Get the Right People in the Right Positions

For the last three years, hiring and retention has been tough, but believe it or not, things are getting easier in the hiring space. This is great news for the insurance industry because in about five years there will be an estimated 400,000 job openings due to the current workforce retiring and growth within the industry. Agencies' main efforts in hiring and retention need to turn to hiring the right people for the right jobs. Those agencies who are using strategic hiring practices will come out leaps and bounds ahead of ones who are just hiring to get seats filled.

Hiring Effectively  

In order to effectively hire employees for your agency, you first need to start by looking at the top performers that already exist on your staff. Think about what makes them perform so well and what traits you wish to clone from them. Perhaps your top performing CSR utilizes specific software that makes them have better connections with clients, or they are very detail oriented and use that to their advantage. Take note of all the traits you see in them and use that to frame how you view potential candidates.  

One of the biggest mistakes that many hiring managers make is hiring for experience over work ethic and cultural compatibility. As Herb Brooks, Coach of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team said, ‘you're not looking for the best people, you’re looking for the right people.’ You can teach the job, but you can’t teach work ethics. Hiring to match your company culture will make the retention part of the hiring process much easier, giving you room in your busy schedule to focus on making your agency more profitable.  

• Agency Value & Culture Statements 

• Benefits and Perks  

• Responsibilities  

• Qualifications 

• Compensation Range 

   

These days potential employees want to know about your office culture and be able to visualize what it will be like sitting in their role, and then they want to know the rest of the fluff. Remember that potential employees know that it’s a job-seeking market, and there are other jobs out there that they can get just as easily as yours. You want to wow them and have them want you just as badly as you want them! 

Assessments 

After you have selected a few candidates that you think have the skills and work ethic you are looking for, it’s time to make sure they will fit in with your agency. Evidence has shown that if hiring managers ask behavioral questions in an interview about how applicants would handle certain situations then they are 75% more likely to hire a candidate that will last in their organization. A few examples of this are “tell me about a time that you had a disagreement with a coworker and how you handled it” or “tell me about a time that you went above and beyond in your previous role.”

These questions will get the candidate to tell you about their work ethic and will offer you a glimpse of their attitude. 

Additionally, assessments like the Kolbe Index or Clifton Strength Certification are helpful at giving you a well-rounded view of how the candidate would fit inside your agency. These tests are relatively short and are web-based and will give each candidate personality results to show what type of worker they are.   

The goal of hiring is to find employees who will make your agency a better place. Hiring for your agency’s culture and employee work ethic will not only make your agency a better place but will also take unnecessary time and bandwidth away from running your agency.  

If you still don’t know where to start, I can help! IIANC members have access to a FREE, one-hour consultation with me where we can discuss anything from hiring and retention to your agency's technology. Click here to book your free hour consultation.  

Cowritten by Jason Sabo and Lindsay Wallace