What does Christmas mean to you? Is it about giving, receiving, a celebration of your faith or an opportunity to see and celebrate with your neighbors? Have you taken the past weeks to deck your halls in colorful lights, decorations and Christmas trees that reach to your ceilings or perhaps take these moments of rest…

Remote work is a concept many insurance entities should embrace if they are having difficulty filling essential roles, but there has been some pushback. Why? The insurance industry has been an aging one for some time now. However, boomers are retiring in record numbers and earlier than expected. Thirty million baby boomers left the workforce…

Stop taking counter offers. Stop even considering them.  We are in a hiring market right now that is indisputably candidate-driven. You are valuable. You have skills that are in high demand but currently are in short supply. While the talent gap will shrink over time, now is the time to take full advantage and leverage…

The very first blog The James Allen Companies posted on August 24, 2015, was about the questions to ask during an interview. Today, we are revisiting the topic, to expand that list of inquiries toward a line of questioning that emphasizes conscientiousness and professional development. Questions to ask during an interview … continued What will…

Communicating in business and doing it well starts literally and metaphorically by doing one thing—picking up the phone. A fair share of my day is taken up by making calls. Now, some of these are introductions, others are follow-ups with candidates, while some are simply updating clients on the status and progress of their search;…

Failing to encourage employee engagement might be the single most unfortunate misstep any business owner can take.   Not hiring free-thinking, brave and self-driven professionals would be a close second. Have you ever worked for a company, agency or firm where engagement seemed to be frowned upon, where leadership and management were practically feared? Was it…

What makes a great insurance team? What kind of people do you need to remain competitive and advance your goals in the insurance space? Considering the “Great Resignation” or the “Big Shift” being discussed at great length in the hiring community, the number of professionals getting ready to change companies and careers may present a…

Brand building or building your business’ brand are phrases we hear a lot these days. In this extremely competitive hiring market, they are concepts none of us can ignore. As recruiters dedicated to the insurance industry, every day we use a wealth of resources to find qualified candidates to service an industry facing one generation…

The hybrid workplace. How do we approach it? What can we expect to change and what do we expect will stay the same? I want to take a step back. I want us all to take a hard look at the hiring challenges that are inherent in any business and how those obstacles have grown,…