If you own or manage an insurance agency, you or a colleague will likely need to hire someone new from time to time. It could be a new salesperson, an operations professional, customer service rep, or someone in another role. It all depends on your agency size and structure.
Insurance Agency Growth
As you consider your search for candidates, there are multiple strategies you could implement in your recruitment efforts, including:
- Online job boards
- Your agency website
- Social media
- Referrals from current staff or others in the industry (You could consider a referral bonus if a referral leads to a new hire.)
- Job fairs
- Newspaper/business journal ads
Of course, the scope of the job’s responsibilities may be a factor in finding candidates. If it’s a junior role, hiring a new graduate or someone still in college might make financial sense. You could consider including college and university career centers. If significant experience is desired, you may need to engage a recruiting firm for more senior roles.
In your discussions with candidates, talk about what you’re looking for, the expectations of any candidate who fills the job, daily responsibilities and tasks, company perks and culture, agency growth, your onboarding process, opportunities for growth, etc.
Focus on each candidate’s skills, experience, and what motivates them in their job. Ask what appealed to them about the job description for your opening. Inquire about past work, their approach to challenges, and their greatest accomplishment, greatest strengths, and biggest weaknesses. The latter can give you some insight into their self-awareness and their ability to identify areas for improvements. Ask about previous work environments and where they believe they are most likely to thrive. Talk about their current salary (or range) and their expectations if they join your team. Be sure to ask if they have questions for you, too.
If you’re recruiting for a sales role, consider the suggestions in MediaAlpha’s post, Insurance Agent Recruiting Idea: 15 Tips to Help You Grow Your Business. Also useful is The Hiring Expert’s Guide to Recruiting Insurance Agents, published by CareerPlug.
After you’ve narrowed your candidate list to just a few, consider making calls to solicit feedback on past performance. Be aware, though, that some past employers will only confirm hire and departure dates without offering any information on character or prior job performance.
It takes time and effort to craft a compelling job description, identify the right channels for recruiting, and implement a rigorous screening and interview process. Adhering to the strategies outlined above can make a difference. If you make the wrong hiring decision, that can have a significant and long-lasting negative impact on your agency. It can create friction, disrupt workflow, and reduce internal collaboration. Plus, the wrong choice can lead to others leaving your agency – staff and customers alike. Take your time, ensure the right choice, and reap the benefits for years.
Don’t overlook suggestions from your W&B rep. He or she may know of candidates for your open positions or may have suggested job boards or other places to promote your search.
