CU Denver Program Bearing Fruit...

Back in September 2010 I had put up a posting announcing a partnership between Pinnacol Assurance and the University of Colorado at Denver Business School to create a new Risk Management and Insurance Program.   Traditionally, those interested in formal education programs in insurance would look to the East coast or the midwest for their schooling. With this first of its kind program in Colorado the Pinnacol/CU partnership would offer local students the chance to study and explore careers in insurance. Back then I wondered about who the first graduates of such a program would be.

The program is now bearing fruit as you'll see in the following video from the CU Denver School of Business. The first graduates are entering the job market and finding positions where they will help chart the future course of insurance.



The video details the journey of Jocelyn Horton who recently graduated from the program and is now working at ISU Insurance Services of Colorado. Congratulations to Jocelyn! We hope to see many more candidates like you in the years to come.

Strategic Nurse Case Manager Opportunity!

I was looking at my records and we haven't had an opening for this position in quite a while. The manager of one of our Large Account teams notified me this afternoon that she is looking for a Strategic Nurse Case Manager to join her group.

This is a critical position at Pinnacol as nurse at this level manage some of our more complex claims.  This position works with team members to identify and resolve complex medical and claims issues, establish adequate reserves, stabilize benefit payment, and achieve wherever possible full and final closure. The Strategic Nurse Case Manager also provides medical expertise relative to the handling of complex and catastrophic medical claims. 

All of our nurses perform self-directed, professional level work in a fast paced team environment as they interact with injured workers, policyholders, and providers.

The successful candidate for this position will have 6+ years case management experience primarily in workers’ compensation and as you might expect requires a current Colorado RN license.  If you are interested in this position please submit an application on-line at www.pinnacol.com/careers.

A Rather unique Employee Referral...

Pinnacol, like many companies, has an employee referral program that rewards current employees for referring great talent to us for consideration. Usually these are folks that our employees know fairly well - friends, former co-workers, and close acquaintances. This morning I received a rather unusual employee referral from Susan, one of our Strategic Nurse Case Managers. She had seen a segment on CBS of a young man recently out of work who was taking a creative approach to his job search. Rather than sit at home and submit on-line applications all day, this gentleman was literally pounding the streets looking for a job. I'm sure he was a pleasant surprise for rush hour commuters used to seeing folks asking for a handout at intersections. Instead, he was armed with a smile, a business suit, a stack of resumes, and a sign proclaiming "I don't want your money, I want a career". Every job coach will tell you its important to be able to differentiate yourself from the rest of the multitude of candidates, but this was certainly taking that advice to a new level. Fortunately this young man, Jason, is on LinkedIn so it was easy to find him. And yes, I did invite him to connect and to touch base regarding a possible interview - not so much because of his initiative, which I do admire, but because one of our employees recognized a potential star and brought him to my attention. Thank you Susan!

Job Search Panel at Right Management

As a recruiter for Pinnacol Assurance I get to occasionally attend sessions geared toward providing tips and insights to job seekers. It's one of my favorite things to do, and this afternoon the folks at Right Management (a special tip of the hat to Nicole for coordinating this event) were nice enough to include me on one of their panels. Every one of these sessions is unique, but the tips shared really apply to anyone in the market for a new opportunity.

Quite candidly, I usually end up learning as much as I share at these sessions both from the audience as well as from my fellow panel members. Today's panel was very diverse. Joining me today were Benji from Great West, David from TW Telecom, Jill from Centura, and Josh from Baxa. While Pinnacol has been recognized as a great place to work these folks really did a nice job at presenting their companies in a very positive light.

One thing was similar to other panels I've sat on - ask 5 recruiters the same question and you'll get five different answers. That's not all bad and I hope part of what today's audience took away is that there is no one right way, no magic bullet if you will, when it comes to searching for a job. Some of the things shared that we all had in common -

