The talent market within the industry is evolving at a rapid pace. Insurance organizations face an increasingly challenging labor market, a growing talent shortage and rising turnover rates. Is your company prepared?

It is my pleasure to introduce a guest blogger for this latest post. My brother and co-chief executive officer Greg is head of The Jacobson Group’s executive search team. His insights into evaluating executive candidates are worth a read. Enjoy…

Does your organization have a positive public persona, or does your company’s image fall short? In today’s increasingly competitive labor market, having a strong, public brand is critical to attracting young professionals. In fact, 75 percent of job seekers consider a company’s brand before they even submit an application. Conversely, 72 percent of recruiting leaders view branding as a critical driver of their ability to attract and hire top talent.

We’ve heard it all—a slide to travel between floors, encouraging employees to use skates to move around the office and game rooms filled with arcade classics. Faced with an increasingly competitive labor market, businesses are going to extreme lengths to better attract and retain young talent.

Your company is only as strong as its employees. For insurance organizations in particular, engaging the next generation is critical to ensuring future success. Before organizations can effectively recruit and retain these individuals, they must truly understand what motivates and drives them. Despite speculation and numerous reports, today’s young professionals are not all that different from the generations of individuals preceding them. So what exactly do today’s young professionals really want in an employer? How can insurers effectively engage this next generation?

For years, the insurance industry has stood as a virtual island amid a sea of growing technological changes. While innovations and advancements transformed industries from banking, commerce, travel and more, insurers maintained business as usual.

But the industry can no longer silo itself against transformation. In fact, more than 80 percent of CEOs identify technological advancements as the top trend expected to transform the industry in the coming years. Today’s organizations are increasingly embracing the opportunities brought by technological advancements—driven by rising innovations, emerging disrupters and evolving business needs.