OVERCOMINGHIRING

“Where someone worked last or what education they have doesn't tend to predict what a person is likely to do on the job," he adds. “If you cut candidates based on knowledge and experience, you end up getting candidates that are just like other people in the industry, and there aren't that many of those people out there in the labor market."

“Maybe a Starbucks shift manager has applied for one of your roles with no insurance experience at all but a proven track record in a customer-facing role," Waldowski says. “If you've got an assessment outcome that shows the candidate's going to thrive in a service or a sales position, you should consider them. It's about looking at the individual instead of saying, 'Oh, a person that came from this background probably can't do this.'"

“A lot of what folks are doing can be taught, but it's good soft skills that are hard to come by," St. John agrees. “If you're hiring a college student, or that amazing server at a restaurant who has just the right disposition, the only thing you have to go on is their behavioral characteristics."

Big “I" Hires has several tools for screening both behavioral and knowledge tendencies: IdealTraits and Caliper both offer behavioral assessments, Big “I" Hires DIY Hiring Toolkits includes an ideal candidate profile for multiple agency roles, and VMB's hiring in insurance testing services (HITS) offers knowledge tests.

While behavioral testing is the name of the game today, resume gaps are out of vogue. “A lot of employers historically view gaps in employment as a huge red flag, but I think they should look differently at that," St. John says. “If nothing else, the times have shown us that balancing family and life can be challenging. Gaps in employment, particularly for mothers, have disadvantaged them in the recruiting process."

“If I receive an application with a nine-month resume gap, I'm more concerned with how responsive, communicative and professional they

Continued from page 39 are during my screening process than I am about that history gap," Waldowski says. “Talk to them first before passing on them because of that."

Ultimately, whether a recession raises unemployment rates or the job market remains squeezed, “these practices should be used in every market condition because it's not just about hiring a person, it's about hiring the right person," Waldowski says. “If you're advertising accurate ads, engaging with your candidates and offering opportunities to folks that have the skills and are a good fit, that's going to be your recipe for success."