In order to post an Agent Aspirant job, you first need to make sure you have access to the Agent Aspirant program. If you do have access to the Agent Aspirant program, you will see a link to visit your Aspirants page in your navigation.
In this article:
- Getting access to State Farm's Agent Aspirant program
- Posting an Agent Aspirant job
- How CareerPlug calculates the mileage between zip codes
- Reviewing Agent Aspirant profiles
- Best practices for working with State Farm Agent Aspirant candidate
Getting access to State Farm's Agent Aspirant program
The first step in gaining access to the Agent Aspirant program is to submit a "letter of understanding," which is a 5-minute online form that State Farm Agents can access through the ABS. After you have submitted your letter of understanding, State Farm corporate must approve it, and then they let us over at CareerPlug know that you have been approved for the Agent Aspirant program.
At that point, we will add the Agent Aspirant program to your account. You'll get an email from us letting you know that new features have been added to your account, and you can now post an Agent Aspirant job posting as well as recruit Agent Aspirant candidates via the Aspirants page of your CareerPlug system.
Please note that it may take a few business days from the time that you submit your letter of understanding to when these features are added to your account. You will be contacted by CareerPlug when you are added to the Agent Aspirant program.
Posting an Agent Aspirant job
Once you have the Aspirants link in your navigation, visit your Jobs page and click the plus icon (+). If you want to build your own posting, click Create Blank Job.
In the resulting pop-up, select Use State Farm Agent Aspirant Job Post Builder and click Create Job.
If you choose Use a Job Template, you'll want to select the Agent Aspirant Template.
After you choose the job title, you will be prompted to edit the job posting. When you click Save Job, this job will be sent to the major job boards and TeamMemberJobs.com (like your other jobs). In addition, unlike your other jobs, this job will be posted to AgentAspirant.com.
Note: If you have a free CareerPlug account, your Agent Aspirant job will only be posted to AgentAspirant.com.
How CareerPlug calculates the mileage between zip codes
The formula used to calculate the distance between zip codes involves using the center point latitude and longitude of each zip code and inputting those into the Great Circle Distance formula. This is a complex formula, and we have software that calculates these distances for us.
What does this mean for you?
If you're unsure if an area in which you are searching for candidates falls within the search radius that you selected on the Aspirants page, don't be afraid to expand the radius a bit to make sure that you don't miss any potential candidates.
Reviewing Agent Aspirant profiles
On your Aspirants page are candidates who’ve created profiles on AgentAspirant.com, have expressed interest in the Agent Aspirant Program, and want to be contacted by a State Farm Agent to learn more about opportunities in an agency. They do not know about your specific agency or opportunities. You should treat Aspirant candidates as warm leads. To review applicants that have submitted their profiles on AgentAspirant.com, go to your Aspirants page.
Click on the radius drop-down box in the top right-hand corner of your screen to narrow or expand the distance from your office that our system will use to display nearby submitted profiles. Once your distance filter is set appropriately, you can review a candidate's resume and Agent Aspirant Profile by clicking on the candidate's name.
If you would like to contact a candidate to let them know about the opportunity at your Agency, go back to the main Aspirants page and click Email Candidate or Call Candidate. This will give you easy access to their email address and phone number.
Once mutual interest has been established with a candidate, click the Move to Applicants link (with the green thumbs up icon) to the right of candidate's name. This will transfer that candidate to your Applicants page, and you may begin moving them through the hiring process.
If at any point you decide a candidate is not a fit for your agency, click the Move to Inactive link (with the red thumbs down icon) to the right of the candidate's name. This will move that candidate to the Inactive tab of your Aspirants page.
Keep in mind that candidates who have submitted their profiles on AgentAspirant.com can be seen by every agent participating in the Agent Aspirant program. If you see a candidate you like, you will have the best results by picking up the phone and calling them as soon as possible.
State Farm Agent Aspirant profiles - where they come from
Candidates who’ve created profiles on AgentAspirant.com have expressed interest in the Agent Aspirant Program and want to be contacted by a State Farm Agent to learn more. CareerPlug directs candidates to AgentAspirant.com from colleges and universities.
CareerPlug posts Agent Aspirant opportunities on college and university job boards across the United States to find recent graduates with sales inclination and potential. We currently post to about 200 universities and colleges, including schools with high ranking sales programs. These candidates can then apply through our posting and their information is submitted to AgentAspirant.com.
Best practices for working with State Farm Agent Aspirant candidates
The Aspirant profiles on your Aspirants page are candidates who’ve created profiles on AgentAspirant.com, have expressed interest in the Agent Aspirant Program, and want to be contacted by a State Farm Agent to learn more about opportunities in your agency. They do not know about your specific agency or opportunities.
You should treat Aspirant candidates as warm leads. Follow these best practices to recruit candidates on your Aspirants page.
Call instead of email
You may not be the only agent contacting these candidates, and taking the time to call will help you stand out. Calling Aspirant candidates instead of emailing them often yields better results.
Sell your opportunity
These candidates have not seen your job posting yet, so a conversation with you is their chance to learn about your opening. This also gives you the chance to quickly evaluate if they are the right team member for your office while allowing them to do the same. If they are interested, click the Move To Applicants link beside their name so that you can then invite them to take assessments and move them through the hiring process.
Make it personal
Address the candidate by name as often as possible. Talk specifically about why you noticed them. Tell them why you feel their skills and experience would be suited for the job.
Frame the cons with the pros
If you are going to mention any negative aspects of the job, such as long hours or weekend work, be sure to frame them with the rewards of working in your office.
Ask for an interview
At the end of this first phone screen, you will be able to gauge the candidate’s interest and ask them to come in for a formal interview.
Call multiple people
It’s important to call as many of these strong candidates you find. Also, a quick call could reveal something that moves one of these resumes straight to the top of the stack.