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The Human Element of AI Transformation

Discover ways to effectively navigate through AI transformation. Only 4% of companies say they’re creating real value from their AI investments. The key differentiator is how well organizations manage the human side of implementation. 

Download the white paper to explore best practices for taking a human-focused approach as you lead through change.

Competing for Technology Talent

Technology talent continues to be in high demand as insurers work to enhance customer experience, increase operational efficiency, personalize their offerings and compete in a quickly evolving environment.

Read our blog post for ways to be strategic and intentional in overcoming this talent challenge and effectively appealing to candidates within the technology space.

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Q1 2020 Labor Market Study Results Infographic

The results of the first quarter iteration of the 2020 U.S. Insurance Labor Outlook Study are now available. The study, led by The Jacobson Group and Aon, examines insurance industry labor and hiring trends. View this infographic for the highlights.

Goal Setting: Taking a SMART Approach in 2020

As we near the end of February, it’s an ideal time to reflect on your department’s 2020 goals and expectations. Has your team made any progress toward achieving those goals? Are you on track to hit milestones? It is easy for employees to get distracted by smaller, but perhaps more pressing, tasks throughout the workweek. If your longer-term goals have been moved to the back burner, you’re not sure how to measure your team’s progress, or you’re not aligned with enterprise-wide initiatives, it’s time to reevaluate the goals you set at the beginning of the year. By taking a fresh look, you can redefine those goals to make them strategic, SMART and positioned to make a larger overall business impact. It’s likely you’ve encountered SMART goals at some point in your professional career. To review, these are goals created with the following criteria: Specific - Think through who, what, when, where and why as you set your goals. Make them as specific as possible.  Measurable - How will you know when your goal is accomplished? This should be stated in a way you can tangibly measure.  Attainable - Given the timeframe and your resources, is this something you can accomplish? If so, how will you get there?  Relevant - Make sure your goal is a priority and will have an impact once you accomplish it. How will meeting your goal impact you? Your team? Your company? Timely - Have a timeframe for meeting your goals. This may mean breaking a larger goal up into smaller pieces to ensure it remains a priority. The SMART goal framework should be at the foundation of the priorities and activities you set for your department or functional area. By creating SMART goals for your employees, you’ll be able to set your team up for success and generate the greatest impact. With this in mind, also consider the following in your goal-setting process. Larger Business Goals To be most relevant and impactful, your team’s goals and priorities should be working toward larger goals set by the department and company. If you haven’t already, take a look at your organization’s enterprise-wide goals for the year and analyze how those goals cascade down to your department or function. What part of each goal is your team responsible for? Is it a particular percentage of revenue? Helping to get a new product or project off the ground? Determine the role your team plays in meeting overall business goals and build your department goals from that information. Then, define the activities that need to occur in order to move the needle. This could be reducing the time it takes to complete certain tasks, implementing new project management systems or increasing customer satisfaction ratings, to name just a few. Once these goals and activities are clearly defined, consider the contributions each employee will need to make in order to collectively achieve them.  Sense of Employee Ownership Employees should always be advancing the goals of the company. Once your department goals are set, ensure employees also have clear and personalized individual goals for the year. By setting SMART goals for your team members, they will clearly understand expectations and have well-defined paths forward. Explain what the company is trying to achieve, how your team’s goals support those goals, and the pieces each employee is responsible for. Encourage employees to participate in creating their goals; proactively ask for their ideas and feedback, while ensuring the goals are clearly understood and agreed upon. Build excitement by highlighting how employees’ individual contributions support the success of the larger department and company. And, ensure they know their specific roles are a valuable component of the overall organization’s success. Checkpoints and Celebrations  Once you set goals, it’s important to periodically check in on your team’s progress. Afterall, it’s much easier to course correct if there are six months left in the year than just a few weeks. Your checkpoints may be monthly, quarterly or before major milestones. Consider each of the specific goals and how much guidance and support an individual employee may need. At the same time, celebrate reaching major milestones or tracking ahead of your initial projections.   Goals are not meant to be set and forgotten. Clearly define how you expect to grow from the past year and the activities that need to take place to reach your 2020 goals. As a manager, it’s important to understand what the company is aiming to accomplish and your team’s responsibility in meeting those goals. Keep the larger business picture at the forefront as you prioritize projects and ensure all employees are clear on how they can make the greatest organizational impact.

2020 Actuarial Trends

The actuarial field is expected to see a variety of new trends this year. From technology redefining actuarial roles to the tight recruiting climate, the actuarial function must adapt to a changing industry. Learn which upcoming trends will drive the industry forward this year.

