Kashif Ahmed

Unlike most other new representatives, I had graduated from college and pursued two Master's degrees many years before joining First Investors. I seriously considered financial services as a career because I felt that the vast majority of people were not getting the financial guidance they so desperately needed, and most other firms were not willing to talk to them because they couldn't meet extraordinary minimum investment amounts. First Investors was willing to work with people of modest means, and those were the people I was most interested in helping. Read More.

Stephanie Atalla

I grew up in a small town in California called San Carlos. I was raised by a single mother and witnessed that it was often difficult for her to make ends meet. She was always ready to make sacrifices, putting our needs above her own and working two jobs to support us. As a result, I learned the value of a dollar very early on. I had my first job at age 11, handling my own paper route. In high school, I moved from the newspaper business to a restaurant. I started as a bus girl and soon worked my way up to waitress. And before I knew it, I had become a manager. After working almost every job in the restaurant, I had a strong appreciation for the opportunity to work my way up the ladder. When I got to college, I realized the same opportunity did not exist everywhere for everyone. Read More.

Sophia Bliablias

While the U.S. economy was roaring—thanks in large part to the tech boom—I decided to begin my business career by attending one of the finest business programs in the country at one of the world's best universities—the Stern School of Business at New York University. When I graduated in 1999, the world was mine to conquer. At least I thought so. Read More.

Conrad Charak

When I graduated from New York University in the spring of 1976, I was not looking for a job; I was looking for a career. I was seeking a place where, if I worked hard, I could be of service to others, earn a good living and have the flexibility to enjoy it. Read More.

Andrew Eckley

When I started my career with First Investors, I was overwhelmed with excitement about the possibilities available in the financial services industry. I had prepared myself with a background in Business Economics at Willamette University, and had consciously started to implement a phrase I had learned: “Be committed to do what it takes to have what you want in life.” While short and simple, this idea has served as one of the most important fundamentals in my career with First Investors, and has allowed me to constantly strive for improvement in all areas of my business. Read More.

Kevin Fennell

I'm no stranger to hard work and dedication. Throughout college, I worked four jobs while I was a full-time student. The long hours of work and study prepared me well for the real world that awaited me upon graduation. But I never thought that I'd find my dream career right out of college. Read More.

Vicki Filipiak

I graduated from Central Michigan University in 1999 with a dual degree in Finance and Economics. Though receiving a diploma signified my entrance into the “real world,” I had no idea what was in store for me. I was a country girl from a one-stoplight county, but I was ready to move to the “big city” and build a successful career. Soon after graduation, I was given the opportunity to join First Investors. First Investors appealed to me because I would be rewarded for the amount of effort I put forth. In addition, I was looking forward to working with people face-to-face, and helping them attain their goals. Read More.

John Golden

Nearly three years ago, I met with Stu Rudnick; he told me that we were in trouble. If we wanted to keep our independence both locally and regionally, we needed to make a change and do it very quickly. I look back to that day, not as a “doom and gloom” day, but rather as the beginning of my second career. Fear is a great motivator. I looked Stu in the eye and said, “No problem, we can and will do this.” Read More.

Ben Harber

When I initially arrived at First Investors, I was a fresh graduate from Anderson University in Indiana, where leadership, resilience and grit were skills I had sharpened on the basketball court. Having a business background, I was eager to weave those skills into a focused, goal-driven business that would truly be a means to serve others. Read More.

Jeremy Houy

I graduated from the University of Oregon in 2002 with a degree in Business Administration and Finance. I was young and ambitious—but had no idea how to turn my enthusiasm into the life and career that I dreamed of having. Read More.

Kristin Johnson

My first exposure to First Investors was at a spring career fair that was held on my college campus. I was three months away from graduating and still had no idea what I wanted to do. Staying at the job I had throughout my four years in college was not an option. I worked for a real-estate company as a property manager and had hit a glass ceiling at the age of 22 years old. I knew I needed to find a career that would allow me to grow. Read More.

Stu Johnson

I grew up in a Northern suburb of Chicago and attended college at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where I majored in Computer Engineering. After finishing my junior year of college, I had my life all planned out ahead of me. I was going to move back to my hometown to build a life surrounded by friends and family. I was going to get a great job in the computer industry, which was booming at the time. I was going to marry a girl from my hometown with whom I had a serious relationship. Over the course of the next year I realized that life doesn't always care what your plan is. My girlfriend and I broke up. Over the summer, I worked as an intern in my field of study and hated it. Three months before I was ready to graduate, the terrorist attacks of September 11 happened. The tech bubble burst and the economy went into recession. I couldn't find any companies in my field that would hire me. Read More.

Michael Lawston

As a senior in college, I was not exactly sure what I wanted to do professionally. I did not want just any job. I watched many of my friends graduate before me and take any old job that came along. Initially, they seemed to be happy with their decisions; however, within a short period of time, most had realized that their job was not something they would want to do for the rest of their lives. Since they had little or no opportunity for advancement and growth, many of my friends changed jobs hoping to find something better. Read More.

