Waldron Career Conversation w/ Robert Sevim '97 & Zifan Wang '29
In this episode of the Weinberg in the World podcast, Zifan Wang '29 interviews alumnus Robert Sevim '97 about how his interdisciplinary studies and adaptability shaped his journey to a career in real estate. Sevim emphasizes emotional intelligence, exploration, and building real‑world exposure, advising students to focus on growth, stay curious, and trust that clarity about career paths will come with time.
Transcript
Zifan Wang
Welcome to the Weinberg in the World podcast, where we explore the value of interdisciplinary liberal arts education in today's complex world. My name is Zifan, and I am your student host of this special episode of the podcast. I am a first-year student, undecided on my major, but looking forward to learn more about finance career from an international perspective. Today, I'm excited to be speaking with Robert Sevim, who is the president of Savvy's Chicago region. Thank you, Robert, for taking the time to speak with me today.
Robert Sevim
Zifan, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited for this conversation.
Zifan Wang
Yeah. So to start us off today, I'm wondering if you can tell us more about your time at Northwestern as an undergrad. What did you study? What were the impactful experiences for you that led you to your current career path?
Robert Sevim
So when I attended Northwestern, I didn't have a good idea early what I wanted to study, as opposed to what I observe today, where a lot of students go in. And as a freshman, they have a relatively good idea as to what their path is. So maybe I'm just dating myself, but back at that time, it wasn't as common, certainly in the College of Arts and Sciences. By my sophomore year, I had taken classes in math, economics, political science, and obviously other electives. I came in with some languages that I had learned as a resident in Europe, and I learned French in Switzerland, and I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa as a young person. So English was my first language, but I also spoke Afrikaans, which is a little bit like a Dutch dialect. So my thinking was I enjoyed continuing my interest in having a global perspective on languages and education. but I was also becoming increasingly interested in private sector and public sector economics and politics. And so at the end of my sophomore year, I chose a double major path. So I chose to complete a major in economics and political science. And as it turned out, when I was in my junior year, I was able to identify the fact that it wouldn't take me too many more classes to complete the international studies minor. And so I also completed that by my senior year. So there was a lot of sort of interconnecting, interweaving courses that allowed me to create. In a way, it was a bit of a curated major, but technically it was poli sci, econ, and international studies.
Zifan Wang
Yeah, that sounds really interesting and really suits your background. So as you mentioned, there's multiple, different cultural background than maybe as an international undergrad, Northwestern University. How did you initially adapt to the academic and social environment and how did that experience influence your subsequent career choices?
Robert Sevim
That's a really great question because it was, even though I spoke English as my first language coming to Northwestern, there was a big cultural difference. So coming from South Africa, coming from Europe, there are cultural differences vis-a-vis even a relatively international student body. There are just ways in which people engage in expectations and even phraseology that is far more American than, you know, what you would experience in different countries. So I sort of learned through my interactions with others just sort of social cues and making sure that, I think one of the first things I recognized was people were very friendly and they were really quick to take down information. And where I came from, when you take down someone's information, it was almost this social contract that you were definitely going to be catching up with them again and making a plan. Otherwise, you wouldn't ask for it. Whereas in the US, What I learned, and it is very normal and typical, is that it is more of a maybe, we'll get together, maybe we'll find time, but in case, let me get your information. So I sort of learned that it didn't necessarily mean you were going to be making plans or you were going to be creating this like social contract. It was simply a quick meet, greet, get to know you at a cafeteria or in class, and then you see where the chips fall, if you will. So once I started to recognize that, I braided this adjustment to my own expectations and recognized that when you engage with others, there's no like sort of commitment or lack of commitment. You just, you're building a network, if you will. And so it was very different, especially from where I came from most recently, from Switzerland. In Switzerland, you know, they're a little bit more quiet, I would say in general, a little bit more, one-on-one, more focused societally. And so when you pass someone along the street, if you will, you typically aren't necessarily engaging in saying, hi, where did you get those great sneakers from? That's cool. You could absolutely do that anywhere here and engage in a conversation. And so I liked that because it was very different, but it was probably, it was less, I would say less defined and more general. So I learned that right away, which was great. Some of the other things that I adjusted to was the food. Oh my God, yes. Not an easy adjustment, I'm not gonna lie. Didn't enjoy, and it's not a Northwestern thing. I just didn't like American food in general. I found initially a lot of the taste to be kind of unrefined, not super healthy, just not as tasty. And interesting, maybe as some of the European or even South African foods I had been brought up with. So it's like anything, if you're brought up with a certain taste, you just sort of get used to it. So that took me a minute to get used to the food and even just the amount, like absolute massive portions in the US, which was different. But on the flip side, I did meet a great number of students who were really interested in where I was from and what I was used to. And there was like a very good exchange of that, both cultural information and then just understanding each other. And you then kind of merge, right? You learn a little bit more about them and you become a little bit more Americanized, if you will. And then my hope is that through the interactions with me, I was, even if it was half a percent, they were learning something about another country and another way of doing things, simply because they were at Northwestern. and Northwestern enables a really international student body, right? So that's one of the benefits of going to Northwestern is that you don't have a homogenous student body. So it was great. And being on a tennis team and meeting some really, really great people, that was another bond within a circle of friends. And they were from all over, Sweden, Texas, California, everywhere. And that was another really great way to, Austria as well, really great way to create and forge connections at Northwestern. So a really interesting, I would say, foundation for engagement and learning beyond the classroom.
