Thursday, August 23, 2012

Commercial Claims Specialist – Baton Rouge, LA



My client is a well respected independent agency that is looking for a strong claims consultant to work with their insureds in their transportation practice.  In this role the claims consultant would help negotiate with the carrier on behalf of insureds, advise on losses and act as their advocate throughout the entire process.  They are looking for a strong outgoing personality that is comfortable with a wide variety of losses including theft, accidents, work comp and general liability.  

Our client is an independent insurance brokerage with a unique employment opportunity.  This position is part of the agency's ongoing commitment to client service and value added resources for larger, complex commercial clients they insure in the transportation industry. The agency insures a wide variety of businesses with significant property and casualty exposures that require claims consultation before, during and after a claim occurs.  As a Commercial Claims Specialist you're responsible for facilitating the agency's property and casualty claims.  You'll participate in client meetings intended to educate insureds on the claims process.  You'll also advocate on their behalf by working closely with TPAs and insurance companies to resolve claims in a timely, efficient and client focused manner.  

Commercial Claims Specialist Responsibilities:
Serve as a liaison between the client and the insurance company in all phases of the commercial claims administration process with a focus on the agency's commercial trucking clients.
Respond to requests for information and coverage verification from insured, insurance carrier, third party claimants and investigators.
Outside times of active claims you'll work closely with the clients to review claims histories, work to close outstanding reserves in preparation for renewal, provide education on the claims process, participate in renewal presentations and discuss ways the agency can provide resources to mitigate future frequency and severity issues.
Ensure the timely production of reports with claims narratives, large loss reports and E&O claim handling to the executive team.

Commercial Claims Specialist Requirements:
Bachelor's degree or commensurate experience.
At least five (5) years of broad exposure to property and casualty claims as an adjuster or agency claims specialist.  
Exposure to the following claims: property, auto liability, physical damage, cargo and general liability.
Ability to see the claims process beyond the transaction; can manage expectations and create an action plan alongside the agency's producers and the insured.

Please contact Scott Thompson for immediate confidential consideration and additional details.  Email:  sthompson@insurance-csg.com  Phone:  515-987-0242 x455  See our website at, www.csgrecruiting.com/ins_opportunities.htm for a complete listing of nationwide opportunities.

Capstone Insurance Search Group is a search firm dedicated to the insurance industry. We work nationally with expertise that spans top executives, middle management and technical level positions. We can provide assistance with a variety of product lines to include Property and Casualty, Life, Health, Disability, Annuity, Employee Benefits and Pension. Our services exclusive to the insurance industry: Traditional Contingency solutions, Contract Employees solutions, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and Customized Retained solutions. We will provide you with a service that is of the highest degree of confidentiality, professionalism and integrity.

KEYWORDS: commercial, property & casualty, claims; other title: Senior Claims Adjuster, Claims Consultant


Commercial Lines Producer – Louisiana



Our client is interested in continuing to perpetuate the growth of the agency through the addition of experienced producers.  The agency sees tremendous value in regional networking particularly in specialized industries.  Of interest to play off their current revenue would be individuals who have relationships with business professionals in the energy, transportation or construction industries.  Additionally, they are seeking individuals that are looking for more than just production and have a drive to teach and lead.  Our client has offices throughout the state and will consider in every location.


Our client is ranked a Top 100 brokerage with the knowledge and resources to insure a multitude of commercial and personal insurance risks.  They are a regional insurance agency with the capacity to provide programs for clients on a national scale. The Shreveport office is a centerpiece of their work in the region and they seek expansion in the employee benefits area.  Producers with experience working in the Louisiana or surrounding regional market will bring contacts important to growing a book of business.  Supported by key markets and existing infrastructure you'll be charged with seeking out relationships that lead to new business production.  

Producer Qualifications
Must offer direct sales experience working with group employee benefits or commercial products
Prior agency experience preferred with existing business contacts or a book of business

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 national opportunities.

