5 Things You Need to Know When Negotiating a Salary

Things are feeling pretty positive around here so I thought I’d focus today on what to do when you've gotten an offer.  Before I start I also wanted to let you know that at some point in the next month I will be taking a break from the blog.  My wife and I are going to be welcoming our third child into the world.  Tentatively we are scheduled for March 22^nd but these things don’t always go as planned.  In case you are wondering, we are having a boy and his name will be Kai Strom Thompson.  Now back to the article…

When people get offers the best case scenario is that everything is perfect on the first try and you accept immediately.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.  Many people try to negotiate and many are successful.  However, I’ve seen a lot of job opportunities die on the vine because the two parties can’t get something hammered out.  Some other day I’ll focus on how to actually negotiate a deal.  However, today I’m going to talk about what you need to know about salary negotiations.  These tips will put in the right frame of mind to get it done and start the new job!

1.  It is absolutely your right to negotiate… but there can be consequences

Many people ask me if it is OK to negotiate on an offer.  I firmly believe that it is.  However, you need to think long and hard about what you are looking for and if it is a dealbreaker.  The reason is because culturally some companies are very turned off by it. I’ve seen responses ranging from insult to anger resulting from someone negotiating and in some cases I’ve even seen offers rescinded. 

Why would companies react this way?  To understand this you need to realize that the people making offers are people too.  Often times when they put together an offer it is something that they are really proud of and when it is questioned they feel insulted.  Some places just refuse to negotiate.  Regardless of the reason, there are risks.  I’m not telling you this to stop you from negotiating.  Instead, I’m making you aware that this is an outcome and that you should think carefully about what you are asking for and why.  Make sure that you aren’t negotiating because you feel that it is expected.  It’s not.

2.  You need to be armed with Supporting Information

With any good argument you need justification.  Often times the person you negotiate with has to go back to their boss and ask for more money.  You need to give them a reason why you are worth it.  Just to be clear there are several reason why you shouldn’t ask for more money.  These would include:

• Because I’m worth it – really?  Really?  I roll my eyes when I hear this
• Because I’m currently underpaid – Companies don’t like to pay for the sins of other companies (this is a valid reason – just not one you should use for your argument)
• Because I haven’t had a raise in XX months/years – see above – also this does not make you special – many, many people have not had raises since the recession in 2008.
• Because I just got my MBA/Bachelors/Associates/GED – I’m all for education.  However, getting a degree does not necessitate an immediate salary increase.  Believe me you will make much more over the lifetime of your career with this education.  You just won’t see an immediate bump.

Valid supporting information would be:

• Significant differences in benefits
• Recent salary changes that weren’t taken into account – (we’ll discuss this more in depth)
• Cost of living adjustments
• Compensation for income lost during the transition
• Because the new job’s duties warrant it

3.  Set Expectations – Update Them When Necessary

We live in a weird culture.   For some reason someone’s salary and compensation is a really taboo subject.  Stemming off of this is the bad advice that is constantly given – “Don’t talk about your salary in an interview.”  OK – there is some truth to this.  You shouldn’t ever ask a potential employer – “So what does this job pay?” – it’s tacky and makes it seem like you aren’t interested in the job.  However, you should be open and honest about your expectations.  When asked about it be specific – make sure the company knows the following:

• My total compensation is X
• I would like to see something in a range of X – X
• There are some special considerations in my current situation (I get a huge annual bonus that is out of the ordinary, all of my benefits are paid, I work from home four days a week and get four hour lunches.)
• I would like this type of relocation assistance

The reason people say not to share salary is because there is this fear that your expectations will somehow scare the company off.  This line of thinking is total crap.  Companies budget for hiring positions and they can make it work or they can’t.  I feel that there is a better chance of making things work if they know what they are up against rather than being blindsided at the last minute. 

Finally, the interview process can sometimes last weeks and even months.  Sometimes when this happens your situation changes.  If this affects your expectations you need to tell the company before they make an offer.  I see a lot of people get a raise in the middle of the interview process and then get angry at an offer that is now low in light of the raise.  Problem is that if the company doesn’t know about it, they can’t adjust for it.  So, I would suggest that when you are at the end of the process ask the company if they would like to go over your current compensation again.  Just to make sure you are all on the same page. 

4.  It’s Not all About You!

Here’s the deal.  In a perfect vacuum a company would make an offer to you that mirrors how they value you.  In reality, companies have other factors that they have to take into consideration.  They have budgets, salary guidelines and also they look to have some form of salary equity within the organization.  You need to remember this.  One of the biggest mistakes I see out there is that people tie their ego to their salary and then become so angry when an offer isn’t right that they can’t effectively negotiate.  When you are negotiating do your best to be reasonable about things and don’t take it personal.  No company makes an offer with the intent to insult you or p#% you off.  If they were trying to do that they wouldn’t be asking you to come work for them. 

