Happy Holidays from all of us at Pinnacol Assurance!

Pinnacol is strongly committed to giving back to Colorado. As a part of that, we provide our employees time off in which they can volunteer in the community. From Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the National Sports Center for the Disabled to Volunteers of America and Junior Achievement, as well as with many other organizations, Pinnacol employees volunteer thousands of hours every year giving back to the communities we serve and in which we live.

At this time of the year some of our employees visit local assisted living centers and serenade their residents with songs of the holiday season. I thought it would be fun to catch up with these folks and share some of what they do with you!

Write It Right - Keep It Simple!

Michelle of our communications team this month focuses on eliminating obfuscating buzzwords from everyday conversations. She probably wouldn't approve of my use of the word obfuscating, as she might feel it unnecessarily confuses things, but oh well... So in the spirit of KISS - keep it simple... - here goes:

When in doubt, just use plain English!

It happens every few years: A new set of business "buzzwords" starts cropping up in meetings, emails and everyday conversations. Here are some that simply need to go.

1."Capitalizing": This can mean "make money from," "make the most of" or a number of things. Be specific instead of relying on the buzzword.

2."Deploy": Even if the project seems important, it's probably not equal to sending troops into battle. "Start" or "begin using" work just fine.

3."In brief": Keeping things concise is great! So, why not eliminate these two unnecessary words as well?

4."Mission critical": See #2. Unless you work at the Pentagon or NASA, this is fairly pretentious. "Important" works well, or simply "critical" if the situation seems dire.

5."On the same page": But heavens, what if we’re on different paragraphs? Seriously, just use “agree.”

6."Ramp up": "Increase." Enough said.

7."Spearheaded": See #2 and #4. "Led" will usually work just fine.

8."Streamline": Does this mean to make something "faster," "simpler," "easier to use" or many others? Again, be specific — and use plain English.

9."Think outside the box": Ironically, using this hackneyed phrase is the opposite of original thinking. Instead, just ask for some "fresh ideas."

10."Utilize": Please, just use "use."

Thanks Michelle for some great tips. On a similar vein, the Harvard Business Review recently had an interesting blog about eliminating meaningless words that you also might want to check out.

And finally, from a piece attributed to one of the masters of the written word - Mark Twain (though there is some debate as to whether he actually penned these words himself) - I'll leave you with his plan for improving the English language...

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.

Generally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeiniing voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x"— bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez —tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivili.

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

Opportunity for Quality Assurance Migration Analyst!

We have a rather different opportunity available right now for an individual to help manage the migration of new code and new programs from the test to the acceptance to the production environment. The formal job announcement is below but in talking with the hiring manager, Stewart, I found he is looking for someone with strong related technical skills as well as the ability to interact very effectively with other team members and customers. This position does work occasional nights and weekends as items are migrated and this position is also on-call on a rotating basis with other members of the team. If you have the skills listed below we would love to hear from you!

Quality Assurance/Migration Analyst

Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance, is seeking an experienced Quality Assurance/Migration Analyst who’s primary responsibility is to maintain version control while working with developers to implement all changes and maintain the turnover process of programs and procedures from the test environment to production. Among the key duties are:

• Design, manage and optimize daily batch processes.
• Update and maintain Designer with all table modifications, new tables, views, sequences and generating the appropriate ddl's.
• Apply all changes to the Acceptance database for user testing.
• Maintaining and administering Mitigation of Objects.
• Coordinating moving of modules and insuring that the proper versions are moved.
• Promote all objects to appropriate environment and ensure that all invalid objects are recompiled.
• Work closely with the developers to implement their projects into Acceptance database and ensure that everything is production ready.
• Communicate with Database Administrators when changes are ready for production and the proper sequence for the changes to be made.
• Monitor nightly production batch.
• Ensure that the acceptance environment is in sync with production for accurate batch testing.
• Assist developers with Appworx questions and design.
• Notify and assist print operations with batch processing questions, reprints, and problems.

Knowledge of, and experience with Unix and SQL Plus are required with exposure to Oracle Forms and Oracle Designer a plus. This position also requires effective verbal, written, and interpersonal communications skills, excellent organization skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities. Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or Business preferred but will consider equivalent related technical work experience on a year for year basis. 2 to 3 years experience in programming required with 1-3 years related experience in a quality assurance role a plus.

This position does require that a beeper be carried at all times and employee be on-call at designated times. When on-call, the employee must be able to respond to a pager call within 15 minutes. Employee will be required to resolve the issue/problem either by dialing in from home or returning to the workplace within one hour if required. Occasionally will work evenings and weekends to migrate code to production environments.

For immediate consideration, please complete an expression of interest via our company website at http://www.pinnacol.com/careers/current-opportunities. To explore what it is like to work with our company please visit our Careers Blog at http://pinnacolcareers.blogspot.com/.

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!

2011 has flown by and here we are a week away from Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the traditional start of the Holiday season. Of course the holiday ads are already well underway on T.V. and driving home from work last night I saw several houses already decked out in their holiday lights.