Check out all of our postings here:


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




































Commercial Lines Account Manager – New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Shreveport, Lafayette


This is an awesome opportunity for a really sharp account manager that wants to work with an industry leader in transportation and trucking risks.  Ideally my client wants someone with a strong trucking background.  However, they are willing to look at someone that has been exposed to commercial auto and will also consider individuals willing to learn the niche as long as they have a strong middle market background.  Ultimately they are looking for someone with strong client facing experience that is comfortable handling a demanding book.


Our client is a large, independent agency with expertise to create insurance plans for a diverse group of industries.  They have offices throughout the Southeast and are recognized as leaders in commercial and group life & health programs.  They seek a professional Commercial Insurance Account Manager to join their transportation team. In this role you will manage and coordinate the business relationship with trucking clients and support the internal administration of the commercial lines department.

Commercial Account Manager Responsibilities:
Establish solid client relationships and manage the delivery of services along with answering questions from clients about coverage, billing, and endorsements
Identify important client needs as well as cross selling opportunities and effectively communicate those needs to the sales team
Coordinate the administrative activity of client accounts like certificates, id cards, and applications as they relate to renewals and claims

Commercial Account Manager Qualifications: 
At least three (3) years as a customer service rep, underwriter, underwriting assistant or account manager dealing with commercial insurance coverage.
Transportation/trucking account or large commercial auto fleet experience is helpful, however general lines middle market property and casualty  experience (over $100,000 premium policies) will definitely be considered.
Experience in billing, customer service calls, policy review, and renewal marketing.
Active Louisiana P&C license.

Please contact Scott Thompson for immediate confidential consideration and additional details.  Email:  sthompson@insurance-csg.com  Phone:  515-987-0242 x455  Fax 515-987-0004  See our website at, www.csgrecruiting.com/ins_opportunities.htm for a complete listing of nationwide opportunities.

Check out all of our postings here:


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



































Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Ocean Marine and Energy Account Manager/Underwriter - Baton Rouge, LA

This is a terrific opportunity for a strong marine person looking for a dynamic role.  Our client is one of the leading agencies in the gulf south region and they need an excellent person to be a key part of one of their largest books.  While they are an agency, they are most concerned about finding someone with a strong marine background and are willing to consider people coming from the carrier and wholesale side of the business.  This is a high profile position and the pay is commensurate.


Ocean Marine and Energy Account Manager

Our client is a progressive independent broker with deep roots in the Gulf Coast insurance community.  The marine practice has experienced such tremendous growth that this position, Senior Commercial Account Specialist, will be added so the agency can continue providing excellent service to its insureds.   In this role you'll serve as a critical component of meeting the account management marketing and relationship building needs of companies in the business of marine and energy.

Senior Commercial Account Specialist, Marine Responsibilities:
You'll assist a senior producer and Account Executive with pre-underwriting analysis, renewal preparation, written service execution, risk management implementation and market negotiations. You'll participate in all phases of the client management process which might involve policy and claims review, identifying coverage gaps, making policy changes and working through billing and finance issues.    
Frequently interact with the insureds providing prompt responses on questions, furthering the business relationship by building relationships with markets and meeting with insureds on occasion throughout the year.
 
Senior Commercial Account Specialist, Marine Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree is preferred; pursuit of continuing education and/or industry endorsements will be supported by the agency.
Active Louisiana P&C license or able to obtain one shortly upon hire.
At least five (5) years of property and casualty insurance experience with a detailed exposure to marketing initiatives and underwriting negotiations.
Previous work experience that will be considered:  commercial underwriter, agency account manager or wholesale broker particularly with an emphasis on handling marine risks.

Please contact Scott Thompson for immediate confidential consideration and additional details.  Email:  sthompson@insurance-csg.com  Phone:  515-987-0242 x455 Fax 515-987-0004  See our website at, www.csgrecruiting.com/ins_opportunities.htm for a complete listing of nationwide opportunities.


Check out all of our postings here:


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



































Thursday, August 9, 2012

Trashing your Employer in an Interview – 4 Reasons You are Better Off Leaving Your Mouth Shut



Good morning all!  I hope you are having a great week!  It’s a pretty cool time of year up here in Iowa as today kicks off our annual Iowa State Fair.  For all of you that haven’t heard – the State Fair is kind of a big deal.  Some claim it is the largest in the world (To be fair it is about the third or fourth largest after Minnesota and Texas – Thanks Wikipedia).  It is also home to a variety of unique food items on a stick and for the state of Iowa’s pride and joy – the butter cow!