Zifan Wang
Yeah, that is so true. I definitely struggle with the food and also with the small talk that I have to engage in every single day. Yeah.
Robert Sevim
Yeah.
Zifan Wang
So yeah, like with all these different cultural backgrounds, like you mentioned, like South Africa, Switzerland, how has like this cross-cultural experience helped you build trust and relationships in business and real estate?
Robert Sevim
Yeah, it's a great question. Look, I think no matter where you're from, the reality is that we're all human beings and trust is built by individual actions. one at a time and through good intentions and through care, emotional connection, right?
Zifan Wang
Yeah.
Robert Sevim
Things that AI and robots can't really replace.
Zifan Wang
Yeah.
Robert Sevim
So I think how my background helped is that I recognize that being different or being used to having different experiences makes you really adaptable to change. in a way that you can adjust quickly and be confident in those adjustments. And you also really quickly figure out who you are in terms of your own value system, because you've seen, in many ways, you've seen different value systems in play. And so you sort of settle like sediment, right? Like at the bottom of the wine bottle, if you will, who are you? And so then you can become that really authentic version of you very quickly, more certainly, than if you're still finding yourself. And it takes people different timeframes. I think I got that more quickly because I had that exposure. And so it's helped me because it's allowed me to be very clear in terms of what I value in relationships and in terms of the integrity and my expectations for myself professionally. I try to, you know, work towards a really high standard. And so I feel accountable. Each time I do something to, whether it's for someone or for a client or very performance-based, I think that my experience, both being from different countries, but then also at Northwestern as a student athlete and seeing how many other really high achieving people were on campus doing different things, right? Not just sports, they were. I mean, Northwestern is really an environment and a gateway of just really outstanding people. And so it really allowed me to learn a lot of things that I didn't know, but it also allowed me to feel comfortable that there was a similarity in this desire to push and exceed expectations. And I think at the end of the day, the only way you can have long-term success in anything, and this is my lens, is consistency of behavior, not just consistency of results, but being a reliable, authentic person is a much more effective way to, I think, go through life day-to-day. And that translated definitely well for me in my career and I think would translate well for anyone in their career because you become someone that is reliable, trustworthy, and consistent.
Zifan Wang
Yeah, I think it's definitely true. And like we're all learning from our university journey, like who we are, because for me, like those like so many different kinds of people coming from different backgrounds, you kind of question yourself like who I wanted to be, like what kind of person do I want to be like, that definitely is like a very important thing to settle down and like after like university during the interaction to figure it out.
Robert Sevim
Completely agree with you.
Zifan Wang
Yeah. So like while mentioning like the transition to like the work, the finance, the business, what is the biggest challenge you face when transitioning from academic research to business practice? Are there like skills that you have to learn quickly outside of the classroom? Because like some of it won't be like taught in typical classrooms, I guess.