5.  Companies are Generally Uncomfortable Giving People an increase of more than 10% - 20%

Please take this as a general rule of thumb rather than an absolute.  I’ve found that companies are generally uncomfortable giving someone a salary increase that is more than 10% - 20% of what you are already making.  Knowing this is half the battle.  If you want more (and there are valid reasons to want more) you need to be armed with valid reasons why.  You also need to be prepared to come up with creative ways to overcome this if the company has guidelines that prohibit anything above a certain percentage.

One of the best solutions I’ve seen is asking for a review after 6 months where there is an increase on the table. Another solution would be to negotiate a bonus structure that is more lucrative.  Sometimes companies are more open to situations like this as opposed to a black and white I need X.

Bonus Tip

This is just a small aside but it is worth noting.  If you are overpaid in your current position it is not a fair expectation that every company will give you an increase.  You need to be aware of the market.  Same thing goes for special perks that you have earned.  This is why it is so difficult for people to make a move in these situations and probably why the company gave you these to begin with.  If you are in this situation you will have to one day make a sacrifice to make the move or sacrifice your quality of life to stay in the bad situation for more money or flexibility.

That’s all I’ve got for this week.  Make it a great day and don’t forget to leave comments or email me directly at sthompson@insurance-csg.com.

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Counter Offers - The worst Mistake You Will Ever Make!!

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Five White Lies Continued:  It was a Mutual Decision

8 Ways to make that Perfect Career Match

Employee Benefits Account Manager/HR Consultant - Chicago,IL

Our client offers big broker resources, professionalism, and ambition and pairs it with the joys of working for a smaller organization where you a valued member of a team and not merely a number.  They emphasize hard work and achievement but also the importance of a work-life balance.  Their current needs are within their group benefits client service team working with groups from 100 lives and up.  One opening is in a very hands-on account manager level providing ongoing daily support to clients and internal team members and the other role is in more of a team leadership capacity heavily facing clients while orchestrating the movements of a client service team.  

Employee Benefits Account Manager/HR Consultant
Our client is a progressive insurance brokerage deeply rooted in its group benefits consulting platform.  This position is a unique combination of two important roles within the agency- group employee benefits client service and Human Resources outsourcing.  This is a senior level position that will oversee Human Resources consulting for important clients that also place their group health and welfare business with the firm.  You are an integral part of not only the policy administration and strategic benefits execution but also furthering the client's understanding of important HR policies, procedures and regulations.  

Employee Benefits Account Manager, HR Consultant Responsibilities:
Working directly with clients to develop relationships through proactive service calls, working on claims issues, benefit and coverage questions, open enrollments, compliance questions, and other benefit related questions.
Actively participating in strategy sessions to identify opportunities for growth through client referrals, account rounding and fee based services.
Create materials vital to the communication of group employee benefits, enrollment kits and legislation on healthcare reform compliance.
Partner with producers and Account Executives to promote the agency's Human Resources Outsourcing services; act as the internal resources for clients to call about HR questions and practices.

Employee Benefits Account Manager, HR Consultant Qualifications:
A minimum of five (5) years of account management, HR manager or similar experience at an employee benefits consulting firm, health, life or disability insurance carrier or in the HR/Benefits department of a company
Bachelor's degree is required; education or training in Human Resources would be helpful.
You have experience working with average groups of 100+ lives under all benefit plans including medical, dental, life, and disability.
Active IL L&H license.
Highly desired account management candidates can work independently and interface directly with clients to manage multiple facets of a client's insurance program including claims review, renewal analysis, and communication strategies.
Proficient in all areas of Health & Welfare compliance (HIPAA, FMLA, COBRA, 550, DOL, etc.).

Please contact Scott Thompson for immediate confidential consideration and additional details.  Email:  sthompson@insurance-csg.com  Phone:  515-987-0242 x17  Fax 515-987-0004  See our website at, www.csgrecruiting.com/ins_opportunities.htm for a complete listing of nationwide opportunities.

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Counter Offers - The worst Mistake You Will Ever Make!!

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Five White Lies Continued:  It was a Mutual Decision

8 Ways to make that Perfect Career Match

Employee Benefits Producer - Chicago, IL (Near O'Hare)

This is a terrific opportunity to join a well respected agency and take over a book.  Our client is strong full service insurance agency that focuses on middle market commercial and employee benefits.  One of their top producers is exiting the industry and they are seeking someone to take over the book and grow it.  Our client plays in the 100 - 500 life arena and has considerable resources.

Employee Benefits Producer
With a very long and storied history, our client is among the most well established and reputable agencies in the greater Chicagoland area.  Of regional size, they offer an entrepreneurial culture where sales executives are well supported and given every opportunity to succeed. They currently have an existing book of group benefits business to grant an incoming producer to get started.  As an experienced Employee Benefits Producer, Account Executive, you'll serve as the primary point of contact for clients with a focus on retaining and growing this book moving forward.