2020 Underwriting Trends

The underwriting field is expected to see a variety of new trends in 2020. From technology redefining the role of the underwriter to the tight recruiting climate, the underwriting function must adapt to a changing industry. Learn which upcoming trends will drive the industry forward this year.

How to Write a Resume – An Insurance Careers Month Video Series

This post is part of The Jacobson Group’s Insurance Careers Month 2020 video series. The series features our own Millennial bloggers providing their insider perspectives into why insurance is a great career choice and how to get started in the industry. In this installment, Shelby Kling, senior marketing communications coordinator, shares how to write an effective resume. This video was originally posted on our Jacobson Journal blog in 2018, when Shelby was assisting our executive search practice, and these tips still hold true today. Every February, insurance professionals and companies celebrate Insurance Careers Month with the goal of sharing why they love insurance and inspiring more people to join the industry. Learn more by clicking here. Join the conversation on social media with #ICM2020 and #InsuranceCareersMonth. Check back soon for more videos in the series.

Jacobson Employee Spotlight – Feb. 2020

Every February, insurance professionals and companies celebrate Insurance Careers Month with the goal of sharing why they love insurance and inspiring more people to join the industry. As a proud founding member of the Insurance Careers Movement and partner of #ICM2020, we’re dedicated to our employees and their professional development and growth.  Each month, we highlight a couple of our corporate employees as they share a bit about themselves and their roles. Get to know these individuals below. You can view previous editions of our Employee Spotlight here. WINNIE LI Account Manager, 3 years, 8 months at Jacobson Hometown: Chicago, Illinois Alma Mater: DePaul University Describe Your Role: As an account manager for our contingent workforce solutions team, I strategically engage with our clients and candidates to provide exceptional service throughout each partnership.   Favorite Thing about Jacobson: I always look forward to our annual celebrations. It is great to see everyone and catch up with our remote employees. Jacobson in Three Words: Collaborative, Inclusive, Energetic Surprising Fact about You: I love to cook any and all dishes. Favorite Weekend Plans: I would be at Target telling my fiancé we need one thing and leaving with a full cart of items but not with the one item we needed.  TYLER WILSEY Human Resources Generalist, 5 years at Jacobson Hometown: Niles, Illinois Alma Mater: Columbia College Chicago Describe Your Role: I am involved in various cross-enterprise projects. I onboard our new internal employees, manage internal benefits, and am Jacobson’s corporate trainer and project manager.   Favorite Thing about Jacobson: I love hosting Jacobson’s new hire orientations and being the first friendly face our employees spend time with.  Jacobson in Three Words: Dynamic, Collaborative, Competitive Surprising Fact about You: I love to sing. I met my wife in a choir we were in together. Bucket List Item: I want to travel to Costa Rica to visit Territorio de Zaguates, a cageless dog sanctuary. Learn more about Insurance Careers Month by clicking here. Join the conversation on social media with #ICM2020 and #InsuranceCareersMonth.

Taking Stock of Your Succession Plan in 2020

As we enter a new decade, most professionals are reevaluating their career paths and setting career goals. This may mean taking on continuing education courses, getting in line for a promotion or even evolving their management strategies. However, it is important that leaders also think about the future of their organizations. When is the last time you took a thorough look at your succession plan? Is it up to date? Have your organization’s goals and needs shifted since its initial creation? The industry, as well as its employment landscape, is continuing to evolve. Technology and automation are redefining roles, new roles are being created (such as “head of wearables” or “chief automation officer”), and Baby Boomers are retiring at a steady pace. In fact, CEO turnover is at the highest level in nearly 20 years and the majority of insurers would be unable to replace their CEO in the event of an emergency. In today’s fluid employment market, succession planning is much more involved than in the past and the best future leaders are not always an obvious choice. Organizations must account for a number of factors including new business goals, individuals’ personal aspirations and needs, and flight risks. A well-developed and comprehensive succession plan should look several years into the future and account for any critical roles and skillsets. Recently, our senior vice president of human resources, JoJo Harris, and senior vice president of executive search and corporate strategy, Judy Busby, penned an article on creating comprehensive succession plans that will contribute to long-term organizational success. They expounded on the following areas: Creating both a succession plan and a replacement plan. Planning for future goals and needs. Including your most critical roles in your plan. Involving employees in the process. Continually re-evaluating your needs. To learn more about putting these best practices into action, along with how prioritizing succession planning can help meet your business goals, retain top performers and lay the foundation for ongoing success, read the whitepaper, “Prioritizing Succession Planning for Long-Term Success.”

