“I need to cancel my CareerPlug account.”

It’s a voicemail Senior Customer Success Manager Eric Morales never wants to hear. Eric’s main focus at CareerPlug is to help our clients succeed in their hiring journey. When a customer moves on from CareerPlug, Eric is the last point of contact. He aims to understand their reason for moving on and offers them a route to return to CareerPlug when their hiring needs change. Their conversation usually focuses on tying up account details and going over next steps for whenever the client wants to come back.

But this cancellation voicemail was different. Eric continued listening to the message: “I’m retiring after 50 years as a State Farm Agent.”

As the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) partner for State Farm, CareerPlug serves thousands of State Farm Agents in their hiring journeys every year. Eric took this voicemail as an opportunity to learn some lessons from an esteemed State Farm Agent with 5 decades of insurance experience. He knew how valuable it would be for other Agents, and he seized the opportunity to capture some nuggets of wisdom from a CareerPlug user. The Agent graciously agreed, and spent an hour talking with Eric. Below are the 3 biggest career tips from their conversation:

Build your book of business.

In a State Farm Agent’s world, success does not happen overnight. It can take years to build up your book of business. Setting a good foundation in those first crucial years will continue to pay out in the long run. Invest in your clients by providing them great service and earning their trust. When your clients trust you, they stay with you for years and even sing your praises to others. You might have to work harder in the first few years, but your hard work will continue to pay off as your tenure grows.

Understand that it’s not a paycheck, it’s a career.

Bringing in new business doesn’t mean much if you don’t provide great service to keep it. Take care of your clients and you’ll be able to grow the business you’ve already earned instead of constantly focusing on bringing in new deals. As your business grows, you’re going to want to hire staff who, like you, are dedicated to a career and not just a paycheck. Which leads to the next point…

Find good people and keep them.

Working in an Agent’s office takes a special kind of work ethic. The right candidates focus more on their growth potential and less on immediate gratification. It can be tricky to find these people, but when you do, they’ll be with you for years.

5 ways CareerPlug can help you find the best candidates for your jobs:

Pre-approved job templates ready to go as soon as you sign up

Our pre-approved job templates keep you compliant as soon as you create your account. You don’t have to worry about crafting the perfect job posting — we’ve done it for you!

Fast track the most qualified candidates using pre-screen questions

Successful State Farm Agents use pre-screen questions to fast track the most qualified candidates, helping them hire the best applicants — before someone else does. Pre-screen questions allow you to immediately surface top candidates who meet your highest standards.

Job postings that are easy to share with your network

While CareerPlug already posts your jobs to popular boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter, your network is your most powerful asset as an Agent. You have spent years cultivating it for your business, you can also use it to attract potential candidates. Easily share your job postings via social media using CareerPlug’s ability to post jobs to outside sources.

Pre-built Assessments designed to separate good from great

When the candidates start rolling in, you may want to get a feel for their personality or other skills. CareerPlug provides easy-to-use assessments that you can send directly to candidates before you ever sit down for an interview.

Passive job postings keep your options open

You may not be hiring at the moment, but it’s still a good idea to create a passive job opening so you can attract quality clients and garner interest in your agency. Consider maintaining an open job posting so you can keep the hiring conversation going even when you’re fully staffed.

“At some point we all need to retire, and I’m happy this State Farm Agent has had a full career with a great company like State Farm. The fact that he took some time to pass on his learnings to the next generation shows his commitment to his State Farm family. At CareerPlug, we’re committed to making hiring easier. We know how hard it is to find good candidates, and, with regulations and other licensing requirements, State Farm Agents face particular hurdles in the hiring process. I hope these key takeaways can help all State Farm Agents hire better.”

– Eric Morales, Senior Client Success Manager

What hiring difficulties do you have as a State Farm Agent?

Learn more about how CareerPlug can help you make the right hires for your agency by requesting a free consultation with one of our Hiring Experts today. Who knows – maybe in 50 years, you’ll be passing on your career tips to the next generation of State Farm Agents!