What is the first question students ask about when they hope to start work at a brokerage? It isn’t the rate of pay or the hours.
“When I conduct interviews with young people, I ask if they know what a brokerage is,” says Traci Boland, the owner of Ontario West Insurance Brokers in London, Ont. “They have no idea. And surprisingly, their first question is ‘what do you wear in an office?’ They don’t have a concept of what business attire is. I have to tell them no flip flops… it is something that we’ve had to put into writing.”
Despite the hurdle of wardrobe, Boland is a great advocate of bringing on high school students into summer job positions at Ontario West – having got her start with the Young Brokers Council through the Independent Brokers Association of Ontario.
“I’ve been a broker for 10 years. It was my father’s brokerage when I started working part time,” she told InsuranceBusiness.ca. “We do personal lines, smaller commercial. And we always bring on summer students – but those I select are handpicked.”
Boland estimates that out of a field of 10 candidates, there are two that are suited for the industry – and there is a learning curve for those who are taken on. (continued.)
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“I am always able to find two amazing students each summer,” says Boland. “But it is usually their first time in working in an office. I have had to discuss their resumes with them, tell them how important it is to catch spelling mistakes – but my goodness, I’ve seen atrocious grammar and spelling from some of the adults who send resumes. I am truly shocked by some of them.”
Part of that learning curve for students includes more than just presenting themselves properly through their office attire, but in how they communicate with coworkers and the public.
“You have to tell them there is no short form, no social media acronyms used in conversation while they are greeting clients,” she says. “And I almost always have to tell them to speak up and assert themselves when they are on the phone. That is the one thing I’ve noticed – so many are shy and introverted.”
Although the training and educating of summer students can be a hurdle, the plusses far outweigh the negatives, says Boland.
“From the perspective of a small brokerage or business, it is really beneficial,” she says. “Summer students do the jobs that a lot of staff at a higher salary are unwilling to do. And they are able to use their school knowledge in the office. I think I’m tech savvy, but I’m not up to grade. They teach me every summer: ‘Here’s what you can do on the website, here’s what you can do with Pinterest’.”
Aside from the infusion of computer and social media knowledge, there is an intangible that only youth can bring into what can be a staid office atmosphere. (continued.)
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“It is fabulous to have youth in the office – it really livens up the workplace,” says Boland. “It is so nice. In the summer, being holidays, it is great to have that support staff available – the filing, taking phone calls; it is so nice to have that backup when people are on holidays.”
And of course there is a financial benefit too: cheap labour.
“They are doing it at a lower cost and it isn’t extensive training,” she says. “And hopefully you turn somebody around – we had that person for a year, she was amazing.”
Companies large or small that take advantage of this pool of summer labour understand that both the business and the student benefit from the relationship.
“We’ve had great experience with it, working with the college and local high schools,” she says.
“I know the teachers, and they recommend to the students that there are opportunities out there in the insurance industry. I love it.”