Employee Benefits Producer, Account Executive Responsibilities:
Routinely consult with clients, by phone and in-person, to discuss the company's benefits programs, make adjustments as needed and prepare for renewals.
Work closely with the account management team to address client inquiries, enrollments and renewal preparation in a timely and efficient manner.
Work with the agencies other producers to identify areas for account rounding, new business development and full utilization of the agency's resources.

Employee Benefits Producer, Account Executive Qualifications:
At least five (5) years of group medical sales and service experience.
Prior work as a producer or Account Executive for an independent agency is important.
Have success with a relationship and retention focused sales style.
Active IL L&H license.
Bachelor's degree as well as completion of continuing education courses, sales training or professional designations is preferred.

Please contact Scott Thompson for immediate confidential consideration and additional details.  Email:  sthompson@insurance-csg.com  Phone:  515-987-0242 x17  Fax 515-987-0004  See our website at, www.csgrecruiting.com/ins_opportunities.htm for a complete listing of nationwide opportunities

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Counter Offers - The worst Mistake You Will Ever Make!!

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Five White Lies Continued:  It was a Mutual Decision

8 Ways to make that Perfect Career Match

Counter Offers – The Worst Mistake You Will Ever Make!!!

Late last month I was working with a candidate who I had helped secure a new job.  This individual was really excited about his new company and was going to be starting in a week.  Five days before he was about to start his old boss called him into his office and offered him a significant raise, a change in duties and a new job title.  They pleaded with him to stay, promising that there will be big changes and that they couldn’t bear to lose him.  After careful consideration he accepted the counter and informed his new employer that he would not be joining them after all. 

As a recruiter in the trenches I see this situation everyday and shudder whenever a company makes a counter offer.  I do my best to prepare candidates for these and let them know that they typically work out in the long term about 25% of the time.  Still they happen all of the time and candidates accept them with regularity.  When this happens I will question their reasoning and make them aware of why counters don’t typically work out.  However, I usually bite my tongue and avoid telling them how I  really feel about counters – at that point they are not in a position to hear what I’m saying.  Ultimately I end up congratulating them on their promotion and tell them to keep in touch.  Full disclosure – What I want to say is “Why are you being so stupid?  This has a low probability of working out and you will be screwed!”

Back to the story from above.  After my candidate accepted the counter, I sent him an email congratulating him on his new position.  Three weeks later he responded to this email asking to talk.  The same boss that called him in and talked him out of leaving had called him back into his office on Monday.  He was really sorry.  The company didn’t have the funds to come through on their promise.  Nothing was going to change – but he was still valued as an employee….  Let that sink in.  What an A@#$# - That company not only broke a promise but they prevented him from bettering his situation.  The worst part – his potential new company just hired someone to replace him the week before.  He is now at square one in a job he hates even more than before and less options. 

Let me tell you something.  This is the norm!  I’m sure that some of you will email me and tell you about all of the times you accepted a counter and it worked out.  That’s great – you are nothing but lucky!  I can even tell you a story of one of my other candidates that accepted a counter and ended up winning a major award.  Just remember that for every one of these that does work out to the positive there are four times as many that leave a trail of broken dreams, broken promises and ugly exits.  They just don’t work.

So… Why don’t counter offers work?  Below are the five reasons I don’t think that they work out:

1.  The Company is Just Buying Time

Of all reasons this is quite possibly the most wicked.  Sometimes companies make a counter offer and have no intention of following through.  Essentially they make the offer out of spite because they are angry that someone is leaving or so they can get their ducks in a row and not have their business interrupted by you leaving.  Either way it is cold hearted and inconsiderate.  This probably has something to do with why you are trying to leave in the first place.

2.  Money Doesn’t Solve All Problems

Blah, blah, blah.  Money doesn’t buy happiness.  Mo Money Mo Problems.  I get it.  This is a pretty tired argument when you put it that way coming from some moral high ground.  Let me be the first to tell you – Money is important.  Very important!  However, there is a diminishing return to the value of money when you have a boss that screams, a horrible culture, you are working 80 hours a week, etc.  When companies make counters usually the first step is to throw a ton of money at the employee and beg them to stay.  While an extra $5K - $20K annually will make you happy in the short term – eventually you will get tired of the crap again.  On top of that many companies will hold up the money they gave you as a reason to treat you terrible saying things like – “We gave you all of that money and you’re complaining again?”

3.  The Feeling of Trust is Irreparably Broken

This is one of the biggest reasons that things eventually fall apart.  Even though they won’t say it a company will never forget that you tried to quit.  Never.  When you make a mistake they will maybe be less forgiving.  When you decide to dress a little nicer for work – just because – they will wonder if you have an interview scheduled over your lunch.  Eventually this will damage the relationship enough that one of you decides to move on. 

