12 th Annual GIJOBS.COM U.S. $3.99

Transcription

1 12 th Annual 2015 DECEMBER 2014 GIJOBS.COM U.S. $3.99

2 ABOVE AND BEYOND THESE EMPLOYERS GET IT: YOU MAKE THEIR BUSINESS BETTER. THAT S WHY THE 2015 MILITARY FRIENDLY EMPLOYERS WORK SO HARD TO RECRUIT AMERICA S VETERANS. BY DAN FAZIO 2 G.I. JOBS DECEMBER DECEMBER GIJOBS.COM MILITARYFRIENDLY.COM MILITARYFRIENDLY.COM GIJOBS.COM DECEMBER G.I. JOBS 3

3 2015 MILITARY FRIENDLY EMPLOYERS Chat with Joseph Pennington about his tour in Iraq and you might wonder how a Navy Seabee ended up working at an insurance company. It s simple, really. He capitalized on the skills the military taught him that had nothing to do with the business end of a hammer: leadership, motivation and discipline, among others. The recipe worked so well for Pennington, 34, that Combined Insurance asked him to build an entire military recruiting program on it from the ground up. Five years later, the results are in: Combined Insurance earned the top Military Friendly Employer ranking for Being named the #1 Military Friendly Employer is a tremendous privilege and we are honored to be recognized for our initiatives, says Brad Bennett, Senior Vice President of ACE Group and President of Combined Insurance. But more importantly, not only does it mean we are doing things right, it also means we are doing the right thing to help our nation s veterans find meaningful employment. More than 2,000 prior military have found meaningful employment at Combined Insurance since the company launched its military program in Like Pennington, few were insurance experts when they came aboard. FAST FACTS # of employees: # of veteran hires: % of new hires in last year that were military or veterans: WHERE THEY SERVED HOW THEY RANK ENLISTED Joseph Pennington, Director of Military Programs, Combined Insurance Age:34 Military Service: Petty Officer First Class Operation Iraqi Freedom/war on terrorism, U.S. Navy Seabees ( ), Rating: SW1 OFFICER 4 G.I. JOBS DECEMBER 2014 GIJOBS.COM

4 2015 MILITARY FRIENDLY EMPLOYERS Brad Bennett, Senior Vice President of ACE Group and President of Combined Insurance Combined Insurance understands that most transitioning service members have little or no experience in the insurance field, so we take the independent work ethic and leadership experience veterans possess and combine it with our comprehensive insurance and sales training to build a foundation for a successful career, Pennington says. It s a successful formula, one that s worked well for other Military Friendly Employers on the 2015 list. These employers earned their place on the list by recognizing the competitive edge that transitioning military give their companies. The talent, skill and experience veterans bring is priceless, and the Military Friendly Employers have invested considerable time, money and personnel to build military recruiting and retention programs, as well as policies to accommodate Guard and Reservists who continue to serve. Collectively, the 189 Military Friendly Employers on the 2015 list hired more than 155,000 post-9/11 veterans in the last year, proof that corporate America has an insatiable appetite for hiring veterans. We know veterans have very desirable traits and skills they can lead and be led, they are responsible, disciplined, and dedicated to helping others, Bennett says. These qualities, the skills and experience that veterans offer, are a tremendous asset to our company and make them well-suited for our industry. Their discipline and work ethic make them successful as agents and their leadership skills make them outstanding managers. That s why Combined Insurance hired Pennington, a former petty officer first class, in 2009 to build its military recruitment and retention program. The company had been in business for more than 90 years but didn t have a formal program. The first thing Pennington did was develop a policy that allowed recruiters to assess a service member s military background and match it to a position with the company, even without experience in financial services. For example, a Seabee may have never sold insurance, but they do have the independent work ethic, leadership experience and integrity that we look for in our employees, he says. We provide training, but experience a service member receives in the military is invaluable. SCHOOL Combined Insurance Company of America SCHOOLS EMPLOYERS EMPLOYER TOP 100 military friendly employer RANK: 1 TOP JOBS FOR VETERANS IT Specialist Customer Service Manager/Rep Business Administrator & Professional Services Sales Rep & Business Development Finance Services & Accounting FRANCHISE FRANCHISES TOP 100 EMPLOYERS TOP 100 EMPLOYER DATA COLLECTED AND WEIGHED. COMPANY CHOSE NOT TO PUBLICALLY DISCLOSE. TOP REGIONS FOR HIRING IN 2015 Dallas Chicago New York City Fort Bragg, N.C. Atlanta CITY CITIES What They Do: Combined Insurance is a leading provider of individual supplemental accident, disability, health and life insurance products and an ACE Group company. YOGA STUDIO % OF EMPLOYEES WHO ARE VETERANS YOGA STUDIOS 42% 2014 NEW HIRES WHO ARE VETERANS 6 G.I. JOBS DECEMBER 2014 GIJOBS.COM