Thanksgiving in this country dates back to 1621 though it wasn't until 1863 that it was recognized as a national holiday (for a quick history of Thanksgiving click here). The "banquet" the survivors of the Mayflower partook of 390 years ago bears little resemblance to the 'traditional' feast many Americans look forward to today, but the heart of the holiday still remains the same - taking a moment to pause and give thanks.

One of our staffing partners, Stivers, sent me a letter yesterday that included the following reflections on this that I thought I'd share with you before we all get caught up in the inevitable hustle and bustle that this time of year brings.

On Second Thought,

I’m Thankful for

 

…the mess to clean after a party, because it means I’m surrounded by friends

 

…the taxes I pay, because it means I am employed

 

…the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat

 

…my shadow who watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine

 

…a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home

 

…all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means we have freedom of speech

 

…the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking

 

…my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm

 

…the lady behind me who sings off-key, because it means I can hear

 

…the piles of laundry and ironing, because it means my loved ones are nearby

 

…weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been productive

 

…the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means I am alive to see another day

In today's challenging times I know not everyone enjoys all of the blessings mentioned above. Still I appreciated the sentiment that the very things that we sometimes see as burdens may actually be reflections of the things we have to be thankful for. With that in mind, here is wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!  

New Business Representative opportunity now open!

Pinnacol Assurance has an immediate opportunity for a New Business Representative to write and review workers' compensation insurance policies, review and resolve policy problems, and assist with audits as needed for new policies.

This position serves as the primary point of contact for quoting and issuing many of our new policies. Ensuring the accuracy and completion of all forms needed to issue a policy, processing applications, and attending agency visits are key functions of this role. This position requires strong computer skills, the ability to type a minimum of 35 words per minute, and an understanding of basic accounting and mathematics. The ability to organize and prioritize caseloads and manage multiple priorities along with handling customers in a professional, courteous manner are critical. Bilingual (Spanish) is a plus. Two years of college with 1-3 years of customer service are also required.

Interested candidates are asked to complete an expression of interest via our company website at www.pinnacol.com/careers. We had an opportunity in this area a couple of months ago and you can see a video of one of our NBR's discussing the position under that announcement.

Write It Right: re·dun·dan·cy



 I was meeting yesterday with one of our managers and reviewing resumes of candidates applying for one of our current opportunities. Like may of our managers she has a pet peeve against spelling, punctuation, and gramatical errors on cover letters and resumes. She's pretty quick to move those containing such errors from the 'maybe' pile to the 'no' pile.

Michelle, who works on our communications team, continues to write articles to help our employees improve their writing skills, and many of these articles are pertinent to candidates interested in positions with our company. Michelle's latest article concerns redundancy (re·dun·dan·cy  Excessive wordiness or repetition in expression):

Some things that sound OK in conversation look fairly silly in writing.

Some words simply "say it all." Avoid these redundant words and phrases in your writing.
•"We're absolutely certain the figures are correct."

"The results are absolutely guaranteed."

If you're certain, then you already have no doubt. And a guarantee is by nature absolute. "Absolutely" is unnecessary — and redundant — in both cases.

•"We arrived at these conclusions through actual experience."

"It's an actual fact that revenue is down."


An experience is something that occurred. A fact is something confirmed to have happened. "Actual" is extraneous in these instances.

•"They may add additional benefits to the program."

To add is to provide another of something. "Additional" is extraneous.

•"We're offering this as an added bonus."

A bonus is an extra feature, so "added" is unnecessary.

•"We should provide some advance (insert any of the following) notice/planning/warning for this change."

Notices, planning and warnings are all actions that occur before an event.
"Advance" is superfluous.

•"At the present time, we are addressing the issue."

"Are" is a present-tense verb, i.e., it's happening now. "At the present time" is unnecessary.

•"I'll provide the basic (insert either of the following) fundamentals/essentials for the project."

Fundamentals and essentials are by their nature elementary. Remove "basic" from either phrase.

•"The accident occurred at a time when safety procedures weren't being followed."

"When" is more than adequate as a time reference here. "At a time" is redundant.

•"The two teams should (insert either of the following) collaborate/meet together."

"Collaborate" and "meet" are both actions done collectively. "Together" is unnecessary in either case.

•"I am currently working on the proposal."

"Am" is another present-tense verb; therefore, "currently" is unnecessary.

Michelle will look at more redundant words and phrases in a future upcoming (oops) column.

Business Intelligence Programmer opportunity

I had just posted a Microstrategy Architect position and am now adding an additional opportunity for a Business Intelligence Programmer. Both of these positions are part of our Decision Support team. The Business Intelligence Programmer 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. This position also 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. 

This 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. Phew! If you have all that, we'd love to hear from you!

Microstrategy Administrator opportunity now open!

Our IT group has a full crew of programmers and developers, database administrators and network engineers, and help desk staff to support all the technology we depend on. We also have a group of dedicated staff who work in our Decision Support team who's job it is to get the right data from the database and then translate it into useable information for the business side. We use a tool called Microstrategy to aid in this function and we have an opportunity for a Microstrategy Administrator. The requirements for this position are pretty specific and there are not a whole lot of these folks out there, but if you have the skills described below we would love to talk with you! Local candidates as well as candidates interested in moving to Colorado should submit their information via our company website at www.pinnacol.com/careers/current-opportunities. Here is what we are looking for:

Pinnacol Assurance is looking for a Microstrategy Administrator to be responsible for design and implementation of the Microstrategy schema layer, Microstrategy web interface, object and user management and assisting analysts with complex problem solving.This position architects highly reliable, scalable, extensible, and maintainable BI projects using MicroStrategy.