• Your resume remains a critical weapon in your arsenal of job searching tools. There was the inevitable debate about what format is best, with no consensus reached, but we all agreed that it should highlight some of your accomplishments as well as give us information on what you've been doing and where you've been working. One great tip I picked up from Benji and Jill was their suggestion to put your acomplishments not necessarily at the top of the resume but tie them chronologically to where you were working. That way the recruiter doesn't have to guess about where or when your accomplishments took place. All of the panel was in agreement that typo's and grammatical errors on a resume are one of the quickest ways to get it into the "Do Not Consider" pile.  
• Make yourself easily accessible. There was some discussion about whether it was better to just list one phone number  or several. There was agreement that if we, as recruiters, try to contact you its best to have your phone on as if you are expecting the call, and if our call has to go to voice mail to make sure to check your messages regularly and respond quickly. Jill mentioned she's seeing  a trend where candidates don't put their full contact information on their resume, presumably on the belief that things like address and area codes might make us aware that you are not a local candidate.  I've started to see a few of these myself and its not something I would recommend. Keep the physical address and phone on the resume along with the e-mail address. Again, make yourself easily accessible and don't make us guess or search for information we need about you.
• Follow-up after the interview! As a panel we were pretty unanimous on this one. While recruiters need to explain the process of what happens after your interview (if they don't, ask!) the reality is that recruiters are dealing with large numbers of candidates and may not be able to touch base as frequently as you might like. Send a Thank You to everyone you interviewed with; if you didn't get the e-mail addresses of all those you met, send the Thank You to the recruiter and ask them to pass it along to the other interview participants. Follow up by phone or e-mail with the recruiter several days aftwards to check on your status.
• LinkedIn was a hot topic at today's session. As Josh from Baxa said, if you are not on LinkedIn then shame on you. I would add that its not enough to simply put your profile up and then forget about it. The value of LinkedIn is in its ability to connect you to people you know, and introduce yourself to people you don't. Reach out to your connections and try to develop a relationship where you can be of some assistance to them, and they in turn can help you (if there is a better definition of "networking" I don't know what it is).
• Soft skills (such as the ability to provide outstanding customer service to interact effectively with all sorts of people) are important. Several of the companies today mentioned that these interpersonal skills may actually supercede technical knowledge in many hiring decisions.

Some of the panel member's organizations have tens of thousands of employees. Jill, from Centura, pointed out that they are the State's 3rd largest employer behind King Soopers and Walmart. Some of the other company's represented on the panel, including Pinnacol, have fewer than a thousand employees. Some of my counterparts have hundreds of positions open at any given time whereas in a normal year Pinnacol may only hire 50-100 new employees. The way each of us approach trying to actually hire all those people may vary, but one thing is certain - we are all looking for the best possible candidates we can find for every position we fill.

Thank you to Nicole and all my fellow panel members as well as to the attendees at today's session. I hope they got as much out of the session as I did!

Underwriter opportunity now available!

We have a new opportunity to join one of our teams as an Underwriter to write and price workers’ compensation insurance policies, review and resolve policy problems, and proactively manage a book of business.

Insurance Underwriters basically analyze risk and determine the price of a policy that will cover that risk. In workers' compensation, risk (the likelihood that someone will get hurt) is primarily determined by the type of work a company is doing - running a trucking company versus a ski area, building homes versus drilling for oil, etc. Every type of job you can imagine has a unique risk associated with it. 

Our Underwriters occasionally travel to attend meetings with agents and policyholders. Successful candidates will have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. Though not required, some related experience in property/casualty insurance underwriting with direct experience with workers’ compensation insurance would be a plus. Strong interpersonal, customer service, analytical and presentation skills are defintiely required.  

Underwriting, along with claims handling, is at the heart of what every insurance company does so the current Underwriter opening represents a true career opportunity for the right individual! If interested, please complete an application on-line at www.pinnacol.com/careers.

Write It Right: One Word or Two?

Some of the trickiest word choices involve the age-old question, "Is it one word or two?" In a few cases, the one-word versions aren't words at all. Take a look at the following examples.

a hold — means "in one's grasp or possession." You've really got a hold on me.
ahold — not a word. Don't use.

a lot — an informal phrase meaning "many." The audience had a lot of questions.
alot — not a word. Don't use.


Not to be confused with:
allot — means "to give or apportion something as a share or task." Let's allot our time carefully.

all right — means "good." We'll be all right if we stick to our plan.
alright — a questionable word at best. Some dictionaries list it with the same meaning as "all right," but Pinnacol's communications "bible" — The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook — says to "never" use. We agree with the AP recommendation.

all ready — means "ready"; the word "all" is often unnecessary. I'm (all) ready to go.
already — means "by now" or "prior to." We've already completed that project.

all together — means "together in a single group." Let's sing it all together now!
altogether — means "completely" or "in all." The concept was altogether ridiculous.

any one — means "any single thing or person." Any one of our ideas would have worked.
anyone — means "any person." Did anyone remember to turn off the lights?

any way — means "any manner or method." I don't see any way to finish the proposal.
anyway — means "regardless." Let's try to finish it anyway.

every day — means "each day." He's been late every day this week.
everyday — means "normal or routine." He's also been slow to learn his everyday tasks.

every one — means "every single thing or person." I could have tried every one of those desserts.
everyone — means "all the people." Is everyone ready to begin?

Thanks to Collin, our senior communications specialist, for suggesting this month's topic and to Michelle who every month puts together the "Write It Right" series.

A Winter Wonderland

For our readers in Colorado who woke up to a surprising amount of snow and ice on the roads for the morning commute it was anything but a Winter Wonderland, although I did marvel at the physics in operation as I watched an RTD bus sliding down a slight incline on one of our major roads just missing several cars trying to pass.