4.  People (Specifically Managers) Can’t Change – Same with Culture

All of you people out there that are married (or were married) should appreciate this.  My wife is fond of telling me when we fight, “You know who you married!”  What she means by  this is that there are certain core personality traits that can’t be changed about a person and by marrying that person you need to accept them and lose your right to get mad about them.  The same goes for companies and managers.  I don’t care how valuable of an employee you are.  Your resignation is not the epiphany that is going to stop your boss from being an a@#$#$!  These types of personality changes typically only occur in Dickens novels after a visit by three spirits on Christmas or after a severe brain injury.  A company might be sincere in wanting you to stay but you need to be realistic, try as they may companies and managers can’t make radical changes about who they are.  If that is why you are leaving then you should just go.

5.  Job Searches Open Up Wounds that Don’t Heal

Do you remember how it feels to have a mosquito bite?  It starts as a small itch – but the more that you itch it the worse it gets.  Eventually it gets big and red and it really hurts.  This is what a job search does to all of the little gripes you have about your current employer.  However, unlike a mosquito bite – it doesn’t completely go away when you take a counter offer.  All of those gripes that you thought of sit in  the back of your head and weigh you down.  The problem is that you rarely are able to put the genie back in the bottle and it just stays with you.  Eventually you will get fed up and decide to look again. 

So!  That’s my thoughts on counter offers.  What do you think?  Do you have any horror stories to share about them?  Feel free to leave comments or email me directly at sthompson@insurance-csg.com.

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Five White Lies Continued:  It was a Mutual Decision

8 Ways to make that Perfect Career Match

8 Ways to Make that Perfect Career Match – A Special Valentines Message from Scott the Insurance Recruiter

Happy Valentines Day!  I’d like to start by taking a moment of silence for Whitney Houston…  thanks so much for providing the music to many an awkward moment at Junior High dances.  Her rendition of “I Will Always Love You” led to many uncomfortable and uneasy feelings for anyone that is my age.  Anyway, keeping with the Valentines theme I’ve always felt that looking for a job is very similar to dating.  Just like in your personal life you are looking for that perfect match, putting yourself on display and (if you are like me) getting rejected a lot – that is until I met my perfect wife and got my great job…

That said I think that if you treat your job search like you are dating you will have a lot of success.  With this in mind here are eight tips for making the perfect match for Valentines day!

1.  Wait Three Days before Calling after the First Interview

Ok – so I don’t think that three days is the actual rule you need to follow but the idea is right.  If you follow up too aggressively, too quickly you run the risk of looking presumptuous, overly aggressive or desperate.  Protocol is to follow up with a thank you email and written note and go from there.  Let the company dictate the next step.  If they gave you directions to follow up – do so exactly as they told you.  If they didn’t, wait three days to a week and then drop them a call.  If you don’t hear back operate under the assumption that they aren’t interested and be excited when they call back – keeping with the love theme think of it as a if you let them go and they come back then they are yours kind of thing.

2.  Don’t be Presumptuous

This is one of those things is really key.  When you start dating someone it is an absolute deal breaker to start into issues like marriage or babies or the like on the first date.  It reminds me of that time in some chick flick movie where the girl walks in with pictures from some internet site showing what their kids would look like:

In a job search and interview setting the same is true.  A little confidence is good but if you start acting as if you have the job on your first interview you are screwed.  Same goes for salary and benefits – asking about those makes it seem that either you are more interested than that or that you are making the assumption that they are hiring you.  Total turnoff!

3.  Follow Social Conventions

When you are dating there are all sorts of unwritten rules that were written by people conspiring to keep other people lonely.  Shower before a date – the guy should pay – hide all of the warts.  These are all unwritten rules that are just expected.  The same people wrote rules for job searches and you need to follow them no matter how stupid they seem.  These include:

• Wear a suit to the first interview
• Send a thank you note – (How archaic – don’t they just throw them away without reading them?)
• Bring a copy of your resume to the interview (even though they probably have it on their desktop in the interview)
• Answer questions in the interview about things that are blatantly written on your resume (sometimes they just want to hear it in your own words)

Here’s the deal – sometimes in life you have to do things because you have to do things.  I’m not a big rule person but in the grand scheme of things you need to just suck it up and do something because you are supposed to.  If you don’t your date or future employer will wonder what other social conventions you don’t feel like doing.

4.  Send Flowers Thank You Notes

This is a continuation of the last one.  If you have a great date and it really feels like the one – you send a huge bouquet and tell them how much you can’t wait for that next meeting.  The same goes for interviews.  If it was a great interview – send a thank you note and email.  Hand write the note and tell them how much you enjoyed the conversation and that you can’t wait to meet again.  However, just like dating remember that overkill can happen.  Make the note polite and positive.  Don’t get too specific because you can be creepy…

5.  Pay Attention and Be Engaged

I think I remember hearing one time that the way to catch a great mate is to listen to what they are saying.  Pay attention to them and actually ask questions about them.  If you focus on the other person then they will come to like you.  The reason… PEOPLE LIKE TO  TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES.  It makes them feel good.  The same goes in an interview.  Ask the interviewer about their company, why they like it, what there job is like.  This will always result in a more positive feeling about you when they recall the interview.