Charles Medlicott

I began my career with First Investors in 1991. I was young and motivated, with a strong desire to succeed. I set an average of 15 appointments a week but it was still a struggle. However, I always believed that failure was not an option, so I forged ahead and stayed focused on future growth. Read More.

Chinh Nguyen

When I graduated from Oregon State University (OSU) in 1999, a friend told me that I should pursue a job in sales. I looked around for a while until I found an advertisement for First Investors at the career center at OSU. The ad said that the Beaverton office was looking for two sales representatives. I didn't know what they would be selling, but I decided to call to find out more about the position. When I was asked to come and interview, I remember how excited I was. When they invited me back for a second interview and I said, “Yes!” with enthusiasm. Read More.

Michelle Onorio

Growing up in Massachusetts, I was always involved in sports. I was never the best player on the team but I was always someone who tried her hardest at every practice and every game. I never gave up and I always wanted my team to win. As I went through school I started to think about what I wanted to do when I grew up. I always knew that I wanted to do something that would allow my competitive spirit to shine, just as sports had done. I wanted a career where I could determine when I worked and how much money I made. I wanted to control my own destiny. Read More.

Trevor Parker

As a senior in college I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. So I did what everybody else does: I went on every interview I could find. I discovered a lot of things I knew I did not want to do for the rest of my life. By chance, I began to interview with several financial services companies. The more financial services companies I interviewed with, the more I could see myself enjoying this as a career. Read More.

David Roche

When I was offered a position with First Investors Corporation in 2000, I quickly accepted. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I have a strong work ethic and I was determined to make it in this business. I started off slowly, gradually building my business through prospecting. I also attended every home show in my area to supplement my prospecting efforts. The key was treating all my clients as if they were the most important people in the world. They, in turn, referred me to their friends and family. Referrals led to more referrals, and that got the ball rolling. I soon realized that there would never be a shortfall of people to help. Read More.

Stuart R. Rudnick

All I ever wanted was a chance and First Investors gave it to me. I always wanted to be the “Boss.” After one year in the business, I was given the opportunity to open an experimental office, hiring college students. It didn't work; however, my managers believed I could be a great leader one day and brought me back to manage a traditional office. I never looked back. It was a failed experiment, not a success, that proved I could be a leader at First Investors. When something isn't working, I always blame myself. By that I mean I always make myself accountable to everyone I work with. Read More.

Daria Schumacher

I knew that I wanted to work in the financial services field since I was 15 years old. I always loved math, and as an athlete and basketball player, I had a taste of winning and being a team player. This made me realize that I also wanted to work with others when I chose a career. Read More.

John Stogner

During my senior year at the University of Kentucky, I remember thinking: “What am I going to do with my Business Management degree in the real world?” Most of my professors advised me to attend graduate school and upon completing my MBA, there would be a $100,000 per year job waiting for me somewhere. I decided to follow the advice of my professors and take the GMAT exam to find my $100,000 a year job. When I got my exam results at the school guidance counselor's office, I found that I did not score high enough to get into the University of Kentucky's MBA program. I now know that this was the best thing that could have happened to me. Read More.

Ted Thoren

Coming out of the University of Oregon School of Business, my resume was pretty weak. Through high school and college, and all of the summers in between, I played in tennis tournaments, hoping to move up the ranks. Because of that, I had virtually no work experience, and certainly no sales or customer service experience. On top of that, I was shy and quiet and not the most engaging interviewee. I was fortunate to find First Investors Corporation through the University of Oregon Career Center. Read More.

Olga Vasquez

One of my greatest driving forces has been the desire to share the valuable information we have at First Investors with people in the community I grew up in: the Black and Latino community. Financial literacy was like learning a new language for me until I reached college, and I wanted to make sure that once I graduated, I gave myself the opportunity to share what I had learned with as many people as possible. Read More.

Deena Wilson

I graduated from Hampton University in Virginia in May 2003 with a bachelor's degree in business management. I was a full-time student and a full-time athlete, a combination that forced me to learn time management. After graduation, I moved to San Diego for nine months, where I was an associate manager at a car rental agency. I quickly learned that the “nine-to-five” corporate life wasn't for me. I wanted flexibility in my schedule, I wanted to work one-on-one with people and I wanted to earn a substantial income. Read More.

Casey Winningham

When I was in grade school, my parents showed me the portfolio of investments that they were building in order to pay for my college education. At the time I didn't fully grasp the importance of what they were doing. That changed during college, as I watched my friends struggle with part-time jobs or accumulate huge debts to pay for school. I was able to devote my time to getting good grades without any money worries. When I graduated, I was debt free and ready to begin a career. Read More.

Jessica Wuerz

When I joined First Investors Corporation right out of college I was very excited. I had interviewed with six other companies in the industry and ultimately chose First Investors because of the unique competitive advantage that the Company offers. The philosophy of always putting the client's interests first and offering products with a goal-oriented approach is in sharp contrast with much of the industry's “push a product” mentality. The growth potential within the organization also served as a great attraction. Read More.

Click here for more information about a career at First Investors