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Abode is proud to recognize Guardian Life for excellence in crafting intentional keep-warm strategies, fostering mentorship, and successfully converting interns to full-time roles. There is a significant amount of effort and intention that takes place between candidates accepting an offer and showing up on their first day. In their application, Guardian Life demonstrated how hard work and strategy benefits the individuals joining their program. Below, you’ll find the highlights of their early-career engagement strategy from their standout application.
Abode is proud to recognize Guardian Life for their strong approach to early-career engagement.
Read what this organization had to say about their winning strategies.
“One pre-start engagement strategy we’re especially proud of is our monthly intern newsletter, which begins well before day one. Each edition includes intern and manager spotlights, program updates, and webinar recaps, helping students feel informed and personally connected. This is thoughtfully coupled with touchpoints like regular webinars, informal coffee chats, and a LinkedIn community group, creating a multi-channel experience that builds excitement and belonging. Together, these efforts ensure interns feel engaged, valued, and connected to Guardian before they even start.”
“One aspect of our mentorship program we’re especially proud of is the structured mentor connection model, which begins before day one and continues through weekly check-ins. Mentors establish early touchpoints with interns and use guided frameworks to support ongoing conversations, helping interns reflect, navigate challenges, and build professional skills. These intentional connection points ensure consistency while creating space for more informal, relationship-building moments. This results in mentors serving as trusted resources who foster belonging, growth, and a more personalized intern experience.”
This organization had one of the top internship to full-time conversion rates among their peers.
“One aspect of our internship program designed to drive full-time conversion is our intentional exposure to leaders and cross-functional teams. Through speaker sessions, panels, and networking opportunities, interns gain visibility into different career paths and build meaningful relationships across the organization. Combined with hands-on project work and ongoing mentorship, this exposure helps interns see their long-term fit at Guardian and envision a future with the company. This holistic, relationship-driven experience strengthens engagement and encourages interns to return as full-time employees.”