Working with business users and Product Managers to understand project requirements, the Administrator creates and maintains MicroStrategy metadata objects, handles MicroStrategy user and Microstrategy Narrowcast management and provides support to report developers in creating complicated objects. This position also works closely with data modelers to make sure physical database schema is optimal for MicroStrategy usage and works closely with DWD and Analysts to define and architect features and products that require significant cross-component coordination.

Responsibilities also include evaluating and suggesting ways to optimize systems usage, supports team training projects as needed, and acts as a mentor and role model to team members by assisting them with required job responsibilities and providing input to their skill and knowledge growth. Requirements include experience as a MicroStrategy schema manager, user management, narrowcast and report creator, and BI project design experience with MicroStrategy. SQL, PL/SQL and SQL*Plus, Oracle and Unix, Data warehouse and data modeling skills, Web development languages- Java, ruby, flash, and Writing design documents and technical specifications are also important competencies.

 

Records Technician opportunity now available!

Pinnacol Assurance has an opening for a Records Technician to deliver and maintain accurate corporate claims and policy files and to continue to create a "paperless" file system by scanning physical files to electronic form. We haven’t had one of these openings in quite some time so I caught up with Amanda, who manages this group, to find out what she is looking for in the ideal candidate. What I found out is that this really is a tremendous opportunity for the right candidate to join our company and begin growing their career. I wasn’t surprised to find that this position requires good spelling, punctuation, grammar and filing skills. Strong time management and accurate and thorough data entry skills are also a must. And, as you might imagine, our Records Technicians also need to have  strong attention to detail along with an ability to work independently with little direction or supervision. A minimum of a High School Diploma or GED  is required but Amanda will also consider those with higher education seeking to begin their careers and wishing to advance within our company. If interested in this opportunity please complete an expression of interest via our company website.

Help Desk Specialist opportunity!

It has been several years since we have had an opening in our Help Desk team so I'm excited to announce that we have a vacancy for a Help Desk Specialist. I touched base with the hiring manager, Tim, to get his thoughts on what he's looking for in the next addition to his team. As you'll hear, Tim has been with us for 22 years. As impressive as that is, his vacancy is open due to an upcoming retirement of an employee who has more than 30 years with us! Needless to say, some big shoes to fill, but a wonderful opportunity for someone with the right skills.



This position will also be advertised so I am including the actual job announcement as well:

Help Desk Specialist


Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado's leading provider of workers' compensation insurance, is seeking a Help Desk Specialist to provide the information and assistance to users of our information systems to ensure that technical problems are resolved before they become an impact to our customers. This position answers telephone, E-mail, and personal requests for help and information and provides first and second level support on Word, Excel, Internet e-mail applications, Windows OS and Mac OS environment as well as all company telecommunications hardware, including voice mail. Responsibilities include remote access set-up and support, including remote device support. Our Help desk Specialists utilize a call tracking and asset management system, and document all problems and their resolution. This position also visits customers at their workstations for problems that require it and swaps out hardware as needed to ensure that impact to the customer is minimal and reacts to potential network and system problems before they impact the customer.

The Help desk Specialist position requires outstanding customer service skills, a passion for helping others, and professional level communications skills along with the ability to troubleshoot and performance tune workstation hardware and software. Proven operational problem solving abilities and the ability to work and contribute in a team environment are critical.

The successful candidate will have a minimum of a High School Diploma or GED, some college level courses and/or certification program(s) in Computer Science, Data Communications, and Telecommunications or equivalent experience. Microsoft and Apple certifications are desirable. 1-3 years related experience in a Customer Service field, two years support experience in a client / server environment, and one year experience using a Help Desk call tracking/asset management software desired.

This position requires that a smart phone be carried at all times and employee will be on-call at designated times. As a requirement of being on-call, the employee must be able to respond to a call within 15 minutes. Employee will be required to resolve the issue/problem either by remote access from home or returning to the workplace within one hour if required.

If interested, please complete an expression of interest via our company website.

Pinnacol Employees celebrate Diversity with Food Festival

Every other year our Diversity Task Force hosts an Around the World Food Festival to celebrate the vast array of backgrounds our employees bring to Pinnacol. This is always one of the most anticipated and well-attended company events and this year was no exception.

Employees were able to sample foods from more than 20 countries featuring recipes such as "Blue Drawers" from Jamaica and "Doro Wot" from Ethiopia to "Okroska" from Russia and "Chiftelute" from Romania. We have a lot of great cooks at Pinnacol and this is a great way to bring people together. If only it was held every year...

Write It Right!

I've mentioned before that proofreading and spellchecking one's resume and cover letter are critical must-do's before candidates hit the "SUBMIT" button as they apply for jobs. We still see a lot of these coming in with all sorts of spelling and grammatical errors and I have several managers who won't consider a candidate further if they see these kinds of mistakes.