6.  Be Honest

I’m not going to beat this dead horse so here goes.  People don’t like it when they find out that the person they are dating are married – usually a dealbreaker.  Surprises are bad.  Be honest from the beginning in your job search and you’ll be better positioned for success.

7.  Make it about what you can Offer

Let’s look at this candidly.  People don’t date others because of what they can give.  They date people because of what they get.  Same goes for jobs.  Make your interview about what you can do for the company.  What you can offer.  Don’t make it about why the company would be a good place for you.  Remember they are the company – they know why they are so good.  It is up to you to research this outside of the interview.

8.  Make your Pick Based on What is Right for You

Look I know that I’m lucky.  Not everyone can have a trophy wife that is also their soul mate.  Sometimes you have to choose the person that will make you the most happy even though there are some things that need to be worked on.  My wife settled and after eight short years I’m a reformed bachelor that does most things right. 

Job hunting is the same way.  The biggest company that offers the best benefits and most money is not always the best place for you.  I once was working with a candidate that had a job offer from two companies.  One was a small company that she really liked and felt was the right place for her.  The other was a large company that offered her slightly more money and a whole host of perks including a gym membership.  When I asked her about it she said – well I like company A better but company B offers all of these perks.  I asked if she went to the gym and got dead silence.  She ended up choosing company A and is still very happy.  The moral of the story is that you need to know what matters to you and make you decision based on that.

That’s all I have for today.  Happy Valentines and as always please email me at sthompson@insurance-csg.com or leave comments below.

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Five White Lies Continued:  It was a Mutual Decision

Commercial Lines Producer - Atlanta, GA

I'm working with a terrific client that is one of the true up and coming agencies in the greater Atlanta area.  They are an organization that provides excellent resources and are looking to bring on several new producers over the course of this year.  Essentially they are looking for people that believe that they can be $1MM revenue producers and are looking for the right home to facilitate it.


Commercial Lines Producer 
Our client is is one of the fastest growing agencies in the southeast.  They are committed to providing innovative solutions and unsurpassed service as trusted insurance advisors.  Due to growth, they want to identify strong sales professionals to add to the commercial insurance division.

Candidates with one of two professional backgrounds will be strongly considered:

1) Sales executives with 2-3 years of business-to-business sales experience.  This can be within the insurance industry or in another business segment.  Must be enthusiastic, career focused and polished in your sales presentations. Understand how to leverage business contacts into new business sales transferrable within the insurance industry.  Areas of industry for professionals transitioning from another industry include contacts within construction, real estate, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services (lawyers and physicians).

2) Insurance producers with 5-7 years of strong middle market property and casualty sales experience. Understand the larger account sales and service cycle.  Excellent as new business prospecting and account retention.  Aggressively seek referrals.  .

Please contact Scott Thompson for immediate confidential consideration and additional details.  Email:  sthompson@insurance-csg.com  Phone:  515-216-5455 Fax 515-987-0004  See our website at www.csgrecruiting.com/ins_opportunities.htm for a complete listing of nationwide opportunities.

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Resignations: The most painful and most overlooked part of the process

Jumping Through Hoops: Frustrating Parts of the Interview Process that Seem Pointless

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Counter Offers - The worst Mistake You Will Ever Make!!

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Five White Lies Continued:  It was a Mutual Decision

Five Things You Need to Know When Negotiating a Salary

AVP, Specialty Transportation Business - Greenville, SC

This is a great opportunity for a strong candidate with program business experience.  Our client is looking for people that have a fresh perspective on the carrier world and that want to step into a leadership role with long term perpetuation options.

AVP, Specialty Transportation Business
Our client is respected, financially sound commercial insurer with an A rating through A.M. Best.   They seek an accomplished executive with a track record of leadership and division growth to join the company as AVP, Specialty Transportation Business.  This position is designed to help lead the diversification efforts of the company's portfolio.  Your experience in creating programs, determining marketing strategies and implementation will be critical successfully achieving these goals.

AVP, Specialty Transportation Business Responsibilities:
Provide overall leadership and assume P&L accountability for specialty business.
Support company marketing efforts by identifying and evaluating profitable growth opportunities.
Lead diligence efforts in evaluation of new business opportunities.
Lead on-boarding process to promote successful integration and launch of new business and teams to support them.
Manage day to day operations of existing specialty business; Provide supervision, coaching and counseling to assigned staff

AVP, Specialty Transportation Business Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree is required; pursuit of continuing education accreditation or Master's degree is highly desired.
Minimum of five years management of multi-line underwriting experience; product management and marketing leadership is critical.
Ability to identity new product opportunities, research and develop distribution partners, and set marketing strategies for new (multi-state) entry.