One need not ask why we choose to sculpt things out of butter in Iowa.  We just celebrate it and move on!


Anyway, I’m excited to have a corn dog!

Moving on to the important stuff.  I was reading an article today about an interview with Ann Curry.  For those of you that don’t know, Ann Curry was the former anchor of the Today Show who was fired earlier this summer.  While I’m sure that there were many reasons that went into her firing, from the best I can surmise it has a lot to do with the fact that since Ann became the co-host the Today Show had lost a nearly two decade long hold at the top of the ratings.  However, in the latest article Ann shared that she felt she was fired because management didn’t like her choice in bright clothing, desire not to wear heels and resistance to dying her hair. 

This reminds me a lot of what I hear from people I talk to everyday that have been fired or let go.  They are angry and they start trashing their employer saying things like:
  • It was really their fault
  • My manager was out to get me from day one
  • They didn’t like X about me
  • It was such a horrible place I’m glad I was fired

Folks – this is just poor form and it will get you nowhere.  Below are four reasons why you shouldn’t trash your employer and what you can do instead:

1.  It makes you look delusional
I’m going to lean on the Ann Curry example here.  It may be true that they didn’t like what she was wearing every day.  She wasn’t fired for that.  Ann was fired because ratings were slipping and the company was in danger of devaluing a huge cash cow – in short they were going to lose money.  On that note – it doesn’t matter if she really was fired for her clothes the bottom line is that she and her product wasn’t performing and she wasn’t heeding the advice of her bosses.  Here’s the deal – there are very few occasions where you are fired and you did nothing wrong.  It’s usually a two way street.  Anyone that proposes that they were innocently sitting there doing a great job and just got whacked looks delusional.  Even if this is the case you are better off to take the high road.

2.  You can use it as strength by showing what you learned
This is really a continuation of the delusional conversation.  Instead of telling people how horrible your boss/company was you can instead talk about why you are better off for it and say something like this:
“Really this was a wake up call for me as it helped me realize I needed to be in a more sales focused organization.”

Or

“It made me take a hard look at my skill set and I realized that I was really good at X but struggled with Y – this is why I think I’d be great at this position.”

Look – for some reasons excuses are anathema in our society.  Nobody really cares about the explanation about why you failed.  Even if it wasn’t your fault.  What they want to hear is that you owned it and learned from it.  Personally, I think that this is kind of stupid.  However, this blog is about helping people get jobs not changing the world…

3.  It looks tacky and makes you look negative
This one is pretty simple.  If you come in to an interview and devote the bulk of your time to talking about how bad stuff is it will look really bad.  How bad?  Most people will assume that since you were willing to share this on your first meeting that things will only get worse.  Not the first impression you are looking for.  Furthermore, they will assume that you will rub off on others in the office.  You don’t want this stigma.

4.  They will assume that you will say the same things about them
To be honest, whenever I hear someone start going off about how horrible things like this was, I immediately start wondering what they will say about me when I don’t produce an immediate result.  What if I get them a result and they aren’t happy with it – will they tell everyone and their dog about how some jerk recruiter sent her to the worst job ever?  How many of those people will listen?  This is the kind of stuff that a hiring manager thinks too – ultimately they start to wonder how much damage someone could do to their culture.

Bonus:  When is it OK to share some of the bad things?
At the end of the day it may be necessary to level with your prospective employer about your situation and share some of the bad stuff.  This is something that needs to come out later in a second or third interview once you have established a rapport.  At this point you can share some the dirt.  However, you still need to frame it correctly and share it in a positive manner.  Essentially, you need to make sure that there is a reason for sharing it.  This could be answering a question about what you are looking for in a culture or even a direct question about leaving.  If you do have some bad stuff to say share like a reporter does – keep emotion out and move on to focus on the positives.

What do you guys think?  Email me or leave comments at sthompson@insurance-csg.com.