Prioritizing Succession Planning for Long-Term Success

In today's competitive market, succession planning is often delayed in response to more immediate business needs. However, now is the time to prioritize creating comprehensive plans that will contribute to long-term company success.

Insurance Kicks Off the Big Game

The Big Game is on everyone’s radar this week. No matter which team you’re rooting for, you can thank insurance for being a major player. From media liability concerns to personal injury coverage, insurance is an MVP in making the Big Game happen. Here are a few of the most interesting insurance facts for the biggest football event of the year. Insuring the big game is a massive financial and time-intensive undertaking. From advertising liability to prize indemnity, insurance makes the big game great. Have any interesting facts about Sunday's game? Share them with us in the comments below.

Resume Writing for all Stages of Your Career

As recruiters, we commonly get questions from candidates at all career levels around how they can improve their resumes. What should be included? How should employment gaps be handled? How can they best stand out from other well-qualified individuals? Everyone has resume anxieties at some point. However, a well-constructed resume is often the first step to getting your foot in the door at your dream company. It can also serve as a valuable professional development tool, enabling you to review your career roadmap, connect the dots within your story, and identify any experience gaps that may need to be addressed. Here are a few ways to compile a resume you’ll feel confident sharing, no matter where you are in your career. New Graduates and Entry-Level Professionals When applying for entry-level positions, it’s understood you may not have a surplus of applicable work experience. Instead, try to leverage your skills and convey your passion for the industry. The less experience you have, the shorter your resume should be; in this case, that likely means one page. Share your school and major, including your GPA if it is particularly impressive (such as graduating magna cum laude). Include specific courses only if they are outside of your degree and apply to the role. For instance, if you majored in finance, it’s understood you completed the necessary finance courses. However, if you took a relevant course outside of your major, such as a coding class, you may choose to include it. Extra curriculars can also be omitted unless they’re relevant to the role and/or demonstrate leadership qualities. For those seeking their first professional roles, gaps in employment history are standard and expected. Holding a summer job that ended when the school year began or interning for semester-long periods are common. When reviewing your work history, think through how your experience, even if it’s limited, relates to the types of roles you’re aiming to secure. For instance, if you seek a customer-service oriented role, draw a connection to how working at a grocery store built and strengthened that skill. Experienced Professionals As a mid- or late-career professional, approach your resume from the lens of the role you want, rather than your current role or past positions. For instance, if you are an underwriter who wants to move into project management, you will want to highlight different accomplishments and responsibilities than if you’re aspiring to a more senior underwriting role. When you’re established in your career, your resume can extend past one page, as long as the information you provide is still relevant and concise. Include key skills and areas of expertise, speaking to position highlights rather than a laundry list of responsibilities. If you performed the same task in multiple roles, don’t waste resume real estate repeating it under every position. Instead, include relevant projects, skills and business impact. It’s also not necessary to include what the actual companies you worked for do, unless you ran your own business. Be forthright with any employment gaps in your career history, rather than trying to avoid them. If your time off was related to professional development, such as training or pursuing an advanced degree, don’t hesitate to include that in your resume. Your goal is to introduce yourself to an employer and showcase well-edited, easy-to-read highlights. Those Reentering the Job Market In today’s employment landscape, it’s not uncommon for individuals to step back from their careers for a few months or years. Personal reasons, advanced degrees, health issues and sabbaticals all commonly come into play. However, reentering the job market can be daunting. In this case, the reverse chronological resume format may not be the most effective. Consider segmenting your resume by experience, rather than dates. Include a note in the summary section of your resume explaining that you are passionately seeking to reenter the workforce. Share how you have kept up with relevant skills during your time away from the industry. Be transparent with where you currently stand in your professional life and what you want your next steps to be. General Resume Best Practices While there are a few unique considerations for tackling your resume at different career stages, several universal best practices hold true: Keep it up to date. Your resume isn’t just a necessity for job applications. It can also be used for networking, internal career discussions, thought leadership opportunities and your own personal career mapping. By maintaining an up-to-date resume, you won’t be scrambling when you eventually need it. Tailor your resume to the role. As a general rule, you should have versions of your resume geared to each different type of position you are interested in. However, if your dream job becomes available, take some time tailoring it to that specific position description and aligning your experience and skills to those desired in the role. Connect your skills to the job. If there’s a particular position you are interested in, a cover letter can help connect your skills to the specific role. However, this can also be done through a summary section at the top of your resume. Include a short paragraph or bullet points to provide a snapshot of your skills, your experience level and where you want to be in your career. Edit your skills list. Keep your list of skills as relevant and targeted as possible. Leave off programs like Word, but do share proficiencies such as advanced Excel. Avoid listing vague skills such as communication and organization, instead sharing that you’re a green belt in project management or a member of organizations like Toastmasters. Make it reader friendly. People should be able to look at your resume and understand where you’ve worked, how long you were there, your title and your contributions. Focus on following a uniform and consistent format for readability. Include your education. Share your school and relevant certificates at all career stages. Recruiters may be looking for someone who holds a certification in a certain state and often use alma maters to source this information. Proofread. You’ve put a lot of time and energy into your resume. Don’t distract recruiters and hiring managers with typos and misspellings. Ask your friends, mentors and other trusted individuals to review and provide feedback on your resume. No matter where you are in your career or job search, there are benefits to a well-constructed, comprehensive resume. Take this a step further by refreshing your LinkedIn profile. And, if you’re updating your resume for a job search, here’s how to prepare for a stellar interview.