One of the folks in our Communications team, Michelle, regularly shares great tips with our employees on the proper use of the English language so I thought I might start sharing them with readers of our Careers Blog. This month Michelle offers up a variety of words and phrases; do you know the right way to use them?


We use these words and phrases every day. See if you're using them correctly.

a lot vs. alot
Write "a lot" as two words. In most cases, "many" is a better choice than "a lot":

The business team has many options. (more succint and professional)
The business team has a lot of options. (more casual, less professional)

all ready vs. already
"All ready" means "fully prepared": "We were all ready to go."
"Already" means "previously": "Some of us have already made the trip."

amount vs. number
Use "amount" to indicate quantities that cannot be counted or expressed in a number: "The proposal required a large amount of work.”
Use "number" to indicate quantities that can (or could) be counted: "A large number of policyholders will be affected."

"between you and I" vs. "between you and me"
"Between you and me" is correct, because the pronouns ("you" and "me") are objects of the preposition "between." However, because the incorrect phrase is used so commonly, the correct phrase may "sound wrong" to some:

"Between you and I, the concept simply won't work." (incorrect)

“I” is a subjective pronoun; in this sentence, the subject is “the concept.” When following the preposition “between,” the objective pronoun “me” should be used.

"Let's keep this between you and me." (correct)

The objective pronoun "me" is correctly used following the preposition "between."

bring vs. take
Use "bring" when an object is being transported toward you:

"Please bring me a copy of the report."

Use "take" when an object is being transported away from you:

"Please take a copy of the report to Mr. Johnson."

cannot vs. can not
These are used interchangeably, and "cannot" has become the more common spelling. But linguists argue that there are subtle differences between the two:

"I cannot attend the meeting today."

This implies that attending the meetings is impossible, or "not an option."

"I can not attend the meeting today."

This implies that attending the meetings is an option, and that "not" attending is a choice that "can" be made.

Keeping these differences in mind, also remember that "can't" should be used as a contraction of "cannot" but not "can not."

"different from" vs. "different than"
"Different from" is correct.

disinterested vs. uninterested
They're not the same. "Disinterested" means impartial or neutral; "uninterested" means bored or lacking interest: "In baseball, a good umpire is disinterested, but not uninterested."

farther vs. further
Use "farther" to indicate physical distance: "He threw the ball farther than his teammates."

Use "further" to indicate an extension of time or degree: "We'll look into it further."

Pinnacol releases Annual Report

Pinnacol has released it's Annual Report. Many candidates, doing their research on companies, find Annual Reports to be a helpful source of information into the organization's priorities, financial performance (especially important in today's economic climate!), and culture. The Pinnacol Annual Report provides insights into all three. To view the Annual Report click here.

Project Coordinator Opportunity Now Open!

We have a very rare opportunity for someone to join our company in the capacity of a Project Coordinator. To find out what exactly this position is all about I sought ought Beth who has been in this role with us for the last 2+ years.



As Beth mentioned, we also have full-fledged Project Managers on staff. The Project Coordinator role is somewhat junior to a full-fledged Project Manager so things like PMP Certification are not among the requirements.

Beth's progression is typical for this position - someone with administrative duties becomes involved in small projects, then works on larger ones and discovers that they have an aptitude and a passion for it. I'd guess similar progressions from administrative staff into project work exist at other companies and if this sounds like something you've done we'd love to hear from you. If interested, please complete an on-line expression of interest via our company website.

The following is the actual job announcement:

Project Coordinator
Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance and recognized as one of America’s Best Places to Work, is looking for a Project Coordinator to lead business projects, with emphasis on process, efficiency and quality improvements. The ability to provide clear direction and help clarify project goals, from both process and desired outcome perspectives, is critical. This position leads teams through the implementation process, develops and supports relationships within each project and functions as the hub for project execution and coordination. The successful candidate will be able to assist in developing best practices and tools for project execution and management while leading project proposal efforts in order to assist project champions with presenting the most complete and accurate business cases for approval and confirmation.

Other key functions:
• Plans and facilitates project meetings that are well organized, efficiently run, and ensures complete participation.
• Creates project work plans and revises as appropriate to meet changing needs and
 requirements.
• Identifies project roles and resources needed.
• Monitors day-to-day project lifecycle activities. Manages stakeholder expectations by working with the project sponsor and team to define and control project scope.
• Resolves and/or escalates issues effectively and to the appropriate levels and identifies potential risk exposure and suggests solutions.
• Ensures project documents are complete, current, and stored appropriately while providing project status reports on a timely basis to stakeholders.
• Keeps project team and stakeholders well informed of changes within the organization that may affect the project and helps ensure that each project team member is utilized appropriately.
• Motivates project team to work together in the most efficient manner and mitigates project team conflict and communication problems.
• Conducts post-project reviews and reports recommendations in order to identify successful and unsuccessful project elements.