Check out all of our postings here:


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






















Friday, August 3, 2012

It’s the Little Things that Matter – Five Small Details you Need to Pay Attention to When Looking for a Job!



Hello Internet!  I’m back from last week’s hiatus and ready to help you get a job!  Things are going great here in Iowa.  We’ve cooled down from last week’s heat wave where I counted at least seven times that I got in my car and saw a temp of over 105!  It really is amazing how everything is relative – today it’s going to be 96 and people are acting like its fall.  Ahh the Midwest!  Last night we experienced one of the  cooler things in our little corner of the world – The National Hot Air Balloon Classic.  My kids loved it!



Today I’m going to talk about some of the little details that help you get a job.  Of course you need to have an awesome resume, finely pressed suit, strong linked in profile and the like.  This is all really important.  However, many people have all of these things and still don’t get the job even though they are more qualified than other candidates.  Why?  It’s because they don’t do the little things that set them apart.  Below are five little things you can do to enhance your profile and get the job:

1.  Learn how to leave a voicemail
Here’s the deal.  Your voicemail’s say a lot about who you are. The first thing you need to know is that most people hate voicemails.  I mean they really hate them.  What do they hate more than voicemails – really long voicemails.  The problem with voicemails is that you really can’t help your candidacy as much as you can hurt it.  A long winded, stream of consciousness, bland voicemail  will either make you look a) incoherent, b) boring, or c) annoying.  So, what should go into a voicemail?  A good voicemail should have three things:

  1. Your Name – Hi Rick – It’s Jenny
  2. The Purpose – I’m returning your call, I’m responding to your ad, I think you saw my number on the wall.
  3. Your number – Please call me back at 867-5309

A couple of other things on this matter.  If you need to get more info across, let them know that you will follow up over email. Finally, smile when you leaving the voicemail.  It will come through.

2.  Learn how to send an Email
Email has become so informal lately and while I personally think that this is bad for us as a society it is acceptable to use it as some sort of bastardized version of instant messaging between people you know well.  However, if you are emailing someone that you are looking to impress – you know because they are maybe going to hire you, you should probably put a little bit of thought into it.  At the end of the day you should treat email correspondence with a potential employer as a way to set yourself apart.  Here is what you need in an email:
  • Give a salutation – the simple act of acknowledging that the other person has a name will put you ahead of the masses.
  • Use punctuation and capitalization – I don’t care if you are typing on the world’s tiniest iPhone – you appear stupid and lazy when you don’t take the extra millisecond to capitalize my name or put in a period.
  • Write in complete sentences with paragraphs – first of all its really hard to read without them.  Secondly, if you can’t take the time to write a coherent, grammatically correct and fully formed message – how much do you care about this job?
  • Spelling – errors or relying on spell check make you look stupid

3.  Follow Directions
This one is really, really important.  If a company tells you to email them your resume.  Email it. Don’t mail it. Don’t fax it (If you are using a fax machine still…that’s a whole other problem).  Secondly, if the ad doesn’t ask you to call – don’t call.  I will tell you that there is some gray area here with calling.  If you are responding to a posted job advertisement with a company – you shouldn’t call.  The reason – the person conducting the search has other responsibilities than the search alone.  I can guarantee that there are so many other people calling that you will not set yourself apart in any sort of positive way. 
However, there are two areas where you can call.  First, if it is an independent recruiter like me – call away – these people’s jobs are to talk to people about getting jobs all day.  If they are bothered by your call – find another.  Secondly, if there isn’t an opening at a company that you want to work for and feel that your background would fit with them it is acceptable to call the hiring manager (or a potential hiring manager) and ask for permission to send them your resume.  Anyway, back to following directions.
While companies don’t put directions on an ad as a test it still acts as an informal test.  The inability to follow directions will lead the company to make some (possibly) inaccurate assumptions about you.  Some things that they might surmise from this:
·        You don’t respect authority
·        You can’t read
·        You think you are smarter than the rest of us
·        You can’t do basic computer skills (this is for you faxers out there)

Anyway – I’ve written more about this subject before and you can read about it here:


