New Graduates: Are you Unemployed or Underemployed? Consider Combined Insurance!
An interview with a recent college grad who is glad he did
A recent report on the labor market outlook for young graduates paints a fairly bleak picture. Because of the Great Recession, young graduates have disproportionately elevated unemployment rates and stubbornly stagnant wages. The unemployment rate for under 25 was 9.3% in May 2017 compared to an overall unemployment rate of 4.3% for all ages.1 The number of young college grads who were considered “underemployed” was 12.6% in February 2016.2
Combined Insurance plans to hire at least 1,600 new agents by the end of 2017, and we encourage any of these unemployed or underemployed young people to consider pursuing a career with us!
I spoke to one of our agents who just graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and am sharing his answers to help encourage anyone who feels that there’s something better they could be doing, and who have never considered sales.
Nick: How did you find out about the opportunity at Combined Insurance?
Jaspyn: Lee Isley, the Market Director in Greensboro reached out to me after finding my resume on Indeed. I had just graduated college in August and was looking for my first career. At first the idea of sales sounded challenging, and to hear it was 100% commission was a little scary; but after talking to Lee and learning about the training, incentives, and benefits the career had to offer, I decided to give it a try!
Nick: What is your favorite part of working here at Combined?
Jaspyn: Many things come to mind such as the income potential, the incentive trips, and the monthly PMA bonuses. Your income is strictly based on your performance, which I really enjoy. Within my first four months as an agent, I won the Grand Diamond Jubilee trip this year located in Cancun. Seeing all of the other successful individuals who won the trip, I became aware of the fact that I had really accomplished something making it there. I then realized that a career in sales fit me.
On a more personal level, hands down the reason I go to work every day is to interact with my clients. I have the ability to make an impact within their lives. Seeing how Combined can help families cope with the unexpected and the role I play making that happen, makes my job well worth it.
Nick: Tell us about some of your favorite customer experiences.
Jaspyn: My favorite experiences have been helping policyholders find the coverage that best suits their needs. I have seen how our products can really help people, especially when something like disability happens and a policyholder needs some extra help with basic expenses like rent and groceries. . Sometimes we all seem to forget the impact our products have in our clients lives.
Nick: Would you recommend Combined Insurance to other new graduates?
Jaspyn: Yes! I don’t think any other job right out of college can give you the opportunities that Combined and sales has to offer. Your performance dictates your salary, whereas any other entry-level job out of college will start you off making $30-40,000 year. Currently I am on the path to double that salary and I am growing into a leadership role. Hopefully by 2018, I will be a Sales Coordinator running a small team. In my opinion, no other career can offer you such quick advancement based strictly on performance.
Nick: What advice do you have for a new sales agent starting their career at Combined?
Jaspyn: It’s all about your personal activity. If you have 5+ appointments every day and give 5+ presentations every day you have an excellent chance of being successful in this career. It’s also about maintaining positive mental attitude (PMA), staying highly motivated, establishing goals and obtaining your sales from a variety of sources such as leads, referrals and cold calling. Starting out, it was very difficult for me to consistently meet the sales goals I set for myself each week. But once I started to follow and learn the system Combined provides, I soon became one of our top agents in the Greensboro office.
Nick: What are your goals here at Combined?
Jaspyn: For the remainder of 2017 I have quite a few goals, here are just a couple of them:
- To achieve Senior Account Executive Status
- To win all the incentive trips (Las Vegas Program, Grand Diamond Jubilee, Panama Annual Trip)
- Obtain my first Grand Diamond
- Field recruit 3-4 individuals for my team
- Become a Sales Coordinator by January 2018
Nick: Finally, how did working at Combined change your life?
Jaspyn: The ability to pay off my student loans and to help provide for my mom and family is by far the best thing this career has given me. From the initial training to the incentive trips, this career has opened many doors for my life and on a career path that I couldn’t have even imagined.
Got what it takes? Give us a try
Helping people find that they can achieve more, make more and do more is personally an incredibly satisfying part of my job as a recruiter. If you’re looking for your opportunity to DO MORE, this may be it. Check out our openings today!
References:
1 U.S. youth unemployment rate: May 2017 | Statistic. (n.d.). Retrieved July 05, 2017, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/217448/seasonally-adjusted-monthly-youth-unemployment-rate-in-the-us/.link opens in a new window
2 The Class of 2016: The labor market is still far from ideal for young graduates. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2017, from http://www.epi.org/publication/class-of-2016/.link opens in a new window