Requirements:
• Basic understanding of project management principles and practices, project lifecycle and processes, including demonstrated ability to effectively lead projects.
• Some knowledge of workers’ compensation/insurance industry preferred.
• Highly organized and detail oriented, yet able to see and grasp the `big' picture.
• Ability to effectively communicate in written and oral form and possesses facilitative leadership and presentation skills. Proficient in Microsoft Windows, Excel, PowerPoint. Experience and/or working knowledge of Microsoft Project desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to manage customer expectations throughout the project lifecycle.
• Bachelors Degree or equivalent professional experience required.


Interested candidates are asked to express their interest on-line at www.pinnacol.com/careers.

Pinnacol Hosts "Promote Yourself" Sessions for Employees

A couple of months ago three of our Business Directors - Sheri, Shelley, and Jerica - came up with the idea of hosting a "Promote Yourself" Week for our employees to better prepare them for promotional opportunities as they occur within the company. Pinnacol makes an effort to promote from within whenever possible so their idea really struck a chord.

After several months of planning, and the involvement of a whole lot of people, this week is the culmination of a lot of work to provide our employees information and tips on all sorts of topics including:

•  Interview Preparation,
• Resume Writing,
• Behavioral Interviewing, and
• What To Do After The Interview.

I just came from the Interview Preparation  session and like the first session on Monday it was very well attended with more than 60 employees eager to listen and learn. The three presenters this afternoon - Sheri, Jerica, and Mark - were all living examples of success stories of folks who had come into our company and moved up. Jerica, for example, had joined our company five years ago in an administrative capacity, had then moved into a claims position, and is now a manager of one of our business teams. These sessions are just one example of the many learning and development resources available to our employees who we recognize are responsible for the future success of our company.

Thank you to Sheri, Shelley, and Jerica for coming up with this great idea and to all those who have helped develop the materials and presentations for "Promote Yourself" Week! I'll leave you with one of the videos presented in today's session that made me chuckle. I can't wait to see what the rest of this week's sessions will offer...

Interesting Training...

Pinnacol has a strong Learning and Development team that facilitates and provides all sorts of training opportunities for our employees. As Amy, one of our current Business Directors, has said, "We are a continually learning organization." This is something I also stress as new employees come on board.

I try to attend as many of the training sessions as my schedule allows, and yesterday I attended one that was a take-off on our Pinnacol Book Club format where we read a business-related book and then discuss what we think and what we learned. Rather than a book though, the session yesterday presented two inspiring TED Talk videos. Immediately after the training I was interviewing a candidate and mentioned the session I had just come from and she was unfamiliar with TED Talks. It struck me that some of you may also not be familiar with them. TED Talks have been around since the mid-80's and feature all sorts of interesting and inspiring speakers.

TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.

The TED Talk videos are usually short, less than 15 minutes, and I have yet to see one that doesn't make me think. TED Talks presentations are also available in Denver through Denver University (TEDxDU) and other locations. I've seen enough of the videos by now that I look forward to being able to attend one of these local sessions in person. One of the employees at yesterday's training went earlier this year and he thought it was incredible!

Here's one of the videos presented at our training:

Pinnacol once again in very good company...

AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons, has announced its 2011 list of Best Employers for Workers Over 50 and once again Pinnacol is pleased to be among the great companies being recognized. Pinnacol has been on the AARP list for 6 years. Many of the benefits that AARP found are attractive to older workers benefit those who are younger as well, and Pinnacol has worked hard to provide it's 600 employees with a benefits package and work environment that supports our company focus on providing outstanding customer service.

“Having workers over 50 is a tremendous benefit to the company,” said Ken Ross, our president and CEO. “They bring industry expertise, the ability to identify trends and the skills to build relationships with our stakeholders. Pinnacol is proud to be recognized for having a work environment that attracts and retains this valuable group of employees.”

Congratulations to all the companies on this year's list!

Pinnacol has an opening for an experienced Underwriter

Our business teams operate as multi-functional insurance teams consisting of Underwriters, Claims Representatives, Nurses, Auditors, and Administrative staff all working on behalf of the same group of customers. One of our Large Account teams has an opening for an experienced Underwriter to write and price workers’ compensation insurance policies, review and resolve policy problems, and proactively manage a book of business.  Some travel is required to attend meetings with agents and policyholders. Successful candidates will have at least 3 to 5 years related experience in property/casualty insurance underwriting with direct experience with workers’ compensation insurance preferred and must possess strong interpersonal, customer service, analytical, and presentation skills. A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required. If interested, please complete an expression of interest via our company website!

New Job Announcement for Entry Level Claims Representative

We have several claims adjusting opportunities currently available. Some of these require substantial claims experience but this morning I'm pleased to announce we have an opening on one of our teams for an entry level candidate interested in pursuing a claims career. The Team Leader is indicating that they are more than willing to train the right individual, if they bring with them a high level of energy, enthusiasm, drive, willingness to learn and an appreciation of the unique challenges a claims career offers.

Claims is not 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. This entry level position does require a Bachelor's degree and the ability to pass a critical thinking test, but for those looking for a career where they can really make a difference in people's lives, this might just be the opportunity you have been waiting for. If interested in being considered, please complete an expression of interest via our company website.

