In 2019, I joined Principal® as an infrastructure engineer intern. Throughout the hiring process, I experienced the special community of care and environment of support that exists at Principal.
How I ultimately found my career path
My background is software and computer engineering. As I prepared to finish my undergraduate education, I decided to pursue more business knowledge, which led to a management information system degree.
My goal was to find work where business and technology intersect. Through internships and work studies, I learned that the foundation behind IT is to serve the business. I had the technology knowledge but knew if I wanted a successful career, I needed to understand more about the business. It would take some rebranding to switch paths and tell my story.
I had a vision in my mind and knew what I wanted to accomplish. The hard part was getting companies to understand what I was looking for and how that aligned with a career path and job opportunities. Most recruiters looked at my resume and put me in a software engineer box and disregarded my aspiration for a tie to business.
It wasn't until I met a recruiter from Principal that I felt heard and had my vision acknowledged.
“It wasn't until I met a recruiter from Principal that I felt heard and had my vision acknowledged.” - Katlyn Malone
Getting hired into a community that cares
I still remember when the recruiter said, “Trust me, I understand where you're coming from, and I want to introduce you to some people at Principal.”
That led to a site visit where I was completely floored by the warm welcome I received. Chairman, President, and CEO Dan Houston spoke to our group of recruits. It was clear he saw value in spending time with us. And it wasn’t just him! Every employee we interacted with treated us as a priority. They were open to answering questions, giving advice, and sharing their stories.
Many people offered to connect one-on-one. They were genuine in trying to understand me, my story, and my journey by asking questions like:
Where do you want your career to go?”
“Tell me more about why you're making this change to rebrand yourself.”
“Are you happy with the results of your change so far?”
That box I felt myself in had started to break open! People I didn’t even work with yet wanted to help me, hear me, and understand me.
Contributing to Principal in a way that matters
One rotation in particular gave me great insight into cultivating a high-performing team. As a scrum master, I got to know everyone, determine how much they were truly working as a team, and learn their unique strengths and challenges to prioritize areas for improvement. It was also important that the team could stand on its own after my LDP rotation was done.
The work was tremendously inspiring. We not only solved business problems, but I empowered my team and held them accountable to celebrate wins and identify areas for improvement, with the freedom to collaborate and challenge each other in a safe environment.
At Principal, we all contribute to our enterprise strategy—and to our collective ability to create and maintain high-performing teams. By taking ownership of the things I can impact, I’m inspired to see the ripple effect on those around me and how it helps shape our Principal community and the great work we do together.