Please contact Scot Thompson for immediate confidential consideration and additional details.  Email:  sthompson@insurance-csg.com  Phone:  515-987-0242 x17  Fax 515-987-0004  See our website at, www.csgrecruiting.com/ins_opportunities.htm for a complete listing of nationwide opportunities.

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Five White Lies Continued:  It was a Mutual Decision

Five White Lies Job Seekers Tell Continued: It was a Mutual Decision…

Hi there everyone!  Thanks for the great response about my article.  I must say that I think I struck a nerve bringing up people saying that it was a mutual decision when they left their job.  In case you missed the article you can read it here:

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

In the article I described that the term “it was a mutual decision” is widely viewed as a euphemism for I got fired.  I stand by this.  However, I’ve had several people reach out and ask what if it truly was a mutual decision.  One person I know well told me about a situation where he and the company both agreed that they made a mistake in offering and accepting the job and that it was best for both parties that they moved on. 

Look!  I realize that each situation is unique and that people don’t quit or get fired.  There is most definitely a lot of grey areas.  That said, as a candidate you need to understand that in this market employers are talking to as many as 15 – 50 candidates for each opening.  That is a lot of people who are saying anything and everything to get hired.  Many of them have been fired and are doing their best to position themselves to look good in the eyes of a future employer.  While I realize that there is a lot of grey many employers don’t.  So you have two options when explaining to an employer why you left in the event of a mutual decision:

1. You can make it easier for the employer to understand by saying that you resigned or were fired.  You aren’t lying by saying this – you are making it easier for them to understand.  The key is to share what you learned from it and why it makes you better today.
2. You can tell them it was a mutual decision.  However, you can’t just call it a mutual decision and move on.  That looks like you are hiding something.  If you truly feel that you have to share this then you need to share the entire situation with firm details so that they know you are telling the truth.  Remember it isn’t the company’s fault for being skeptical.  It is your fellow job seekers you have to blame for using a legitimate reason for leaving as a cover for being fired.

The second option may seem like a better one because it is telling the full truth.  However, I disagree for a couple of reasons.  The first is more of a statement about people in general.  I want you to think back to the last time you went out to eat and your food was running late.  There are two ways to handle it.  One server will come out and give you a really long story about why it is running late – the oven is broken, then a dog died, then the server slipped and fell and then INS came and raided the kitchen.  But don’t worry your food is now on it’s way and should be there soon.  The other server comes up and says – “I’m really sorry about this – I know it is taking a long time – I want to let you know that it is on it’s way and will be there shortly.  Here is a free appetizer.  Which one makes you happier?  I really hope it is the second example or my little example really missed the mark.

Employers are the same way – they don’t want to know the dirty little secrets about why you left your last job.  They just want to know that it happened, that you left professionally and that it makes you better for them.  So if your mutual decision story takes longer than about a minute you run the risk of boring or annoying them.  It’s kind of like talking about your last break up on the first date.  Maybe this is a better analogy…

The second reason this is a bad idea is because you typically have a finite amount of time to conduct an interview.  The more time you spend talking about why you left your previous company means that there is less time to talk about why you are so awesome.  You need to maximize your time. 

So what say you?  Did I do a better job explaining myself?  Do you guys agree?  Have a great week and as always please feel free to email me direct at sthompsn@insurance-csg.com or leave comments.

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Group Medical Employee Benefits Account Manager - Richmond, VA

This is a great opportunity with one of my best clients.  They are looking for a very sharp account manager with middle market and large account experience (250 – 2,500 lives). Self funded experience is a must.  This place offers terrific benefits and a great work life balance and terrific retirement benefits.


Employee Benefits Account Manager

Our client is a Top 50 independent agency with annual revenues in excess of $20 million.  They are a seven generation company with offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic to position themselves next to their clients.  They have a dynamic, professional sales and service staff that strives to offer service above their competitors.  Their service department seeks a knowledgeable, senior client manager with experience handling large, complex group employee benefits accounts as the primary account service coordinator.


Employee Benefits Account Manager Responsibilities:
Serve as the primary client service point of contact to the insured.
Answer questions about coverage and pricing, create and execute the renewal cycle, coordinate all renewal marketing and create RFPs.
Be a resource for producers and client service colleagues concerning markets, coverage issues enrollments and claims.


Employee Benefits Account Manager Qualifications:
At least five (5) years of group life and health insurance experience as an Account Manager or Account Executive.
Bachelor's degree is strongly preferred; pursuance of continuing education endorsements are highly desired.
Large account experience with groups over 100 lives; self-funding and consumer driven health plans is important.
Knowledgeable with compliance issues- HIPAA, ERISA, COBRA, etc.


Please contact Scott Thompson for immediate confidential consideration and additional details.  Email:  sthompson@insurance-csg.com  Phone:  515-987-0242 x17  Fax 515-987-0004  See our website at, www.csgrecruiting.com/ins_opportunities.htm for a complete listing of nationwide opportunities.