4.  Cover Letters
It’s time for a dirty little secret.  Generally speaking the odds of someone taking the time to thoughtfully read your cover letter is virtually non-existent.  Yet – companies expect that you send one.  It’s just one of those stupid things that are a vestige from another time – like the fax machine.  So, how do you write a cover letter?  You need three paragraphs.
            The first paragraph should have about three sentences.  Introduce yourself, state the job you are applying for and where you saw it.  The last paragraph should be equally as short – it should thank them for their time, give them the phone number and email you would like to be contacted at and suggest an interview. 
            The middle paragraph is the most important.  It must be short  but powerful and use bullet points.  The paragraph should look something like this:
            I feel my experience would make me an excellent fit for this position.  Specifically when I worked at Initech I accomplished the following:
  • Organized paperwork using my Swingline stapler
  • Was the top producer of TPS reports in the company
  • Assisted in the removal of faulty office equipment
  • Successfully collaborated with a team to create a software program that made the companies finances more efficient

So – why should they be short?  It’s because there is an inverse relationship between the length of a resume or cover letter and the likelihood someone will read it.  In other words – people are lazy and busy and won’t take the time to read your cover letter if it looks like a chore.

5.  Short Answers
We live in a world where information is spoon fed to us in sound bites less than 30 seconds, messages with less than 140 characters, text messages and posts.  Why?  That’s all the attention span that our poor brains can handle.  When you are interviewing you need to know this and embrace it.  Now – I’m not telling you to start rolling out a bunch of LOL’s or BRB’s.  However, you need to limit how long an answer is and give the other person a chance to talk.  An interview should be a conversation – not a soliloquy or prepared speech.  So how do you do this?  It’s easy – practice and be conscious of time.  One tip I give people is to Google and find a list of the top interview questions.  Pick a couple of them and practice answering them in front of a mirror with a stop watch.  If you are under 2 – 3 minutes you are doing well.  If you are pushing five minutes or more – you need to get out more and get that out of your system.

That is all I’ve got for today.  As always let me know your thoughts on this and feel free to leave a comment.  Also feel free to email me directly at sthompson@insurance-csg.com.  

Check out all of our postings here:


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


































Thursday, August 2, 2012

Director of Administration & Client Service - Executive Benefits - New York City


I'm working with an awesome agency that is a niche player in a high net worth product geared towards senior executives of Fortune 500  caliber companies.  They are looking for an operations manager to oversee their service practice.  Our client offers a white glove approach that focuses on service first and needs someone that understands the needs and expectations of their clients.


Director of Administration & Client Service - Executive Benefits
Our client is a successful administrator of executive life and long term disability benefits to large employers. Designed to support a Fortune 500 company's insurance needs, the partnership develops, implements and maintains important voluntary insurance products to executive employees.  This position, Director of Administration and Client Service, will manage the company's administrative division which handles enrollments, client service and technology.  This requires a high energy, forward thinking professional who can be a mentor, a manager and a strategic leader for the company.

Director of Administration and Client Service Responsibilities:
Manage the day-to-day operations, quality standards and client service initiatives involved in individual executive disability enrollments and administration.
Solidify Best Practices and implement efficient processes to maintain a "white glove" standard for client service, balancing multiple long term disability enrollment functions with relationship building and communication.
Hire, train and set performance reviews with staff (account managers, CSRs and technology/database managers); make compensation recommendations; create annual budgets.
Participate in the company's executive leadership group; attend business development meetings and industry functions as needed.

Director of Administration and Client Service Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree is required; at least five (5) years of team leadership, supervisory or management experience.
Background in one or several of the following disciplines: disability (executive disability, short term or long term disability), life insurance, employee benefits or long term care.
Detailed understanding of voluntary benefits administration including enrollments, policy management and communication.
Outstanding attention to detail with a commitment to high quality service delivery catering to high earning executive business professionals.

Please contact Scott Thompson for immediate confidential consideration and additional details.  Email:  sthompson@insurance-csg.com  Phone:  515-987-0242  x455 Fax 515-987-0004  See our website at, www.csgrecruiting.com/ins_opportunities.htm for a complete listing of nationwide opportunities.