You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief as people successfully arrived at whatever location they were heading for. So with all that going on I almost didn't avail myself of my lunchtime exercise. Pinnacol actively encourages employees to be physically active during the work day. I could easily have been tempted to opt for the on-site (and inside!) fitness center, but with the sun just barely starting to peak through the clouds at our location at lunch I threw on the coat and headed out into the elements.

At first I questioned the wisdom (or was it lunacy?) of braving the cold and wind but the Lowry community in which our headquarters is located  offers some very nice walking paths, trails and parks near our building. Its always nice to get out and get some fresh air and today I made first snowy tracks on some of the trails that would normally be filled with walkers, joggers, and cyclists. Arriving at one of the local parks I stopped for a moment to just enjoy the equisite silence of a snowy January day. Looking around I appreciated how different the landscape looks under a mantle of white, and with the clouds coming and going overhead even the whiteness was taking on various hues and textures.

I don't normally take pictures during these excursions but for those of you dreading the commute home this evening I thought I'd share a cell phone shot I captured as I returned to the office. I know our commute home won't be much more fun than it was this morning, but with all of that, the world is still a very beautiful place.

Pinnacol Foundation Scholarship Program now accepting applications!

The Pinnacol Foundation provides scholarships to the children of Colorado’s injured workers and is now accepting applications for the 2012-2013 school year with an application deadline of March 31, 2012.

Since its inception the Pinnacol Foundation has provided scholarships to children whose parents have been killed or seriously injured in work-related accidents. The scholarships can be used for vocational training or college, including graduate school.

“We are proud to have awarded nearly $2 million in scholarships to Colorado students since 2000,” said Carole Sumption, chair of the Pinnacol Foundation. “These are students who have faced significant obstacles in their pursuit of post-secondary education because of the loss or serious injury to a parent. Through the Foundation, these individuals will have the opportunity to maximize their talents and achieve their educational goals.”

Last year the Pinnacol Foundation awarded $579,000 to 136 Colorado students for college or vocational training. Scholarships are funded through the donations of Pinnacol stakeholders and other friends of the Pinnacol Foundation. Award amounts vary, but the average scholarship is approximately $5,000 for each school year.

To qualify, students must be the natural, adopted, step-child or full dependent of a worker killed or seriously injured in a compensable work-related accident while employed by a Colorado-based company, regardless of insurance carrier. Students must be between the ages of 16 and 25 at the time of application.

If you know of someone who might qualify and benefit from the scholarship please have them visit www.pinnacol.com/foundation or call 303-361-4775 for more information.

How to complete an application in our new system...

At the start of January we brought online a new application system for candidates interested in being considered for positions with our company. I thought I'd share some insights and helpful tips for folks interested in submitting their application in the new system.

The first step is to simply review the list of current openings on our company website (http://www.pinnacol.com/careers/current-opportunities). Here you will see the title of the position and a brief synopsis of the position.

If you see a position you are interested in applying for you will click on the application link (https://rew11.ultipro.com/PIN1003/JobBoard/ListJobs.aspx) which will take you our on-line job board where you will actually complete the application.

Click on the title of the position you are interested in and it will bring up more detailed information including the full job description. From this page you can click on APPLY ONLINE to submit your application or SEND THIS JOB TO A FRIEND to forward the job announcement to someone you know.

When you click on APPLY ONLINE it will ask you to create a new account, or simply sign in if you already have an account. When you first create your account the system will ask you to copy and paste your resume and then will gather some additional basic information. The online system will retain your information so you will need to enter most of it only one time.

Once you have created your account, click on the NEXT button at the bottom of the page to continue to fill out the application. The next screen begins the true application. My recommendation is to completely answer every question asked and I can tell you from reviewing thousands of applications each year it always raises red flags when questions are left blank.

Clicking on NEXT takes you the screen which asks about education.

After this, the next screen asks about any Licenses or Certifications you might have. From there its on to the real heart of the application - your employment history. Don't make the mistake of assuming that because we have your resume you can fly through this page! I've blogged about this before, but everyone understands that resumes are sometimes embellished as they are really your personal advertisement, but what you enter on the Employment History screen should be 100% accurate and complete. We ask for 10 years of employment history. For folks just entering the job market (recent grads for example) we know you may not have 10 years experience. That's fine - just detail what you do have.

The NEXT screen will ask about additional specific skills you have (typing, computer software, bilingual etc.). The last question on this page asks you to describe any other skills, education, or experience that might help qualify you for the position you are applying for. This is a golden opportunity to sell yourself in your own words - so don't pass up on the occasion to do so!

Still with me? Good, because you are almost done! The next screen is going to ask you to list references - 3 people, preferably current or former supervisors - who will put in a good word on your behalf. This screen also asks you to list any of our current employees who know you, and yes, we do circle back with them to get their thoughts on why you would be a good fit for Pinnacol.