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Commercial Lines Producer - Madison, WI

This is a great job for someone looking to help build up an office.  Our client is a large independent agency that is looking to organically grow their office outside of Madison.  They are looking for people that have a good pipeline of business in the area that could take advantage of their vast resources.  This position offers strong growth potential!

Commercial Lines Producer
Our client is a full service insurance agency intent on developing its next generation of producers.  The Beaver Dam office is a smaller team with senior sales executives who can support a new producer desiring mentorship and training.  The agency sees this hire as a part of its perpetuation plan, so provided you're able to increase market share and write profitable business you'll be in line to take over for retiring producers.  

Commercial Insurance Producer Responsibilities:
Target small to mid-sized commercial business in the local market; tap into the agency's broader resources in Madison, Green Bay and Milwaukee.
Develop a prospect pipeline through relationships that are your own; all types of business development methods can be utilized (cold calling, direct mailing, association networking and cross selling).
Participate in all phases of the sales process including ongoing client consultation and renewal marketing.

Commercial Insurance Producer Qualifications:
At least 1 or 2 years of commercial insurance sales experience targeting property and casualty accounts.
Active WI P&C license.
No call reluctance; able to make cold calls, open doors and close business.
Be active in the local community; existing ties to the Beaver Dam area would be helpful.

Compensation is commensurate with experience and provides a salary with first year new business commissions.

Please contact Scott Thompson for immediate confidential consideration and additional details.  Email:  sthompson@insurance-csg.com  Phone:  515-987-0242 x17 Fax 515-987-0004  See our website at, www.csgrecruiting.com/ins_opportunities.htm for a complete listing of nationwide opportunities.

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Rightsizing – One of the Silliest Concepts that I’ve ever heard!

I’ll keep this brief.  I was recently talking to someone that was in the process of being laid off.  We discussed it a little bit and then he dropped a word that has really stuck with me.  “The company told me they were right-sizing me.”  Rightsizing – really?  How  stupid is that?  It reminds me of one of my other favorite stupid words from the recession – Staycation (If you aren’t familiar with a staycation it was something created by marketing people to suggest you stay home and have fun there on your vacation to save money during the recession).  I’ve let this sit in the back of my mind for a couple of days and I really can’t get past it… So I thought I’d share it with you. 

What do companies really think that they are doing when they tell someone that they are being right-sized?  Do they feel like it will somehow lessen the blow?  Are the consequences for the employee any different than someone being laid off, fired, terminated or downsized?  I don’t think so.  In my head I imagine a room of consultants sitting around discussing their next layoff having the following conversation:

Consultant A:  So the numbers look pretty bad… probably going to need get rid of another 100 jobs next month.

Consultant B:  OK – but how do we spin this?  We just did this three months ago…

Big Idea light bulb goes off above head of Consultant A

Consultant A:  I know!  We’ll call it rightsizing instead of downsizing.  Down has such negative connotations anyway.  Really, you can be down and out, down in the dumps, even down on your luck.  But right – who can argue with right.  Think how much better people will feel about it!  Plus we can tell investors that since it is right sizing we are being proactive in order to remain competitive and respond to industry trends.  This isn’t some reaction to bad numbers!

So maybe it didn’t go quite like that but still I feel that the term is designed to make the company feel good and has no real tangible impact on the employee.  In fact, I imagine that it probably is even more of a slap in the face.  What – the company doesn’t have the stones to tell the truth.  We can’t afford to keep paying you or you just aren’t cutting it!  If you read my last article you will realize that I’m on a little bit an honesty kick right now. 

Full disclosure here.  According to some of the consultant’s websites I’ve gone onto they draw a distinction between downsizing and rightsizing.  Essentially they say that downsizing is just cutting staff to reduce costs and improve the organization.  However, Rightsizing is the act of strategically reducing staff to increase productivity and improve revenue.  So remember this everyone – if you think about something strategically you are doing something good, can call it something fancy and clear your conscience.  I also think that you all should know that I realize laying people off is a pretty real and unavoidable solution in comes cases.  Just don’t try and trick yourself into thinking you are doing something different than you really are.  Call a spade a spade!

Anyway, that was your daily dose of the deluded rantings of a recruiter.  What do you guys think?  Am I off base?

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!

Five White Lies that Cost People Jobs!

Five White Lies People Tell in the Interview Process that Cost You the Job

Hi there everybody!  I hope that you are having a great week.  This week I want to discuss an issue that I find to be really troubling.  Lying in the interview process.  We are continually taught that we need to shape the truth when we are interviewing so that we look as good as possible to a potential employer.  Often times people lie in the interview process or on their resume to get noticed.  At first it seems like a little white lie – nobody will get hurt… right?  This is only partially true.  The only person who gets hurt is you.  Often times when people tell these white lies they get hurt in two ways.  First, the company doesn’t believe it and they are no longer considered.  However, it is much worse when the company finds out about the lie on their own.  This typically leads to a loss of trust that ultimately ends with termination,  the rescinding of an offer or an abrupt end to the interview process.  The worst part is that it can be avoided by just telling the truth.

