The Big I Virginia Summer 2022

STATE NATIONAL DIRECTOR
MICHAEL F. FUNKHOUSER
mikehm@shentel.net
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BIG ‘I’ HIRES TO FIND TALENT
In survey after survey that the IIABA conducted, the
need and request from members was always the
same: “Our agency needs help attracting talent!” In
fact, 44% of respondents to the 2018 Agency Universe
Study cited the inability to find new, qualified employees
as their number one issue.
Out of this need, Big “I” Hires was born. I can’t state it any
better than the “About Us” section of the Big “I” Hires
website:
Big “I” Hires is a program developed by the IIABA, and is
intended to be a comprehensive solution to finding and
recruiting new talent, then onboarding them with ease.
It was created as a one-stop resource for independent
insurance agencies to attract, identify, assess and train
top performing Producers and CSRs. An array of tools and
online resources are available for members to allow them
to find the right hires for their agency with a few simple
clicks!
The beauty of Big “I” Hires is that it doesn’t use a “one size
fits all” approach.
The “DIY” hiring toolkit guides you through the entire
hiring process from preparing your search, through
screening, and ultimately hiring and onboarding. The kit
includes sample job descriptions, job postings, interview
questions and template, sample offer letter and
confidentiality agreement, and four-week learning
objectives. These kits are available for targeting
both Personal and Commercial Producers and CSR’s
alike. The employer is responsible for posting their
job opportunity and descriptions to job boards, and
handling the recruiting process. Member price per
position is $99. Member price for a complete kit with
all positions is $299.
Because resumes and interviews may not give true
insight into the potential employee, other tools are
available to help you assess your candidate. Caliper
personality testing, technical knowledge testing, and
sales call reluctance testing are available as well, and
will help narrow down your search.
If a more robust hiring approach is needed, Big “I”
Hires has partnered with IdealTraits, a true recruiting
platform that streamlines the hiring process from
start to finish. It allows you to post your job offers
to multiple job boards in one submission, receive
candidate resumes, and organize hiring into stages.
Access to assessment tools is also included, so you
may identify and hire the best fit. Subscriptions to
this service are offered in 90 day at $449 per location,
and an annual plan at $949 per location.
Further details can be found at bigihires.com .
Big “I” Hires provides IIAV members another “arrow
in the quiver” to attract the best in the industry to
your agency!
10 THE BIG I VIRGINIA SUMMER 2022