Pinnacol Foundation Event Raises $200,000 for College Scholarships

On Thursday, July 28, 2011 Pinnacol Assurance hosted the Eleventh Annual Pinnacol Foundation Charity Golf Tournament at Red Sky Ranch Golf Club in Vail, Colorado.

It was a perfect Colorado day with 142 golfers participating and nearly 100 scholarship students and families present at the awards luncheon following the golf tournament. Even better, the Foundation raised over $200,000. In the past 10 years, Pinnacol has raised $2 Million in scholarship funds to help the children of Colorado workers killed or seriously injured on the job (regardless of their insurance carrier). This year, once again, sponsors and golfers came together to support these young adults with college dreams.

Karsh Hagan, one of our advertising agency partners, is also passionate about the work of the Pinnacol Foundation and supported the organization by donating agency time to the production of a Foundation video which was shown at the Golf Tournament. As you'll see in the video, the Pinnacol Foundation continues to make real differences in the lives of Colorado children.

Colorado Sees Something It Hasn't In 20+ Years...

I've mentioned before my fascination with the variety of jobs Coloradans (or is it Coloradoans?) perform on a daily basis but this weekend gave me the chance to see some folks working at something you don't regularly get to see in our great state. If you were one of the 100,000 plus folks who crowded into downtown Denver on Sunday, you were witness to the finish of the inaugural US Pro Cycling Challenge. Not since the Coors Classic has Colorado been host to this level of professional cycling, and the variety and scope of work it must have taken to put on such an event is staggering. From the planning stages, to arranging the lodging and transportation, to the drivers (both car and motorcycle, including our own Colorado State Patrol) supporting the racers during the stages, a tremendous number of people had to have been working behind the scenes.

One of my favorites, though they were probably not noticed by many, were the guys who's job  it was to drive the course and mark with spray paint all the cracks and hazards so the riders could avoid them. At the other end of the spectrum you had the announcers, the people who fed all the VIP's, and the ubiquitous podium girls who's job it is to stage manage the dignitaries and the riders when they come up to receive their awards. I'll have to check with our underwriters to see what sort of risk classification these young ladies fall under as they dutifully plant their kisses on the stage winners day after day. Congratulations to everyone who worked on this first year's event, it really was something to see.

Claims Representative Position also posted on Careerbuilder

We are still looking for great candidates with Claims Adjusting experience who are interested in joining PInnacol Assurance. We haven't had many claims openings in the last couple of years so the current openings present some nice opportunities for claims professionals to join the leader in Colorado workers' compensation. I've added our job announcement to Careerbuilder.com. Brian, our representative for Careerbuilder, is based in Phoenix, AZ, and after talking to him this morning it's a good thing to be in Colorado! They've been experiencing 100+ degree heat for weeks on end, and they've had a couple of major duststorms thrown in for good measure. I guess their duststorms, or "Haboobs" as they call them in Arizona (Youtube has some fantastic video of these storms), are their summer equivalent to our winter blizzards. As much as I'll complain about it in January I think I'll stick with the snow! If you are interested in the claims opportunity, please complete an expression of interest via our company website.

New Job Announcement for Claims Representative

We have a new opening for an experienced Claims Representative (Claims Adjuster) that just became available. It will be advertised on-line starting Monday but wanted to give our readers the heads-up immediately.

Our Claims Representatives work as part of a multi-functional team to bring claims to resolution. Assigned to specific policyholder accounts our Claims Representatives provide outstanding customer service to injured workers, policyholders, and other stakeholders. This position routinely staffs files with team nurses, RTW specialists, team leaders, claims experts and legal counsel as needed and makes use of all appropriate internal and external resources. Setting initial reserves, our Claims Representatives maintain current and accurate reserves for all assigned cases and negotiate settlements.

This position also serves as a technical resource to the team including the mentoring of less experienced adjusters on complex issues and closure strategies.   3+ years of adjusting experience with direct exposure to workers’ compensation preferred.

As always, if you are interested in being considered for this position please submit an expression of interest on our company website!

Pinnacol Foundation 2011: Making a Difference

Since 2000 the Pinnacol Foundation has awarded nearly $2 million in scholarships to children who's parents have been injured in work related accidents so that they can realize their dream of attending college. The Foundation, which accepts applications from January through March, is proud to present some of this year's recipients as they discuss what receiving these scholarships mean to them. As a Colorado-based, and Colorado-focused, company Pinnacol believes strongly in giving back to the communities we serve on a daily basis, and the Pinnacol Foundation is just one way in which we are pleased to be able to do this.

We still have additional Nurse Case Manager opportunities!

In June we had posted a Team Nurse Case Manager. As luck would have it we are now looking for a couple of additional Nurses to join several of our teams. Our
RN Team Nurse Case Managers provide telephonic case management handling the medical aspects of workers’ compensation claims. Our nurses perform self-directed, professional level work in a fast paced team environment as they interact with injured workers, policyholders, and providers. A broad clinical background, and experience with rehabilitation, occupational health, managed care, or emergency nursing preferred. Requires current Colorado RN license with a BSN a plus.

