As you take on more clients, it’s essential you have a team to serve them. No matter how skilled you are at helping clients navigate the world of Medicare, you don’t have unlimited time. Once you reach a certain scale, you’ll need support staff, like a virtual assistant, an admin, or a junior agent. Hiring people who align with your vision and goals is key to creating the infrastructure for your growing business. 

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VP of People, Jamie Stevens, is responsible for company culture, talent strategy, and employee experience at Spark. She loves helping companies grow and scale effectively. I sat down to hear her advice on how to source candidates and conduct interviews to find the right support staff for your agency. 

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Crafting the job description and finding candidates 

What pre-work should you do before writing a job description? 

First I like to ask myself: What am I trying to solve with this new hire? What skillsets will they need? If I were hiring an executive assistant, I’d want someone with high levels of integrity, who is detail-oriented and can pivot quickly. You should also think through what experience the candidate needs. In this scenario, I’d look for someone with three to five years of office experience, who has worked with an executive or been an office manager.

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What should you include in the job description? 

Always include 1) the salary or compensation band, 2) whether it’s a remote, in-person, or hybrid role, 3) expected working hours (ex: EST or PST). There is so much flexibility now in the workforce, so being specific about what you need will help you source the best candidates. Something strategic you can do to assess candidates is ask a question that demonstrates their accountability and problem-solving skills. If you’re hiring an admin, you could ask: Tell me about a time when you made a mistake scheduling a meeting — how did you go about resolving that issue? 

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How should you format the job description? 

I’d start with an overall mission statement that tells the candidate about your agency, things like: these are the beneficiaries I support, this is how many clients I have, here’s why I’m looking for this role. In the next section you can list skillsets, qualifications, and soft skills you are looking for. Then add in any assessment questions. Finally, cover the logistics of salary, hours, and job location.   

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Where can you post the job description? 

I’d look at Indeed — it’s one of the most popular job boards out there, especially if you’re looking for entry-level talent. Some people have had luck with Monster Jobs or CareerBuilder. If you have a LinkedIn page, that’s a great place to advertise for the role. One route not everyone taps into is partnering with local colleges or universities to source student candidates. 

Download our free job description template

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Conducting the interview  

How do you conduct a phone screening? 

I try to get a feel for why they’re a good fit for the role and ask one or two behavioral questions. I also align with them on their salary expectations and ask how soon they can start if they get the offer. I make sure to use the same five or six questions with every candidate so I’m comparing them on an equal playing field. 

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What comes after the phone screening? 

You could move candidates right into an interview or you could ask them to do a small work project to showcase their skills. An example project could be something like: I have a dinner scheduled with six different agents, please find a restaurant with open reservations next Friday and craft an email to inform the agents. 

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What kind of questions should you ask in the interview? 

I’d recommend creating an interview guide with questions that cover the attributes and competencies you want to assess. Ask for behavioral examples, starting your questions with phrases like “tell me about a time when…” or “give me an example of…” Always take detailed notes on phone screens and interviews to help remember the details of each candidate and avoid recency bias (the tendency to focus on, and potentially favor, your most recent interview rather than looking at all of the candidates equally).

Download our free interview guide template

What are some attributes of top-performing candidates? 

I look for someone with a curious mindset, someone who is a learner. It’s great to hear candidates talk about how they went about solving a problem. Specifically, when screening for support staff roles, you want to look for someone who takes initiative and will be proactive — someone who might catch things before you do. 

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What are attributes that might give you pause? 

One reason for pause is if a candidate doesn’t give detailed answers. As the interviewer, I push for more specificity and note if they can’t provide more. An interview is also an opportunity to evaluate communication skills. It can be challenging to work with someone who doesn’t fully listen to questions or isn’t an effective communicator in their answers. Finally, I’d be careful of candidates who speak too negatively about a previous role or employer. 

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What tasks should you take after each phone screen and interview? 

Looking through my notes after each interview, I’ll do a comprehensive overview to determine if they’re a great fit, neutral fit, or if it’s not the right match. It’s really important to have transparent communication with candidates throughout the process, and ensure you’re keeping them up to date — letting them know if they’re moving forward, if you need more time, or if you’re going in a different direction. 

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What should you do if you have multiple candidates that are qualified for the role? 

Don’t rush the decision, and take some space to think — go for a walk, sleep on it, etc., and see if there’s an instinct that comes to you. Another recommendation is to ask the final candidates for references. Usually when talking to their previous peers or employers a front-runner becomes clear. 

What’s next? 

Download our free job posting and interview guide templates to use in your hiring processes. 

Learn about the Spark platform that helps agents double their business. Follow Spark on LinkedIn for more industry advice and success stories from top agents and principals. 

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