Clicking NEXT brings us to the third to last screen that will ask you to verify that the information you have given us is true and complete. Simply type in your name and date  and you are just two quick screens away from being finished!

The next screen will ask you how you heard about the position (were you referred by one of our employees, saw us on the internet, saw a job ad, etc.). Then you are on to the final screen which asks for voluntary self-identification (gender, military service, and ethnic background). You don't have to give us this information but we appreciate it when you do. This information is confidential and is not viewed by those reviewing your application for the position you are applying for.

At the end of the application when you are finished you should see the following screen pop up indicating  that your application has been received.

Done!

We know the new application takes a little longer than our old system but it really does give our hiring managers more complete information as they review candidates for their open positions. Thank you for your patience in completing our application and for your interest in our company!

Happy New Year!

And welcome to 2012! 2011 proved to be an interesting year, but in 20/20 hindsight what year doesn't?

We have several opportunities open already as well as a system change in how we accept applications from candidates. First the current openings:

• SIU Investigations Assistant. This position provides assistance to our Investigators as they investigate allegations of fraud and is responsible for conducting records research and obtaining documentation from courts, law enforcement agencies, and state and local entities. This position also obtains driving records, registrations, photo identifications, and driver's license applications, and conducts background investigations. The successful candidate must be assertive, thorough, and diligent in conducting the research necessary to obtain the required information. Two years in worker’s compensation insurance, investigations, or paralegal/legal/records research experience is preferred along with strong PC/software skills. This is an ideal entry level opportunity for recent graduates in Criminology. Travel within the state via personal vehicle is required so candidates must possess a valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance.
• Business Services Representative. Our BSR'smust be exceptionally customer-oriented as they provide administrative support to underwriters, claims adjusters, nurses, other team members while interacting with Pinnacol customers via the phone. This position often leads to promotional opportunities within our company. A High School diploma or GED is required, and candidates with some college or a college degree are also encouraged to apply. The position requires strong PC/software skills, math aptitude, excellent communication and customer service skills and be able to type 35 wpm.
• Software Quality Analyst. We are looking for an experienced Software Quality Analyst to test business intelligence software applications and other systems using defined quality control and quality assurance methodologies to ensure a high level of software quality. This position is part of our Decision Support team and will measure quality and identify defects, using a variety of testing techniques in accordance with pre-developed test plans. Documents and logs all defects using Pinnacol’s systems for quality assurance, work management, and project management and performs risk analysis for assigned projects and develops test cases, including the selection of testing techniques, to mitigate risks. The position requires Bachelors Degree in computer science, information technology, or related field, or equivalent experience on a year-for-year basis along with 3+ years in testing and QA. Work with SQL and a solid understanding of relational database concepts is also needed and experience in automated testing is a plus.
• Business Intelligence Programmer. This position develops, maintains, and assists in the design of our business intelligence systems including, but not limited to, ETL scripts, html and java interfaces in Microstrategy and our mobile device applications. Position codes, maintains and assists in the design of data mart/warehouse tables, queries and metadata, tunes data mart/warehouse queries and other programs as required, and works with our Application Services and Data & Network Services teams to create and maintain interfaces between data marts/warehouse, information tools and production systems. Candidates must be able to establish and maintain strong relations with Decision Support Services staff and internal customers. Position plays support role in DSS-related portions of IS Application Development projects, company-wide strategic initiatives, and business-focused initiatives. Candidates should possess expertise in, and the ability to mentor, SQL, PL/SQL and SQL*Plus, as well as have expertise in ETL practices, html and Java. Also required is a high proficiency in advanced SQL tuning, table creation, indexing and links along with proficiency in data warehouse theory and applications, and star schema (Kimball Model). Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience; computer science degree/MIS, business/economics or statistics preferred. Experience with Oracle and/or other relational database management systems, the use of database query tools using SQL, working with data warehouse design, 3+ years related experience in Programming is required.

That's quite a mix of opportunities, from investigations, to business team support, to business intelligence and all in the first week of the year!  Something else that happened this first week of 2012 is that we switched our Candidate Application system. The new system will streamline our getting candidate information in front of hiring managers for their review which is a good thing for all concerned! It will also streamline the process for candidates by allowing all applicants to complete an actual application that will now be stored and can be edited as you apply for different positions with our company.

One important note: we are asking candidates who have applied in recent months by completing an application in our old system and are interested in being considered for our current openings to please complete an application in the new system. If you have feedback on the new system from a candidate's perspective I'd love to hear it. Let me know your thoughts at david.mabry@pinnacol.com. As always, you access to our job openings and the application though our company website at www.pinnacol.com/careers.

So, we are off to a busy start. Here is wishing everyone a bright and successful new year!