Back in June I had a chance to sit down and chat with Sheri, one of our Business Directors (Team leader) about what we are looking for. Sheri has a unique perspective because she herself joined Pinnacol in this position before being promoted to head up one of our multi-functional insurance teams.


We had also blogged about our nursing position a while back, and if you are interested in this type of position with us I would encourage you to also view that posting. If interested in being considered, please submit your expression of interest via our company website.

New opportunity for Advanced Web Applications Developer

We are seeking an experienced Advanced Web Applications Developer. This position utilizes Adobe FlashBuilder and Flex SDK to design and build graphical user interfaces for web applications used by internal business users. The successful candidate will have the ability to work in a team setting utilizing Agile development processes to produce software products and will have experience using modular and object oriented approaches to building Flex applications (sub-applications, custom components, custom skinning). Position also requires experience using test driven development methodologies to produce software applications which support automated unit and regression testing (FlexUnit, continuous integration) along with experience using the various forms of Flex frameworks as needed to standardize and organize code in large products (Swiz, Robotlegs).

OK, so that's the job announcement. I have to apologize for all the links embedded in the announcement, but I'll be the first to admit that I had no clue what some of these things were until I Googled them. Having done that I now have only a slightly better understanding of what things like Swiz and Robotlegs are.

If you are like me and have no clue as to how to use these different tools then this might not be the right position for you. But for those of you who are thinking "Geez, this is really pretty basic stuff" then we'd really like to hear from you. For the rest of us, feel free to browse the hyperlinks and if you can figure out what they are talking about, please let me know!

Pinnacol Again Hosting Arrupe Students

I had the privilege this morning of facilitating the orientation session for our new Arrupe student interns. This is Pinnacol's 6th year participating in the Arrupe Corporate Work Study Program and we have 4 students working with us for the 2011/2012 academic year. From all of us at Pinnacol, welcome Jessica, Dianna, Miriam and Juanita!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Arrupe program, it is a unique opportunity for companies to financially support education at a time when funding is critical while exposing students to what it is like to work in the real world. Arrupe students are placed at partner companies where they work one day a week during the school year. In speaking with our new students this morning they impressed me with their eagerness to learn and to avail themselves of new opportunities.

While at Pinnacol Jessica, Dianna, Miriam and Juanita will be assigned to specific teams and will each have assigned mentors to help them on their journey of exploring corporate life. Many companies in the Denver area participate, but I'm sure Arrupe would welcome additional organizations who, like Pinnacol, understand how critical a well-educated and well-prepared workforce will be to a successful future.

Update on Current Openings as of 08-10-11

Here is a quick update on our openings as of today. Two positions, Medical Director and Business Director, have now been filled. Our thanks to all of you who expressed an interest in these two opportunities. I had the chance to meet with many of the candidates for both of these vacancies and I am always impressed with the calibre of talent that we see.

We are still actively looking for candidates interested in our Customer Service opening which just became available, as well as for our Nurse Case Manager opportunity. And as you'll see if you visit our company website we also still have listed as active the openings for Audit Analyst (though interviews are well underway), Oracle Developer, Underwriter, and Safety Consultant. The Underwriter opening is primarily geared at experienced candidates, but the Safety Consultant opening is open to entry level graduates with related safety/occupational health degrees. We look to start scheduling interviews for both the Underwriter and Safety Consultant openings shortly as the hiring managers make decisions on who they would like to speak with.

New Opening for an Audit Analyst!

I met with one of our Business Directors, Shelley, about a new vacancy she has on her team for an Audit Analyst. As many of you may know, Pinnacol actively tries to promote from within wherever possible and this vacancy is a result of us being able to do that in some other positions that were open.

The position of Audit Analyst is probably unfamiliar to many of you  so I wanted to share some additional information on this position and what we will be looking for. If you are a business owner you are billed for your workers' compensation insurance based primarily on two factors: the type of work you are doing (each particular job - nurse, gardener, accountant, ski lift operator, etc. - has a unique risk of being injured on the job associated with it) and the amount of payroll you have in each of those jobs. Policies are audited to see if there have been changes in those factors. For example, an increase in payroll usually means the policy premium will increase; alternatively, if the payroll declines Pinnacol may owe the policyholder money back. The Audit Analyst plays a critical role in this process as they help policyholders complete the necessary paperwork to ensure we have complete and accurate information regarding their policy with our company.

The Audit Analyst handles mail audits where we aske the policyholder to provide information and then return the information to us. As a result, Audit Analysts work in the office processing this paperwork. We occasionally have openings for another type of Auditor, a Field Auditor, who goes out and visits policyholders at their sites to review records and documents, but that's a subject for another posting!

Our Audit Analysts handle one to two hundred audits in a normal month (approximately 9 per business day) and based on this level of production we are looking for an individual who can really focus on getting a high volume of work done and who doesn't mind that the job is fairly routine and repetitive in nature. In the copy of the job ad below you'll notice the position requires  "basic accounting/math knowledge". What that means is strong competencies in all things related to addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, percentages, decimals, and fractions. And yes, a math test, as well as a typing test, will be given to those who interview for this opportunity.

