Brad Shaft

Interviewing
Professor Linda Duff
Spring 2014
Career Plan

The goal of this assignment was to create and develop a career plan that examines different
options, and different types of career paths. By doing research on several job I was interested it
was easy to narrow down the one or two industries that I find myself being able to be a useful
employee. We were expected to conduct research and look at wages, qualifications, and
expectations of different careers. By doing this I easily saw what suited me the best


I feel that I handled this assignment very well. I looked into several different career choices that
I was interested in, and looked at the amount of money I could make, the growth potential in the
company, and also the qualifications of the desired jobs. I think if I could go back I would look
into more jobs and do stronger research on what to expect. With my degree I am able to work in
a variety of different work environments, and I like to keep my options open. I included this
work into my portfolio because I think it demonstrates my ability to be organized, and develop a
plan that I could follow, and gain a desired outcome out of it. I feel that I show my ability to
analyze topics, and use information usefully.
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Bradley Shaft
Career Plan Report
Kent State University
April 20, 2014






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Table of Contents
Abstract 3
Introduction 4
Career Goal 4
Career Description 5
Requirements 6
Salary 6
Fit With My Major 7
Fit With My Characteristics 8
Personal Plan to Reach My Goal 8
Back-Up Plan 9
Conclusion 10
References 11
Business Letter 12
Brochure 13


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Abstract
The purpose of this research is to increase the authors awareness of what it takes to be a
salesman in the workforce today. This project reviews several research studies that give a better
understanding and insight as to the requirements in becoming a salesman, the salary range, and
what types of things a career in sales will hold. The author has also conducted his own research
to learn what a sales representative does and what steps are necessary to take in becoming a
licensed insurance agent.










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Introduction
Before I came to Kent State University, I knew growing up that I belonged in the
workforce as a sales representative. I was not necessarily sure what type of sales job I was
hoping to get, but as my knowledge of communication increased as my years began to pass in the
school of communication studies I certainly have narrowed my options as which path in sales I
would like to take. I enjoy building relationships with people and pride myself on becoming a
trustworthy person even to a complete stranger. These are traits that separate the good salesman
from the great.
Career Goals
One of my main career goals is to become a licensed insurance agent. The reason this
type of sales job appeals to me so much is because of my interpersonal communication skills,
and because the type of interaction between agents and clients really fit my style of
communicating. As stated above, I truly pride myself on becoming a trustworthy person even to
complete strangers and this is an attribute that is highly sought out when people are choosing an
agent to represent them. To understand this market I have acquired an internship working for a
local Allstate agency. With this job, I hope to become more knowledgeable with the insurance
industry and gain a wider skill set in communicating with clients. The degree I am studying here
at Kent State is also a huge asset to my skill set with communicating with people interpersonally.

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Career Description
Insurance agents have several important jobs they must carry out. Besides being a
personable employee to their clients, they also need to know how to market the service they are
trying to sell to people. Keeping people interested in what is being sold ( in this case different
types of insurance) is crucial to gaining more business. Majority of agents work days consist of
calling different leads, and cold calling people who have just purchased a home, a new car or
motorcycle, or even renting an apartment. Agents describe to people the types of insurance
coverage that will protect them from unexpected accidents whether it is their home flooding,
their car being hit, or even a household fire. The skills I am taking from my major as an
interpersonal communicator, and marketing abilities from my marketing minor, I will have the
skills to get my foot in the door, and start building relationships with clients. Successful sales
representatives should be goal oriented, persuasive, have good communication and problem
solving skills, and a pleasant personality and appearance (Rosenberg McKay). Being able to
pursue your potential clients to do business with you is one of the most important attributes a
salesman can hold.. The more professional sellers come off, the more trust potential clients will
have. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that insurance sales agents help insurance companies
generate new business by contacting potential customers and selling one or more types of
insurance. There are different ways that these agents generate new business. One technique
called cold calling, is soliciting potential customers who were not expecting to speak with you.
No ground work has been laid prior to the call, and is completely random to the person receiving
the call. Wendy Connick says that cold calling is one of the least liked tasks in sales
(Connick). While the opposite end, warm calling refers to prospects that have been interested
in your product, and has requested more information. Another way of gaining new business is to
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call on paid leads. These leads are purchased but not guaranteed. Once you get a hold of an
interested party, the agent needs to calculate premium rates and recommended policies using a
calculator and different rate books. Insurance agents main goal is to contact prospective clients
and explain features and merits of policies offered, recommending amound and type of coverage
based on analysis of the prospects circumstances, and utilizing persuasive sales
techniques(Occupational Info).
Requirements
To be an insurance agent representing a specific agency, there is some background that is
desired to obtain a position. The Bureau of Labor Statistics explains that a high school diploma
is almost always required. Although a college degree is not required, many people in the
industry do a have bachelors degree. On top of schooling, becoming an insurance agent also
entails being licensed in the state the agent is attempting to work in. In my case, I will be taking
the Ohios Property and Casualty examination that will give me the necessary credentials to
make me eligible to sell insurance policies. The book that goes over the material to study for this
exam is titled Hondros OHIO Property and Casualty Pre-Licensing 8
th
edition. Most agencies
are looking for agents that have good customer service skills, and also have had background in
some form of selling. Experience using Outlook, as well as other Microsoft office products is
also a highly sought out trait in this industry.
Salary
Although many agents have a set salary amount, there are also monthly opportunities to
make commission or even hit bonuses throughout the year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has a
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chart that shows estimation of mean wages for this occupation. The Bureau Labor Statistics
chart is as follows.
Employment Employment RSE Mean hourly wage Mean annual wage
354,460 1.3% $30.58 63,610
Hourly Wage $12.51 $16.46 $23.18 $35.29 $56.65
Annual Wage $26,030 $34,230 $48,210 $73,390 $117,830

