Recruiting Great Insurance Candidates

Noted author and workforce consultant, Dr. John Sullivan, reports that top-performing employees produce as much as ten times more than the average worker, and they typically don’t cost that much more!

So, what’s the biggest difference between companies at the top of their industries and those stuck in the middle?  You guessed it, better talent.

What can you do to start attracting top-performers?  Here are a few tips:

• Start at the beginning.
  Craft a detailed and clear job description. Make sure you go into some – but not too much – detail regarding what you’re looking for, and the skills/education/knowledge that is critical for the person in the position to have. (Note: Don’t be too specific. No person will ever fit an über-detailed description perfectly. For example, just list the absolutely-must-have-or-you’ll-fail-at-the-job skills as being requirements; everything else is just what you’d “like to have.”)
• Describe the personality attributes of the person who will succeed in the position.
  Is this someone who enjoys talking on the phone? Must the person be fine with sitting a lot (particularly important for insurance CSRs.) Or does the person need to be the type of salesperson who believes that sales professionals should be out of the office 75 percent of the time?
• Would you want to work for you?
  That is, is your firm an “employer of choice?” If not, what changes will you have to make it so? Once you believe you are a great place to work, be sure you convey this in all your marketing and branding efforts, both off- and online.
• Treat all candidates with respect.
  This means, if at all possible (and not doing it because it’s inconvenient doesn’t count), send some sort of reply to each person who applies to your firm. What’s more, be sure to let all people you interview know if you’ve hired someone else. (Anyone who makes time in his schedule – whether employed or not – to come to your office and spend a few hours with you, deserves a phone call from the interviewer/hiring manager regarding the status of the search.)
• Roll out the red carpet.
  How welcoming are the people your candidates meet when they first arrive? How clean are your restrooms and waiting area? All of these “small” things can really add up when it comes to attracting the brightest and the best.
• Finally, don’t forget a recruiting service such as Insurance Relief™.
  We specialize in finding where the “good guys” are in the insurance sector, it’s all we do! We don’t find engineers, architects, physicians, etc. We source, vet and place just those in the insurance industry. We can be a great addition to your recruiting toolbox. Contact us today!