Trade Association Launches www.insurancecareersnow.com, DVD, and E-mail Campaign Targeting Graduates and Students Still Considering Career Options
KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--May 15, 2007--With more than 60 percent of the country's graduating seniors still looking for that perfect job to jump start their careers, the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) wants young people to know that their industry offers excitement, opportunity, and work-life balance. To coincide with graduation, as well as summer break for juniors and seniors, the association is launching a nationwide initiative to recruit young people to the dynamic $30 billion segment of the insurance industry. The Association represents firms that provide insurance protection to high-risk businesses or individuals.
�I started college working towards an engineering degree but it just wasn�t for me,� said Randy Doss, a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe and now a successful young wholesale insurance broker with a large national firm, CRC Insurance Services, in Houston. �I took one insurance class and it was like a light bulb went off. I fell in love with the surplus lines business and haven�t looked back since.�
To attract more young people like Doss � especially those that may not be considering careers in insurance � in May, NAPSLO, the surplus lines industry�s major trade association, has launched a website � www.insurancecareersnow.com. On the website, young people can find information on the industry, available jobs, career paths and much more. The Association also offers an online video featuring interviews with young insurance professionals, and other industry information, to college career centers.
�We know that this industry offers significant advancement and financial opportunities for bright, hard-working young people,� said Bill Newton, President of NAPSLO. �We want to do all we can to help young adults discover everything this industry has to offer. We believe that whether a young person is passionate about business, the environment, social issues, sports, entertainment or virtually anything else, our profession can provide a great career and the opportunity to put that passion to work."
As part of the NAPSLO Career Initiative, industry representatives identified what college students and recent graduates wanted from a career. Key findings included:
* Ability to incorporate a passion for a personal interest or social cause into their work;
* Opportunity to advance based on merit � not just years of experience � and the chance to gain experience that could help them start their own business;
* An interesting and exciting workplace environment � not the �same old� day in and day out;
* Strong financial rewards and compensation commensurate with their efforts; and
* Desire to incorporative creative thinking into the every day workplace.
Leaders within NAPSLO believe many of its member companies offer these kinds of benefits. According to Newton, as an entrepreneurial industry, there is considerable job flexibility and a chance for rapid advancement. Plus, as a highly innovative segment of the insurance industry, surplus lines offers a dynamic environment and the chance to use new ideas to develop ground-breaking insurance solutions for businesses. In terms of compensation, starting salaries are competitive with most other professional service industries. Some young people in wholesale broker positions earn six figures within a few years of graduating.
Students with a wide range of educational backgrounds can be successful in the surplus lines business. The industry recruits graduates with majors in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, Economics, Technology and especially Liberal Arts. Types of positions available range from account management and brokers to marketing and finance.
The surplus lines industry provides insurance coverage to businesses and other organizations that find it difficult to secure insurance through traditional channels. Often called the "safety valve" of the insurance industry, surplus lines fills the need for coverage in the marketplace by insuring high severity or non-standard risks. For additional information on careers in the surplus lines industry, go to www.insurancecareersnow.com.
About NAPSLO
The National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices, Ltd. (NAPSLO), located in Kansas City, MO, is a national trade association representing the surplus lines industry and the wholesale insurance marketing system. Founded in 1975, NAPSLO is now the authoritative voice of surplus lines. Acting as a source of information, NAPSLO spends a great deal of time identifying and explaining to regulatory, other segments of the insurance industry, the media and the public the vital role surplus lines plays in the insurance industry. For more information, visit www.napslo.org or call 816-741-3910.
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Contact:
Brenna Harrington
Marketing Strategies Group
For the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO)
770-338-0357
[email protected]
