How To: Job posting

Where and How Should I Post My Job Openings?

The most common way individuals recruit new hires is through referrals – you know someone who knows someone. Sound familiar? If this, unfortunately, is not the case, then you have to venture out into the wide world of online job postings. To make matters worse, getting your online job posting just right is essential to attracting the right candidates. Your job listing is the first, and often only, place you have to create an impression on top talent. So how do you construct an attractive job posting guaranteed to get your company noticed?

Typically, insurance agencies just include the following in their job listing:

1. Job title
2. Job location
3. List and/or summary of main responsibilities
4. List of key qualifications, including the required levels of education, experience, and skills
5. Instructions on how to apply

Not so fast. In today’s market, top talent is looking for companies they can relate to. Does your job posting exude any indication of your work culture, mission, or growth plan?

We suggest you add these seven lucky items to your job posting to make it more appealing to top talent:

1. Lead with your company’s mission, purpose, and/or values.
2. Create a bigger picture of the role. Indicate who the person will report to, work with, and what projects or tasks they will potentially have the opportunity to manage.
3. Don’t simply create a laundry list of responsibilities! Write a “what you’ll be doing” section that is performance-based and highlights specific milestones and measurable impact. You want to paint the picture of what it will be like to work for your company to draw in talent.
4. Include a work perks section that does not just go over the basic, common benefits like 401(k), paid time off, holidays, etc. Do you offer free donuts or have a coffee station for staff? Does your company go on any outings? Do you have casual Friday’s or do any fun birthday celebrations? What is different about your management style, team or company culture?
5. Highlight any company awards and industry recognition.
6. Be transparent about your interview process, including who may be included in the decision process.
7. For bonus points, use photos to show off your culture, feature profiles of talent ambassadors and share social feeds (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Glassdoor and YouTube) to give candidates more information on why they should choose you.

Don’t Forget Your Important Yet Often Overlooked Items to Include:

1. It seems silly but don’t forget to add a deadline (even if you don’t have a deadline/will continue to look until the position is filled). A deadline entices people into action. Most top talented candidates sort job applications they’ve saved by interest level and deadline. If you have a deadline coming up, your candidates will be more likely to submit their resumes rather than sit on the application and “do it later.”
   1. Common timeline to keep a post active: 30 days.
2. Indicate if you will accept phone calls or not. If you don’t want to get inundated with candidate calls, say clearly and boldly on the posting: “NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.”
3. Add a specific detail/twist to the application that candidates have to include with their application. This trick works very well when you want to quickly weed out individuals who do not pay attention to detail or have trouble following directions. Often it is as simple as 1) Include [position title] in the subject line or 2) Include a quick cover letter describing your qualifications.

 

Where do you put job postings nowadays?

Popular job sites are LinkedIn (see our article on how to construct a killer profile HERE) and Indeed because they have dedicated resources for job seekers. Every job site works differently, so make sure you comply with the requirements of the site.

 

Need help getting started? Here is an example posting:

[Introduction Paragraph] To get started with your insurance agent job description, open with a marketing summary of the business. This tells applicants about the culture, attitude, and goals of the organization. Be sure to include all the details that make you stand out from the crowd. This is the time to brag a little and focus on what the company can offer the candidate.

Insurance Agent Job Responsibilities:

• Provides service to clients’ changing insurance needs by selling life, health, and disability insurance.
• Establishes productive working relationships with clients.
• Develops base for long-term sources of clients.
• Compiles lists of prospects.
• Determines clients’ particular needs and financial situations by scheduling fact-finding appointments and determining the extent of present coverage and investments.
• Ascertains clients’ long-term goals.
• Develops a coordinated protection plan by calculating and quoting rates for immediate coverage action and long-term strategy implementation.
• Communicates with adjusters.
• Obtains underwriting approval by completing the application for coverage.
• Completes coverage by delivering policy, planning future follow-up visits, and evaluations of needs.
• Provides continuing service by providing direct deposit forms, processing changes in beneficiary, and analyzing policy loan applications.
• Provides death benefits by delivering policy proceeds and reassessing client needs.
• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, maintaining personal networks, and participating in professional organizations.
• Enhances insurance agency reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests and exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.

Insurance Agent Qualifications/Skills:

• Prospecting skills
• Meeting sales goals
• Motivation for sales
• Product knowledge
• Organizational skills
• Attention to detail
• Strong communication skills

Education and Experience Requirements:

• High school diploma or equivalent
• BA in finance, business, economics, or a related field is preferred by many employers
• State license
• Continuing education credits

 

[Work Hours & Benefits] We recommend that you address work hours and benefits in this section of your insurance agent job description. The rationale is that a potential applicant wants this information sooner rather than later. Provide information about working conditions or requirements, including shift work, weekend work, overtime, and break schedules. Additionally, it’s crucial to mention any special benefits that the company provides that aren’t normally available.

[Call to Action] The best way to finish your job posting is by including a Call To Action. It’s an effective way to improve your chances of the candidate making the effort to apply. Give them a clear directive. For example, instruct them to click on the apply button at the top of the posting or apply on your agency’s website.