Robert Sevim
Yeah, absolutely. I think the biggest gap between the classroom and being in an actual business setting or any environment that goes from theory to practice, right, is that you've never been really trained in practice. You've been trained in theory. So unlike a sport where you practice and then you go engage in a match or you engage in a a game, there's an actual competition. So you're always off court, on court, off court, on court, and you're constantly training and then testing yourself in an actual real environment. Generally speaking, notwithstanding internships, when you are in an academic institution, you're learning in a way in a lab. It's an educational lab. And so you can take in a lot of information, you can learn a lot, you can be ready to impart knowledge. But when you get into a work environment, there's no real, the roadmap for what it is you do when you walk in the first day, how you're supposed to interact, engage, what the expectations are that are unwritten. It's not in your job role, but things that you should be observing. So as an example, if you are in any capacity working with other people, it's really important that you know how to communicate, you understand how to socialize on a business level, that you also understand, even though it's unwritten, that there might be a view on who you are in terms of your profile and makeup by every move that you do, even though it's not necessarily something that you think people are observing. So for example, did you go in early before your supervisor? Even if you didn't necessarily need to, but you are showing a demonstrated interest. You're asking people questions. You are thinking about going in on weekends and getting ahead of things. There are other elements that people don't mention, which is, in school, when you don't do well in a class, you consider that maybe, oh my gosh, I didn't perform, I failed, or whatever. In business, it's actually really good to fail a lot as long as you fail quickly, learn, and course correct. Because if you don't take some risks or fail, actually can't learn how to then explode off the next step. So you end up just growing arithmetically, if that makes sense, as opposed to geometrically. So if you take all of the people we know who are on Forbes' list of most successful people, they all failed tons of times before they found that unique rocket ship, if you will, that took them to incredible levels of success in business or in other avenues. And so the point is, even if you are working in an organization that is more structured and it's not a startup or what have you, it is important to take some risks, educated risks, calculated risks, and try to step out of your comfort zone and try to do things that maybe you can do, maybe you don't know how to do. But if you never try, you'll never actually grow. And so someone mentioned it's like going to the gym, right? If you're lifting weights, you're actually tearing muscle. The only way to grow your muscle is to tear it, build it back up. No one really mentioned that as part of like a class or it's not in the curriculum, which is this idea of what is that transition like? What is the practice of transitioning from the classroom to the business environment? Some people are very naturally good at it. Other people are really smart, but not naturally good at it. So it's not a judgment of your intellect. It could be simply a judgment of EQ and IQ. I don't think we train EQ very much in typical college courses. So I could be wrong. It certainly wasn't around when I was at Northwestern or other schools. But I think the EQ is important. The emotional quotient is important because A lot of people you see in leadership roles today are extremely competent, both from an intellectual capacity viewpoint, but are also very EQ sensitive and have great empathy, learn how to lead, know how to motivate, and really get people, there's a magnet that allows them to lead people. And sometimes it's trained and sometimes it's natural, but it is a really important part. of, I think, the transition from practical or sorry, hypothetical to practical. So we should always, as people take inventory of what are my strengths, what are my weaknesses, where could I grow, what do I need to be conscious of, and what type of field does that make me more likely to succeed in versus maybe a field I don't know that I would ultimately ever be naturally successful in because I have certain strengths and weaknesses that don't necessarily fit well. And I think that's really important. It's really important for people to understand when they're thinking about career path is who am I relative to what it is I think I should be doing versus what I really want to do because I would find great success or do I need to keep exploring, which is okay too?
Zifan Wang
Yeah, I think that's definitely a really important aspect in university, but like people, are scared to try it out, step out of their comfort zone because students are still like, oh, what if I'm not good at it and my GPA will be lowered and oh my god, what about my transcript? That is will be like screwed up.
Robert Sevim
Yeah.
Zifan Wang
Like, all of my friends, like sometimes me also will be thinking like sometime like this kind of stuff, but it might not be that important besides, well, maybe trying a new class, maybe a new, like a new field that you might be interested into, which like the professor encouraged us to do, but we like are always hesitating, like considering, okay, I want to get a job or I wanted to do something. I want to have a good transcript. So I don't want to try a new stuff. That's definitely.
Robert Sevim
Yeah, I. I think that's a limitation, the system. It's unfortunate, right? That you need to kind of work to an outcome as opposed to the growth, the actual growth. So to the extent that there are pass-fail classes, you could consider, or sometimes in this day and age, I know more people will do online classes in addition to discover something that they may not otherwise, and you may not need to incorporate that into your overall transcript. So you could look at that. There's so many options where you can do that. I mean, I think it's important to have some depth and breadth. And I think Northwestern definitely espouses growth. I think that the system of college in general is very transcript based. And so certainly depending on the kind of career or what your future, whether it's a grad school or, you know, a job, or a company that is interviewing you, yes, certainly does create limitations. So there must be a way of working around it, but I think would still benefit the student to try other things.