Things like attention to detail (the work in this role is really nothing but details!) and the ability to help our customers are other must-haves.  A degree, though not required, is a plus so recent college graduates in finance/accounting will be considered. Experience in dealing with audits, payroll, and related areas is also sought. If you are interested in this opportunity, please complete an expression of interest via our company website. What follows is a copy of the job announcement which will be advertised on the web:

Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance, is looking for a detail-oriented individual with excellent customer service skills to join our team. With minimal supervision this person is responsible for the review, analysis, and processing of a variety of voluntary audits from policyholders.  The position requires an analytical aptitude, basic accounting/math knowledge, and some experience with payroll is helpful.  Candidate must have strong computer skills. This is a high volume production position requiring attention to detail, decision-making, and helping customers on the phone. Experience in handling insurance audit reports within the workers’ compensation insurance industry preferred. A degree, though not required, is a plus so recent college graduates in finance/accounting will be considered. For immediate consideration please submit an expression of interest via our company website at http://www.pinnacol.com/careers/current-opportunities.

What Does Your Email Address Say About You?

We are getting ready to do some internal training for our employees on ways they can better present themselves on paper (resumes), internal job bids, and in interviews. In one of the planning sessions it came up that e-mail addresses should (obviously!) be included along with address information on resumes and that the e-mail address needs to not negatively portray the person. Addresses like ihatework@letsparty.com, or partyanimal@hatetowork.com (these are fictitious examples) are less likely to grab a hiring manager's positive attention than things like topofclass@ivyleague.com or topinsales@salesforce.com (again, fictitious examples). Most savvy candidates have several email accounts, with one address used in their job search and others used with family and friends. If you haven't thought about it, you might want to take some time to consider what impression the email address on your resume gives to someone who has never met you, knows little about you, but whom you want to call you in for a job interview.

Now I come to find its not just what comes before the @ that is important. Your email provider is now being viewed as significant. People are now judging you on  the email service you choose--whether it be Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail or AOL. HunchBlog did a survey and found some interesting stereotypes regarding who is using which email service. Techies tend toward Gmail, older, less tech-savvy folks tend toward allegiance to their AOL monikers. Other findings have found that at the extreme if you are applying for a tech job, having a Hotmail or AOL account may totally eliminate you from contention. The folks at Hunch also came up with some interesting generalizations about the type of person who uses each type of account. Here is some of what they claim to have found:

• AOL users are most likely to be women ages 35-64 who have a high school diploma and are spiritual, but not religious. They tend to be politically middle of the road, in a relationship of 10+ years, and have children. AOL users live in the suburbs and haven’t traveled outside their own country. Family is their first priority. AOL users mostly read magazines, have a desktop computer, listen to the radio, and watch TV on 1-3 DVRs in their home. At home, they lounge around in sweats. AOL users are optimistic extroverts who prefer sweet snacks and like working on a team.
Gmail users are most likely to be young men ages 18-34 who are college-educated and not religious. Like other young Hunch users, they tend to be politically liberal, single (and ready to mingle), and childless. Gmail users live in cities and have traveled to five or more countries. They’re career-focused and plugged in — they mostly read blogs, have an iPhone and laptop, and listen to music via MP3s and computers (but they don’t have a DVR). At home, they lounge around in a t-shirt and jeans. Gmail users prefer salty snacks and are introverted and entrepreneurial. They are optimistic or pessimistic, depending on the situation.

• Hotmail users are most likely to be young women  ages 18-34 (and younger) who have a high school diploma and are not religious. They tend to be politically middle of the road, single, and childless. Hotmail users live in the suburbs, perhaps still with their parents, and have traveled to up to five countries. They mostly read magazines and contemporary fiction, have a laptop, and listen to music via MP3s and computers (but they don’t have a DVR). At home, Hotmail users lounge around in a t-shirt and jeans. They’re introverts who prefer sweet snacks and like working on a team. They consider themselves more pessimistic, but sometimes it depends on the situation.
• Yahoo! users are most likely to be women ages 18-49 who have a high school diploma and are spiritual, but not religious. They tend to be politically middle of the road, in a relationship of 1-5 years, and have children. Yahoo! users live in the suburbs or in rural areas and haven’t traveled outside their own country. Family is their first priority. They mostly read magazines, are almost equally likely to have a laptop or desktop computer, listen to the radio and cds, and watch TV on 1-2 DVRs in their home. At home, Yahoo! users lounge around in pajamas. They’re extroverts who prefer sweet snacks and like working on a team. Yahoo! users are optimistic or pessimistic, depending on the situation.

Bear in mind these are broad (very broad!) generalizations. But if I was a candidate I'd take a moment to think about what my entire email address is portraying about me.

"I generally keep the volume on my work computer on mute, only turning it on when my career calls for it… However, sometimes I forget to turn the volume down again, and this has, on occasion, led to the embarrassment of “You’ve got mail!” being shouted by my computer at the entire office."


That’s right; I still use AOL as my personal email provider. I know. I can feel you looking at me with pity, thinking, “Oh my God, what century does this guy come from?” (The same one as Buster Keaton.)
-Sam Barry, “The Daily Sam Confessional: I Still Use AOL”