How do you hire the best new insurance employees? To do so, you need to know what you’re looking for in an employee. What are the qualities that an outstanding insurance employee must have to be a strong and integral part of your agency?
Humble Confidence
No one wants to work with someone who brags all of the time. However, you don’t need an agency full of fading wallflowers either. What you’re looking for is someone who is confident in her abilities but doesn’t brag about them. That person has experience enough to give you examples of success but can also comfortably tell you about how she has learned from her failures.
Consistent and Dependable
If your candidate can’t show up on time or complete tasks that you set, then all of the brilliance in the world isn’t going to make that person a good employee. Your candidate’s references can vouch for the fact that no matter what, you can depend on this person to be a strong contributor to your agency.
A Positive Team Player
No matter what your corporate culture, it’s likely that you value people who are positive additions to your team. People who are constantly complaining about clients, colleagues, and even the weather are not pleasant to be around – and if a client or colleague overhears the complaints, this can lead to a loss of business or strife within your agency. Look for people who ask how they can contribute to a strong and positive team.
A Self-Motivated and Hard Worker
When you’re asking questions about a candidate’s past experiences, note and ask about the times when that person took the lead in a project and saw it through to its natural conclusion. This will reveal that your new prospective employee is or is not a hard worker who’s self-motivated, initiating projects to improve the company. While you want strong team players, you also want people who aren’t afraid to see a problem and work on improving it.
Your employees should not only strive to improve the company, but they should work on improving their ability to contribute to your company. According to Cleverism, “in addition to being aware of his roles and duties, the self-managed employee strives to improve himself, reduce his weaknesses and play up his strengths.”
Excellent Communication Skills
According to Jibe, “ideal employees will understand the importance of good communication, and just how badly things can go wrong when a message is unclear or missed altogether.” In most positions, you’re looking for strong written and verbal communication. This makes customer service and partner and colleague relations much smoother.
The Right Person for Your Business
Every insurance agency is different. You know your working environment, and you can probably paint a picture of the people who work in that environment. What values do they share? For instance, if your agency is focused on community contribution, you’ve probably hired people who believe in these values.
When you’re interviewing new candidates, your questions need to focus on your specific corporate culture as well. Make sure that any new people will fit with the existing individuals at your organization.
At American Agents Alliance, we help your insurance team excel. Contact us today about how we can help you build your insurance network and grow your insurance business.