5 2015 MILITARY FRIENDLY EMPLOYERS Today Combined Insurance has a staff of military recruiters that attended well over 100 hiring fairs nationwide in 2014, recruiting transitioning military for positions as sales agents, territory managers, market directors, recruiters and for administrative roles. The military team works with state and county veterans representatives to recruit transitioners, as well as nonprofit organizations like the Non Commissioned Officers Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce s Hiring Our Heroes. The company and its employees also support a variety of military-focused initiatives, including Snowball Express (helping children of fallen soldiers), Hiking Heroes, Luke s Wings and VFWs and VAs in the Chicago area near its Glenview, Ill., headquarters. As the war in Afghanistan draws to a close, America s attention is likely to drift from its returning veterans to other issues. But Military Friendly Employers like Combined Insurance will continue to build military programs that will welcome home the nation s veterans with rewarding civilian careers. It s good for Corporate America, and it s good for veterans. We consider it a privilege to provide them with a high earning potential opportunity that helps them achieve their post-military professional, financial and personal goals, Bennett says. Why did you pick this career? It suits my personality. I love people and this job is all about working with and helping people, which is what I like to do. I laugh every day and go to work with a smile on my face. How d you get your job? I had my resume online and a recruiter from Combined Insurance called me. What worked best in your job search? Putting a good resume out there and making sure I put my best foot forward. Taking input from others and putting it to use helped too. Joshua Boyle, Account Executive, Combined Insurance Age: 25 Military Service: Specialist (E-4), Army Reserve (2011-Present) MOS: Human Resource Specialist (42 Alpha) Education: Associate degree, radiology technology, Westmoreland Community College, 2013 What do you do? I help clients with their accounts and claims, as well as prospect for new customers who may be interested in supplemental insurance coverage. What didn t work? Impatience. I expected to get a job overnight, but I learned that things don t happen overnight. What s the best thing about your job? Interacting with my co-workers and helping people. Not many people can say they help people in their jobs. I get to help people. I have the greatest job in the world. What s the biggest challenge? Working independently can sometimes be hard to keep your motivation up. But I ve learned that if you keep plugging away, good things are going to happen. Best advice for transitioning service members? Don t be afraid to do something out of your comfort zone. 8 G.I. JOBS DECEMBER 2014 GIJOBS.COM

6 EMPLOYERS EMPLOYER Combined Insurance President, Brad Bennett accepts Victory Media s Top Military Friendly Employer award from Sean Collins, vice president of Victory Media (publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine). From left, Art Kandarian, retired U.S. Army colonel and vice president of sales for military markets, Combined Insurance; Sean Collins; Brad Bennett; Joseph Pennington, retired U.S. Navy and military programs director, Combined Insurance. (Photo: Business Wire) TOP 100 EMPLOYERS TOP 100 EMPLOYER Combined Insurance Honored as No. 1 MFE Combined Insurance received the Top Military Friendly Employer trophy from Victory Media during an award ceremony Feb. 23 at The Pritzker Military Museum and Library in Chicago. Noted guests included U.S. Congressman Bob Dold and U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly, as well as state and county officials. U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, YOGA STUDIO who could not attend, provided congratulatory remarks via video and written notes. In November 2014, Combined Insurance was ranked number one on Victory Media s (publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine) 2015 list of Top 100 Military Friendly Employers. This was the company s fourth consecutive year on the list, the third time in the top 10 and its first time as number one. This is also the first time an Illinois company has won YOGA STUDIOS the first place honor during the ranking s 12-year history. I want to congratulate Brad Bennett and his Combined Insurance team for making such a large commitment to hiring new veterans, said Sen. Kirk as part of his video remarks. It really warms my heart to see the leadership of the company standing behind the men and women of our armed forces. I haven t heard of an employee story this good in a long time. 10 G.I. JOBS APRIL 2015 GIJOBS.COM

7