Cigna is a global health service company, helping customers reduce health costs and achieve optimal health outcomes. Overall, the company serves over 95 million customers around the world.
In Layman's terms: It's a pretty big healthcare company.
So if you have a passion for healthcare, or really just want the experience of working for an established company, it may be worth checking out this worldwide organization.
Cigna has three distinct paths into the company:
According to our research, Cigna offers a solid, albeit not great, work environment.
The company is pretty big on teleworking, so that's a nice perk for all you homebodies. But busy seasons fluctuate quickly depending on what sector you work in, so be prepared for those days where the work seems to be never-ending.
Our goal today is to give you a sense of what to expect when you apply for a job at Cigna along with what the company culture and benefits are like after you get an offer.
What Kind Of Internships and Entry Level Jobs Are Available At Cigna
There definitely isn't a lack of opportunity to get hired at Cigna. The health service organization hires new employees through a variety of means - campus recruiting, recruiters, and through its online portal.
Cigna's employees come from all different types of backgrounds as well. According to our research, some of the top universities represented within the company are the University of Connecticut and Central Connecticut State University. Makes sense given the company's headquarters is in Bloomfield, CT.
New grads are able to work in the U.S. or abroad as well, with over 40,000 employees serving 30 countries and jurisdictions.
There's no shortage of fields new grads can enter either, with open positions in sales, finance, health services, and marketing highlighting the entry-level jobs at Cigna.
Technology, operations, underwriting, managed care,actuarial positions, and the four fields listed above round out the company's Leadership Development Program.
Employees in the LDP are looked at as the future leaders of the company. Depending on the specific program one is hired into, there are opportunities for rotational programs, working abroad, mentorship, and a clear ladder to climb the organization.
Sounds pretty cool if you ask us.
Interview Process For New Hires
The interview process at Cigna is about what you'd expect from a large company.
If you apply through a campus resource, you'll most likely interview with employees on campus and, after you crush the initial interview, will be pushed into a more formal round of interviews at the company's nearest office.
If you're applying online or through a recruiter, the process may be a bit more drawn out:
- Phone call with a recruiter
- Interview with hiring manager for specific position or sector
- Multiple interviews with different employees on-site
Questions can vary in technical expertise given the specific position or sector you're applying for, but for the most part you'll encounter the general questions we've all come to expect:
- Tell me about yourself
- What interests you about the company? What about this position specifically?
- How do you handle failure
- How do you go about learning a new skill?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
However, we've also found some examples where prospective employees have been asked some mind benders:
- What's the biggest problem facing the healthcare industry today?
- How many taxis can fit across the Golden Gate Bridge?
- What's X percentage of X number?
- How many parking spots do you have in your university campus?
- How many people would you expect your favorite restaurant to have on a busy Friday night?
Thankfully, Cigna has its own interview tips to help prepare you for the interview. And they're the same tips you should use for every interview you ever have:
- Research the position you're interviewing for. In other words, don't go into the room thinking you're applying to flip burgers when the position is as a development engineer.
- The all important - Show them why you're better than the rest of the applicants. Be confident, not cocky. You know you best. Show them what you can do and how you'll help the company, not vice versa.
- Be curious. Ask questions about the position, team, and company in general. This shows you're engaged and have a genuine interest in the position already, something every interviewer loves to see.
Be sure to visit our interviewing tips page as well, where we have expert advice to help you ace the interview and get the job.
Jobs For Established Professionals at Cigna
There are plenty of avenues for mid-career people to start working at Cigna.
For U.S. based jobs, the majority of openings lie within the business operations, medical management, and information technology sectors.
Customer service reps, health clinicians, and IT engineers highlight the openings for those jobs in North America.
Sales positions make up the majority of positions available abroad, with most of these spots working in India and New Zealand. So if you've ever wanted to have an extended stay in either of those two wildly different countries, Cigna may be the company for you.
Interview Process For Career Professionals At Cigna
Interviews for experienced professionals at Cigna tend to be a bit more specialized than those interviews for recent grads, as should be expected.
However, the process itself mirrors the entry-level positions':
- Phone interview with a recruiter
- Follow up interview with hiring manager specific for that sector and/or position
- Interview with multiple employees on-site
Nothing too surprising there. The process itself can take three to four weeks; so don't get too antsy if you don't hear anything back after a couple days.
The questions in the interview will be very specific to the role you applied for, so it'd be to your benefit if you do the necessary research before the interview.
For example:
If you're interviewing for a customer service rep position, expect the "Tell us about a time you had to deal with a difficult customer," question.
If you're interviewing for a software engineer position, expect some very technical questions about specific projects you worked on, expertise with different tools, and overall aptitude.
In summary, it's the same advice for any interview: KNOW WHAT YOU'RE APPLYING FOR. Simple.
Cigna Company Benefits
It's a love-hate relationship between Cigna employees and their benefits. The benefits listed on the website seem to be pretty solid, but employee reviews range from great to not so great.
Those benefits employees highlighted as positives included paid-time-off and matching 401k. However, there are also comments criticizing the company's lack of affordable/desirable healthcare coverage, especially given that the company is, you know, a healthcare organization.
Anyways, here are the benefits directly listed on the company site:
- Highly competitive salary
- Rewards-for-performance system
- Medical, dental, disability, life and behavioral-health coverage
- 401(k) match
- Paid time off and flexible work arrangements
- Opportunities to work around the country and internationally (travel buffs, take note)
- Training and career development opportunities
- Volunteer opportunities
- Wellness and fitness programs
Salaries are generally average for the area and position. However, the rewards-for-performance system sounds pretty cool to us.
Cigna is pretty big on teleworking as well. So for all you homebodies, you're in luck.
In summary, the benefits listed on the company's website seem pretty good. It's just a matter of how employees are able to maximize them that differing opinions arise.
Company Culture At Cigna
With over $40 billion in revenue in 2017 and 41,000 employees all over the world, Cigna is a fairly big company.
There's a reason the company has been able to become so successful, and its employees are held to that same standard. "Work hard play hard" is a thing here.
Employees note the culture can be competitive, but in a positive way in that it pushes each employee to perfect their craft, whether that be sales, tech, or clinicians.
Busy seasons are just that: busy. During those hectic times one may be required to work more than the normal 40-hour week. That's where the flex hour perk comes in. As long as employees get their work done, they're encouraged to use their telework and flex time abilities as needed.
Another positive at Cigna is that the cream often rises to the top. Management takes notice of hard workers, hence the rewards-for-performance system. If you get your work done and you excel at it, there may be a bonus of some kind (financial, vacation, etc.) waiting for you.
The majority of employee reviews noted a productive work culture where management encouraged employees to take responsibility for their own work, yet ask questions when needed. It's more of a lift-you-up rather than a beat-you-down culture.
Quick Note
This study focused specifically on those full-time positions at Cigna. However, the company also hires contractors and part-time positions.
If you're applying for a role in one of those positions, this analysis may not apply to your experience.