Compass 13.1: Prioritizing Succession Planning in the New Year

In today's competitive market, succession planning is often delayed in response to more immediate business needs. However, now is the time to prioritize creating strategic and intentional plans that will contribute to long-term company success.

Jacobson Employee Spotlight – Jan. 2020

Happy New Year! At The Jacobson Group, we’re focused on professional development but also on work-life balance. Each month, we ask our corporate employees to share a bit about their roles at Jacobson and who they are when they aren’t at work. Take a look at some recently featured individuals below, and view last month's edition of our Employee Spotlight here. JULIE DUNN Engagement Director, 1 year, 5 months at Jacobson Hometown: Roselle, Illinois Alma Mater: University of Illinois at Chicago Describe Your Role: I lead the internal search team and partner with clients for the duration of their executive search engagement.  Favorite Thing about Jacobson: I love working with an amazing team of supportive, intelligent, fun people who are genuinely the best in the business. Jacobson in Three Words: Inclusive, Expertise, Supportive Surprising Fact about You: I am an Ironman! Favorite Weekend Plans: I am an adventurer at heart, so I never know where I might end up! One weekend I'm hiking; the next weekend I'm at a winery.  DIANA SHAY Assistant Vice President and Client Development Manager, 13 years at Jacobson Hometown: Peoria, Illinois Alma Mater: Loyola University Chicago Describe Your Role: I work very closely with clients and candidates to make successful placements. There are so many moving parts that it's impossible to get bored or not feel challenged.  Favorite Thing about Jacobson: I enjoy the the growth potential and that no two days are the same. Being able to work on a variety of roles with different clients is something I really love.  Jacobson in Three Words: Challenging, Collaborative, Fast-paced Surprising Fact about You: I love to cook and entertain. I don't know how to prepare for fewer than 20! Bucket List Item: I would love to go to Capri, Italy, with my daughter. TIM FRYE Administrative Assistant, 1 year, 5 months at Jacobson Hometown: Bourbonnais, Illinois Alma Mater: Loyola University Chicago Describe Your Role: I answer the main phoneline, direct calls and organize meetings. I also handle anything from interacting with building management to ordering supplies and catering. Favorite Thing about Jacobson: It's a really great environment, and I like everyone I work with. It's relaxed enough that you can be yourself but disciplined enough that work gets done.  Favorite Music: Anything by Blondie Your Superpower: Consistently bringing in the best catering options on time, every time Surprising Fact about You: I have a podcast! It’s called Dumb Nerd Thing. Each episode, I interview someone new about whatever they are nerdy about, from The Muppets to Norwegian metal to "The Office" to the art of dance. There’s my shameless self-promo. PAIGE HOOVER Recruiter, 1 year, 4 months at Jacobson Hometown: Palatine, Illinois Alma Mater: Kendall College Describe Your Role: My job is to source, recruit and submit candidates to our clients who utilize a vendor management system. I compete against multiple agencies working on solutions for the same positions. Favorite Thing about Jacobson: The quarterly update meetings. It's great that we come together to hear about successes and all of the new and exciting things that are to come. Jacobson in Three Words: Niche, Growing, Exciting Favorite Movie: Moulin Rouge  Bucket List Item: I would like to take a cross country road trip in a Volkswagen bus. If you’re interested in joining our corporate team, check out our open positions here.