Zifan Wang
Yeah, definitely. So as we talk about getting jobs and stuff like that, like one important thing I was thinking about is that like you have to have like maybe an internship when you find a job. So What's the biggest challenge you faced when searching for early internship and job opportunities and how did you overcome it? Because I know sometimes it's different for international students to seek opportunities than like American students.
Robert Sevim
It is. So I think the biggest difference is that getting a paid internship with a student visa is not possible. So that's sort of the period, end of story. That doesn't mean that you can't work or shadow or find a way of being exposed to an environment where it is sort of under the banner or the way it is sort of, I think, approved, if you will, is through ongoing education. So it's an educational related exposure. It does make it harder doing it in the US. I think where some people have found maybe better luck as an international student is by seeking that same experience, but either in their country over the summer or where they don't necessarily have an issue with a visa situation. So that you're still getting that experience with the type of business or type of industry that you ultimately want to seek. full-time employment in and maybe even in the US and looking at, being able to be a more permanent resident. So there are ways to do that. I think about my internships. My first internship was at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. And that was my sophomore year summer. So that was, not an issue for me from that perspective. I then worked at the French American Chamber of Commerce. which was basically like a volunteer role that was in LA the following year, but I got exposed to a lot of international business as a result of that. And so you kind of, you find opportunities through just understanding what is allowable and available and the best way to chart your course. So if you are thinking about, let's say it is a business-related matter, If it's a large, the larger the company, the easier it might be in terms of do they have an office in Chicago, New York, LA, and Beijing or Shanghai or Tokyo or London? And so you're ultimately, that could be a way of getting that exposure in, even if it is in a different country, but it is with an organization that may have a large US base that ultimately in the long term you might want to interview with. So I think just think creatively. The good news is there are obviously a lot of alumni that are from Northwestern and various countries. I would think that there's probably a pretty good digital connection portal where you're able to reach out or use the career development office and figure out ways to make those connections. And hopefully that will allow you to sort of focus in on, you know, what you can do.
Zifan Wang
Yeah, yeah, definitely. So thinking about this career, which I definitely have no clue about, I'm still exploring.
Robert Sevim
Yeah, you're a freshman. It's hard to know what you want to do.
Zifan Wang
Yeah, it's really hard. It's even hard for me to pick my major, so definitely.
Robert Sevim
Yeah, I think the more you take various classes, it will eventually come to you. And even if it doesn't, then it's good to start somewhere where you have maybe one or two areas of your personality and skill sets that are really good. And whatever that role or area of work is, at least it promotes that area of strength. Even if you're not sure if that career is what you want to do. If you're really good at, for example, some people are really good at communication and sales, but they don't know what they want to do. So you get into, you know, areas of maybe marketing, right? Yeah. Or sales, if you will. Those are examples. If you're really good at math. then maybe you would be interested in finance as an example, but you're not really sure if you want to get into finance, but at least it allows you to let that sort of raw skill set flourish. So you'll feel good, emotionally good about your competency as opposed to saying, I think I want to do one thing because that's where everyone is going or what I hear is all the rage, but I don't even know if my natural strengths are compatible. And that's where I think I see things go wrong. Not that you shouldn't try, because we talked about experimentation, but you also can't swim upstream too much and work against who you naturally are.
Zifan Wang
Yeah, I think maybe the problem is like, sometimes people just don't know what, like, sometimes what's their natural strength. Like, I don't know, like, I don't think I'm good at communication. Oh, I don't even think I'm good at math. And so what should I do? Maybe I should just follow the mainstream and do like, oh, my friends are doing investment banking, so I'll try that. Or like, oh, they're going to consulting, so I'll go to that path.
