The Greatest Show (Not) On Earth

With apologies to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, aka The Greatest Show On Earth, there has been something even more spectacular happening in the night sky for the last several weeks. If you are like me its easy to get caught up in all the earthly details of our lives from work to grocery shopping, to household chores. Its nice to occasionally be reminded that there are things going on that are truly other-worldly. Sometimes all we have to do is look up at the night sky.

Since February two planets and our own moon have been dancing in the western sky just after sunset. The two planets, Jupiter and Venus, had been doing a duet but in the last several days the moon has joined in. Venus, the brightest of the three right now as the moon is in its crescent phase, is at its farthest from the sun and is particularly high in the sky as viewed from earth. Jupiter, our solar system's largest planet, is less bright but still clearly visible to the naked eye. With binoculars you can even see several of Jupiter's moons including Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. And if all that is not enough, simply turn around and glance at the east and you'll catch a glimpse of Mars rising above the horizon.

This combination of events only happens like this every several decades so if you have small children the next time you see this with them they'll likely be graduating from college or raising a family of their own. So take a moment and glance up. It really is the greatest show (not) on earth.

Is it ok to embellish or lie on a resume? LinkedIn Poll says "No"

I see thousands of resumes and meet with hundreds of candidates every year. More often than not the reality of the candidate matches up pretty closely with how they represented themselves in their resume. Through the years I have come to learn, and I now assume, that many people 'embellish' their resume. They do this not so much with an intent to deceive but simply to highlight their strengths and make themselves appear as qualified as possible.

For those of you on LinkedIn you know there are all sorts of polls about every topic imaginable. Most of these I pay only slight attention to. Recently however one caught my eye both for its subject matter as well as for the response and comments it generated. Bobby Edelman, the founder of Interns Over 40, put up the question to LinkedIn members: "Is it OK to embellish or lie on a resume?" More than 1,200 people (the poll still has 7 days to go) weighed in with an overwhelming majority - 83% - saying "No!" (9% said "Only if you have to" and 7% said "Yes!").

I realize I am splitting hairs but Mr. Edelman's poll actually asks two separate questions as there is a subtle but real distinction, at least in my humble opinion, between embellishment and an outright lie. Outright lies are in the realm of black and white with embellishment introducing shades of grey. According to Webster's II dictionary, to embellish is "To make beautiful, as by ornamentation: Adorn". To lie is to put forward "a false statement purposely put forward as truth; something meant to deceive or give a wrong impression."

All of this begs the question as to what is the purpose of a resume in the first place. As a recruiter I understand that the resume really has but one solitary purpose: to get someone like me to pick up the phone and call a candidate to get further information. As I get that additional information it's up to me to determine how much of the resume was fact, how much was fiction, and yes - how much was embellishment.

Make no mistake, I - like the majority of poll respondents - absolutely believe that to lie on a resume (for example, to claim a college degree when it has not been awarded) is wrong under any circumstances. Lies tend to come out sooner or later often with dire consequences. I also believe that as employers and candidates progress from the initial steps of introduction through interviewing to job offer and onboarding it is incumbent on both sides to accurately portray themselves as honestly as possible. In other words, the role of 'embellishment' diminishes greatly as both sides get to know each other (sounds a lot like dating!). This becomes especially relevant as candidates complete formal job applications. While resumes can represent your personal brand and all the wonderful things you think you are, in the words of Detective Friday of Dragnet fame, when it comes to completing an application its "Just the facts." This is why employers, including Pinnacol, frown on candidates saying "See resume..." on applications.

Finally, I'll wrap up with some good advice for both employers and candidates from one of our former Presidents. When it comes to making a decision based on often imperfect information, "Trust, but verify."

Write It Right: Go With the Flow...

In a world of instant messaging and sometimes overly curt communications it's sometimes hard to remember what impact our writing has on those who have to read it. In her article "Go for the Flow" Michelle from our Communications team reminds us to slow down and think about how our writing style affects those we are trying to communicate with.

Here's how to make your writing easier to read and understand:



"Flow" is an important quality in writing. When present, it can "hook" you by making reading seem effortless — almost like a good song can hook you with a simple, catchy melody.

Making sentences flow together
Think of writing like talking. In speaking, you use different types of sentences, inflections and cadences to hold listeners' interest and help them understand. Now consider these paragraphs:

We met at the policyholder's warehouse. The meeting lasted more than an hour. The company's safety committee has a safety program in place; it isn't being implemented properly. We saw many areas where we can help. The committee seemed receptive to our ideas.


We scheduled another meeting in two weeks. I'd like your input on the company’s claims history. Can we meet next week?


All the facts are there — but do you talk like a robot? There's no flow, and the incessant start/stop structure affects readers in several ways:

•It takes more time to move through the sentences.
•The facts seem strangely disconnected.
•The writer (and the writing) seems disinterested, if not downright bored.


Now read the revised paragraphs. Notice how varying the sentence structure gives the writing a "voice" that helps you flow through the sentences and connect the ideas:


We met at the policyholder's warehouse for more than an hour. The company's safety committee has a safety program in place, but it isn’t being implemented properly. We saw many areas where we can help; the committee seemed receptive to our ideas.

As a result, we scheduled another meeting in two weeks. I'd like your input on the company's claims history; can we meet next week?

Transition words and phrases
Beginning the second paragraph with the transition phrase "as a result" helps readers understand a "cause and effect": one successful meeting leading to another. There are many transition words and phrases to link sentences and paragraphs. Here are just a few:

•Additionally
•Because
•However
•Nevertheless
•Therefore
•In other words
•In the meantime


Look at the sentences or paragraphs you're trying to connect. Does the flow seem random or jarring? Is there a point you're trying to convey that readers might miss? If so, consider using a transition. For example:

•The policyholder hasn't had a safety meeting in years. It has a decent return-to-work program.
•The policyholder hasn't had a safety meeting in years; however, it has a decent return-to-work program.


The second example doesn't just convey facts; it communicates the idea that this company is a workers' comp "mixed bag." The transition "however" — as well as the semicolon, which is a less abrupt break than the period — improves the flow and helps readers make this connection.

Michelle shares her writing tips with Pinnacol employees every month in her column "Write It Right!" Thanks Michelle for this month's tips!

Claims Representative opportunity now open!

We have a new opening for a Claims Representative. Claims Representatives at Pinnacol work as part of a multi-functional team to bring the claims of injured workers to resolution. They are assigned to specific policyholder accounts and the expectation is that our Claims Representatives will provide outstanding customer service to injured workers, policyholders, and other stakeholders.

Pinnacol Claims Representatives routinely consult with team nurses, return-to-work specialists, team leaders, claims experts and legal staff. They set initial reserves (the estimate of what we think the claim will cost) and maintain  accurate reserves for all assigned cases and negotiate settlements when necessary to close a claim.

For the current opportunity both entry level and experienced candidates will be considered. Entry level candidates must have a Bachelors degree and pass a Critical Thinking test. Some work exposure to workers' compensation or insurance is a plus.

Claims may not be the right position for everyone - our Claims Representatives deal with people at some of the lowest points in their lives as they deal with the aftermath of a work-related injury. The work can be very challenging and demanding, but also very rewarding. If you are interested in this opening, please complete an application via our company website.