Citizens Program participants and provided professional advice.
Making the Most of Your Time
Mr. Cooper expanded on his own realizations to explain how to make the most of every work experience:
- Don’t take any moment for granted. Obtain as much knowledge as possible. To succeed you need a pure and technical understanding of the subject matter you are dealing with.
- Master the skill of effective communication. Learn to effectively communicate with your coworkers and superiors. This pertains not just to written communication but also to verbal communication.
- Don’t make the same mistake twice. You can improve the value of your judgments through both experience and exposure. And you can learn through your own mistakes as well as other people’s mistakes.
The Importance of a Good Mentor
As many interns or employees have learned, a good mentor and boss can make or break an internship or work experience.
- Take Risks. Receiving a job offer means that at least one person in the organization is willing to take a risk on you. Prove to that organization that it made the right decision in hiring you.
- Understand the difference between confidence and arrogance. Remember that you are not the only one being interviewed; you are also interviewing the organization. Try to identify the organization’s culture and the personality traits of its employees, particularly your future boss! Make sure he or she is confident but not arrogant.
- Collaboration is always key. Remember that you are not entitled to a job—especially in this economy. What an employee accomplishes in the organization or company must be in collaboration with his or her superior and should benefit that superior.
Mr. Cooper’s advice underscores the importance of developing positive relationships in the work environment, collaborating effectively with superiors and peers, and communicating in an open and constructive manner.
Biography
Christopher Cooper is the chairman and CEO of Prudential International Investments. He oversees the company’s investment management operations outside the United States, in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Italy, India, Taiwan, China and Japan. Mr. Cooper received a B.A. from the University of Tennessee and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
About TWC’s Partnership with Prudential Foundation
Three years ago, The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (TWC), in conjunction with the Prudential Foundation, created the Prudential Global Citizens Program. This program provides students from countries all over Asia, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, and India, with an opportunity to intern and live in Washington, D.C. Each term, program participants get a chance to hear from some of Prudential’s top executives.