Robert Sevim
Yeah, I would probably say, unless you have a really good sense as to what the skill sets are or what you would be doing day-to-day. So that creates an investigation mode where you should really, really understand what it is that you do in those roles and then what you would do as a sort of a career person. I think there are plenty of really qualified people in those types of roles and jobs. And if you have that same passion for that type of role or job based upon what you understand, you know, those people doing every day, you should pursue it and you should figure out how to bolster your strength in whether it's math or communication or strategic thinking for consulting or whatever. The flip side is that is just really not who you are at your core or you've tried to explore areas of interest or classes that can allow you to see, hey, is this something that I could actually get interested in? I am, I didn't realize. that I would be interested in this feel, then you just build that, right? And so you, you, you can, I think talent is one thing, but hard work is always going to overcome talent. It's where you really find your enjoyment and being good is where I think you can make those decisions. And there are plenty, plenty of other jobs outside of consulting banking in this world. So trust me, there is an infinite world that is morphing. It changes all the time. So do not, it was no different than when I was an undergrad. I think there was this natural tendency to want to get into one of those two career paths. Yeah. You ask me now, of those people that went into it, how many are still in it? Maybe one, literally. Maybe one. And it's not because they weren't good or smart at it or thoughtful. It allowed them to see other things and do other things. And some of them really didn't enjoy it. Some of them really thought it would be one thing or they needed for a resume builder or, and that's okay, right? So do not, my message to everyone is please don't stress about banking and consulting is the be all and end all, because there are really so many other things. that you can explore. And if you really want to do that one day and you didn't start that way, you can always find a way to jump back to it.
Zifan Wang
Okay. So to close us out today, I have one more question for you.
Robert Sevim
Yes.
Zifan Wang
What do you wish you could tell yourself when you were in my shoes?
Robert Sevim
As a freshman, right?
Zifan Wang
Yeah.
Robert Sevim
That be a fair. Okay. I would say a few things. First is, really try to enjoy the present because you've spent your high school days thinking about your college days, and now here we are having a conversation, you're a freshman, and you're asking me about what's next and how do I get there? And yet you have three and a half years left in this amazing environment, in this really exceptional place where you can learn, you can meet people, you can grow yourself and you don't get those years back, right? So I would say if you just take care of what is ahead of you in the sort of the short term, the long term will take care of itself. You can't control what will happen in three years, four years. You should simply set yourself a path and follow that path. Know that you have some flexibility and you should be okay The curveballs come all the time. Unexpected changes come all the time. That is good for you. Change is good. I think focus on the short term, enjoy the present. And I can tell you, there is no substitute for a person that has a desire to learn and work hard. You will find your place. When I was in your position, I did not know anything about real estate. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't think that I was going to stay in Chicago. It was way too cold. Why would I ever want to stay? And so I didn't have anything at all that was predetermined or that was a set of objectives. But what I did do was I think I just trusted in the process of staying with the program, staying at Northwestern, in focusing on my schoolwork and then building up more and more wisdom, knowledge, if you will, as each quarter went by. I learned a little bit more. And I think what I wish I would've done, Zifen, which I didn't, is I would've reached out to people in the working world and try to ask them what it's like in their role, and can I even come and do a shadow day? Because I don't know what it's like in a real estate service business. I don't know what it's like at a consulting firm. I don't know what it's like at an investment bank. I don't know what it's like to be a lawyer. I don't know what it's like to work in a hospital. I don't know anything. I'm just a student with a backpack and my calculator. And I think I would have been a little bit more bold that way. And today, students like you have great access through LinkedIn, through digital and social media, through the connectivity is so great. that it's much easier to figure out who you can reach out to. And the wonderful thing about Northwestern is that in my experience, a Northwestern Wildcat will always, always be hospitable, welcoming, and helpful to another Wildcat. Even if they can't directly assist, they will provide guidance. And I think that's the beauty of our network and our community. We're super small and mighty. And I think that's important. I wish I would have tapped into that sooner. But now you can learn from that and take that with you. And you can explore practically along the way without worrying or not necessarily saying, I don't actually know what it's like. You can get a little snippet of these different things right here, 30 minutes away from your campus.
Zifan Wang
Yes, that is so helpful for me to consider. And that is really the words I need to hear during this time. And thank you so much for this great advice and for joining us today.
Robert Sevim
Thank you for having me. You make me feel old, but really happy to be a Wildcat alum. I wish you all the best. You're at a really great, great place in your life. And you're at the best college in the world. So enjoy it.
Zifan Wang
Yes. Thank you for listening to this special episode of the Weinberg in the World podcast. We hope you have a great day and go Cats.