1.  It was a Mutual Decision

This is probably the worst euphemism known to man for I got fired.  Let me give you a quick pointer.  If your boss sits you down and says “I have to let you go” and you follow up with “Fine!  Well I quit anyway!”  It was not a mutual decision.  The same goes for when you hate a job, quit trying and then get fired for performance.  Essentially you chose not to do your job and got canned for it – again not a mutual decision.  The problem with this euphemism is that NOBODY BEIEVES IT! – It’s kind of like the dog eating your homework.  So… what do you say?  You need to own your situation.  Be honest about it.  Say something like, “You know – that job just didn’t work out.  I wasn’t a good fit for the company, but I learned what is right for me.  I also learned how to be a better employee because…”

If you want to read more about this subject check out this article I wrote last year:

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

2.  I’m still Employed

This is another place where people get tripped up.  There is a school of thought that if you are employed then they are somehow more desirable.  I’ve seen some studies out there about it that make cases both ways.  Personally I believe that it is a factor but usually not the deciding factor when looking at making a hire.  That said overcoming not being employed is much easier than overcoming lying.  But nobody will ever know… WRONG -  I tend to prescribe to Finagles Law – anything that can go wrong will go wrong.  Here’s the deal, it is a small world out there. Through the process of checking a reference or through a personal acquaintance there is better than a 50/50 chance that this will come out.  The second part of this thought comes from a unique situation that I see from time to time.  What if you employment status changes during the interview process?  Sometimes when this happens people feel like they shouldn’t tell the new company that their status has changed fearing that they will now look like damaged goods.  Just remember this – omission of the truth is the same as lying in the eyes of an employer. 

3.  I was Making this in Salary

This area is a little murkier because it is harder to prove what you were making in salary.  However, the lying problem is still there.  I see this rearing it’s ugly head in two ways.  First, I see people lower their stated salary expectations at the beginning of the process to get an interview and then share their real expectations when it comes time for an offer.  If the gap is significant the employer feels betrayed and the new job becomes in jeopardy.  The second area  I see this is when someone is underpaid in their current job (big shocker for some of you I know) and they pump up their current salary number in the interview to help their argument for more money in the new job.  Regardless of the situation lying about salary typically leads to problems.  You are better off setting your expectations honestly and making your argument from there.

For more on salary check out this blog post from last year:

Answering the Salary Question

4.  My Title was…

This one is much less a lie and much more stretching the truth that makes you look stupid.  I’ve harped on this over and over again in my blog and will continue to in the future.  If you are a receptionist – don’t call your self the manager of first impressions.  If you own your own small company of less than five people – don’t call your self the president or CEO – you are the owner.  Owner actually does a better job of encapsulating your duties as  I assume that an owner does the duties of the controller, HR manager, CFO, COO and janitor.  This one is probably less about honesty and more about reality.  I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen people lose jobs over titles as much as others but I feel that sometimes if you put something on your resume or say something in an interview that makes you look silly it comes back to haunt you.

5.  My Education level is…

This one is pretty cut and dry.  You attended a school and graduated or you didn’t.  Some companies have strict requirements about this and others don’t.  The fact of the matter is that if you put a college on your resume and in little words write – attended – it’s the same as lying.  You are putting it on your resume to try and trick people into believing you got degree from there.  Please understand that this isn’t a judgment one way or the other on the value of a college education and whether or not it is relevant to getting a job.  I have some interesting thoughts on this that I’ll share another day.  The facts are that some companies require this and when you intentionally try to trick them by putting something on your resume it will hurt you more often than not.  I can’t tell you how stupid I feel when I have to go back to a company and tell them that there wasn’t something wrong with the background check.  Our candidate indeed doesn’t have a degree but that it is somehow the company’s fault for making an assumption that there was a degree when the candidate wrote this on their resume:

Education

University of Iowa                                Iowa City, IA

2008 – 2012                                        Business

It doesn’t go over so well.  If you are so concerned about it that you feel the need to lie then do something about it.  Go get a degree or be prepared to discuss why you don’t need one and how your experience trumps it. 

That’s all I’ve got for this week.  As always feel free to leave me comments or send me an email at sthompson@insurance-csg.com.  

Check out some of my recent articles on the blog here:

Five Dumbest Mistakes You can Make in an Interview

Five Things Employers Do in the Interview Process that Suck

The Four Skills that Every Insurance Account Manager Needs to Succeed in Their Career

So You Got Fired…  What Do You Say in an Interview?

Five Things You Should Know When Working with a Recruiter

Ten Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Self Defeating Job Search Moves

Forward Emails:  The Silent Job Search Killer

Six Biggest Challenges Faced by Insurance Producers

Back to Basics:  Five Interview Tips You Need to Follow

Answering the Salary Question

The Four Worst Interview Tips

Five Biggest Resume Mistakes

Five Keys to a Great Resume!