AIM Magazine 2016 | Page 77

“ We need assistants for our account managers who can work their way up to agents when they have the knowledge and experience ,” he explained .
“ The agency is looking for people who are well organized , have a good work ethic and are willing to learn ,” he added . “ They can come in and become familiar with the system and how things are done at the agency .”
One assistant has been training for two and a half years and should become an account manager by the end of the year , Batchelor said .
Tim Pruitt , of Tim Pruitt State Farm Insurance , is looking for part-time customer service representatives who can work their way up to a full time position . Pruitt said he needs bilingual customer representatives to work with his growing number of Hispanic clients .
“ Good employees who are bilingual are hard to find and harder to keep ,” he said . Pruitt explained his agency competes against major employers in the area for those workers .
“ My agency also needs representatives who can relate to millennials . That age group is a strong growth area for the agency ,” he explained .
The agency ’ s success with these clients caused a need for more space . “ We are looking to move to a new location that will have room for us to grow even more ,” Pruitt said .
Insurance sales agents average about $ 58,800 per year in the area , according to NWA Workforce Connection , a website that tracks job growth , training and wages . Other jobs in an insurance agency include claims and policy processing clerks , who earn about $ 28,500 a year . Claims adjusters , examiners and investigators earn around $ 59,000 annually .
With a thriving business community , look for the number of office and administrative employees to climb . Receptionists and information clerks average $ 24,900 locally with secretaries earning an average of $ 32,900 . Pay rates go up as responsibilities and knowledge increase , especially in the professional services area . 75