The pay rate varies in each agency greatly. Licensed PNC agents will get paid more and most of
the time be put on a salary. While lower position employees such as part time telemarketers
would be set on an hourly pay rate plus commission.
Fit with My Major/Minor
My major here at Kent State University is Interpersonal Communication with a double
minor in Organizational Communication and Marketing. This career choice is a great fit for the
skill sets I am acquiring in my studies. My classes for my Marketing minor have been extremely
beneficial in preparing me for the sales industry. Learning about advertising and personal selling
is going to help me tremendously with understanding buyers and the market. The Kent State
University Marketing Minor roadmap shows a detailed summary of the course work I have taken
to get this minor on my diploma. The main thing insurance agents do is market the products they
are trying to sell, and the classes I took for this minor will be perfect for me. I have also taken a
great deal of experience from my major in Interpersonal Communication. I have become a much
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better speaker not only in front of people but also one on one which I will be doing on a daily
basis at Allstate. The classes I have taken for my major have also prepared me for face to face
interactions that I would not have gotten had I chosen a different major. For these reasons I feel
this career path is a perfect choice for the major I have selected here at Kent State.
Fit With My Personal Characteristics
My entire life I have always been interested in being a salesman. I have been a
persuasive speaker for as long as I can remember. This is one of the greatest attributes a
salesman can hold. I am extremely task orientated and persistent. These qualities will allow me
to grow in a career where I am constantly trying to get through to buyers and build relationships
along the way.
Personal Plan to Reach My Goal
I have every intention of doing anything in power to become a successful insurance
agent. I understand that everyone starts from the bottom and works their way up to the top of the
chain. For this very reason, as stated above, I have accepted a non paid internship working for
Allstate. The Allstate I am beginning to work at is an Agency located in Sheffield Village. I
plan to get my foot in the door by working this internship and show my abilities to the staff there
to make sure that I eventually land a full-time salary paying job as an agent. I will be taking on
hours that current employees do not have such as after the typical work day is finished. I feel
that this time frame (from 6:00pm-8:30pm) will be a great time to reach out to potential leads
and give quotes. A lot of the time people are busy during the day with their own jobs to be
dealing with changing their insurance policies, so my plan to reach out to them after their return
home from work can bring in a lot of business, showing my worth to this company. By working
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as an agent, I will grow a better understanding of my character. In an article written by Rob
Jolles, he describes how the importance understanding ones character plays a huge role in the
success of the salesman. By understanding my character I will approach my sales differently and
more efficiently. Many agents do not like to cold call people and make calls all day long but I am
willing to do anything necessary to make my presence be known to the current employees. I
hope that my persistence and effort will pay off in the end and ensure me a job at this particular
agency.
Backup Plan
Although working for an insurance agency is my main goal, seeing how much my
education and sales experience could help me in that industry, it is extremely important to have a
backup plan that I can act on for if I do not land a position as an Allstate agent. I recently had an
internship with Charles Schwab Financial Firm last summer. During my internship I learned
how to close deals, interact with clients, and even learned to give financial advice. It was a great
internship for me seeing as I learned a lot of new things and gave me great experience. The
reason I did not stay with the financial firm was because I felt my personal characteristics and
my goals was not with Charles Schwab giving financial advice, but I felt I wanted to be more
involved in the sales industry. Charles Schwab wanted me to get my Series nine license to be
able to give financial advice and deal with peoples retirement investments. At the time, this is
not something that interested me. Now that time has passed, and I have grown and matured, I
know that this is a great back up plan to keep in the back of my mind. I have always wanted to
be a salesman, but if I cannot land the job I want right now at Allstate, I will certainly consider
going back to Charles Schwab and pursue a career as a financial advisor.
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Conclusion
After carefully considering my options for the careers that are available for me, it has
been made clear that I hope to land a position in sales for an Allstate Insurance agency. I have
taken into consideration the skill sets I am receiving during my time at Kent State University,
and after sizing up what I feel are my strongest attributes, I feel that my heart belongs in the
industry as a salesman. I will be working hard just out of the gate at my internship for Allstate
and plan to show my determination to the management there. I feel that I have a strong backup
plan if my initial plan as an agent falls through. I am thankful for the knowledge the school of
Communication Studies has given me, and I know it has made me an extremely skilled
communicator that I would not be had I chosen a different degree. Even if I do not get into the
insurance industry right away, I will not give up on my dream. I will work as hard as I need to
so that I am able to land the job that fits my personality and my knowledge so well.








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References
Connick, W. (2014). What Is Cold Calling? - Definition. Retrieved from
http://sales.about.com/od/glossaryofsalesterms/g/What-Is-Cold-Calling.htm
Insurance Sales Agents. (2013, May 13). Retrieved from
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes413021.htm
Marketing Minor. (2011, August).
http://www2.kent.edu/academics/catalog/2011/CollegesPrograms/BU/Minors/mktg.cf
m
Jolles, R. (2014). Understanding Your Character. Sales & Service Excellence, 14(6), 9-10
Rosenberg McKay, D. (2010, December 7). What Is a Sales Representative? Retrieved from
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/sales_rep.htm
SALES AGENT, INSURANCE alternate titles: Insurance agent - DOT Dictionary of
Occupational Titles Job Description. (2012, August 1).
http://www.occupationalinfo.org/25/250257010.html