Kim: Welcome, everybody, to our first Life at Travelers podcast. I have my guest, Brianna Sacerdote, here with me today. She’s a recruiter at Travelers. Bri, thanks for being here.

Brianna: Thanks for having me.

Kim: Of course. I’m going to be, kind of, picking your brain. A lot of questions that we’ve gathered from social media, from our potential candidates, real candidates. So, we’re going to dive deep. You ready?

Brianna: I’m ready. I’m looking forward to it.

Kim: Alright. Awesome. So first, I would just want to, you know, have you explain your role here at Travelers and how you got here.

Brianna: Yeah. So, I’m currently a Senior Recruiter, and I recruit for the Upper Midwest Claim Center. So, all positions within Claim, ranging from trainees to experienced claim representatives. And I started in the PI (Personal Insurance) Call Center back in 2016, networked and held another role in Employee Relations, and ultimately started job shadowing in Talent Acquisition. So, that’s how I got where I am, and it’s been great ever since.

Kim: How long have you been at Travelers?

Brianna: Since 2016. So, eight years?

Kim: Eight years? Yeah. Wow. That’s awesome.

Brianna: I know. It’s gone by so fast.

Kim: So, getting into the nitty gritty of recruiting and your day-to-day, what are the first things that you look at on a resume?

Brianna: So, for me, a resume needs to be visually appealing. So, without even looking at their experience, I want to make sure it looks visually appealing. I look at format, neatness, make sure all the verb tenses are in the right tense. So, if your current job, we want your current job to say all current and present tenses and all prior jobs to say past. So, I look for that, if you have periods, we want to make sure all the periods are there throughout the resume. But I’m not that, I’m not picky if it’s not that consistent. I really want to get to the nitty gritty of what experience they have, and if they could be a good fit for the position that we’re hiring for. Especially if it’s an experienced role.

Kim: So, formatting-wise, if it’s over a page, are there any kind of, like, you know, details you’re looking for there? Should it be one page? Are multiple pages okay? How short should it be?

Brianna: Yeah. That’s the common misconception is that resumes have to be a page. And that’s, that’s not the thing. I mean, people have a bunch of experience

that they want to include on their resume so, I usually recommend anywhere between 2 to 3 is a good, sweet spot. Sometimes five is just way too long and like, you know, we’re clicking back into the resume pages to really see what, where they’re coming from. So, I think 2 to 3 is the sweet spot, but also, tailor it, you know, tailor it to the job you’re applying for. If it’s, if you have experience on there beyond ten years, maybe start to take things away. That’s not always necessary to include.

Kim: So, my camp counselor job from ten years ago could probably go.

Brianna: Yes, that can definitely go.

Kim: Okay, okay.

Brianna: But it could be a skill. That’s cool that you did something like that. Like, we like to see cool skills as well.

Kim: Yeah.

Brianna: Yeah.

Kim: And, and at the top, you know, that objective statement or summary that some folks include, is that important because we’re also submitting a cover letter, you know, what pieces are important there?

Brianna: Yeah. So, the summary I usually recommend it’s not, it’s not important or required unless it’s a very specific, unique job that you want to call out a certain experience level then fine, but I want to get to right to the experience and see what you’re coming with. So, typically it’s not required.

Kim: So, work experience and skills are really top of mind.

Brianna: And education.

Kim: And education. Got it. Okay. And, you know, for the cover letter, because a lot of the time when folks are applying for jobs, it’s required. Is it required at Travelers and, you know, how is it weighted? How important is that?

Brianna: It’s not required to submit an application at Travelers. So, the majority of our applicants do just have a resume. Cover letter is really important for me to see, like, if you’re relocating and you want to let us know that you’re relocating, or if there’s gaps in employment, that gives us an opportunity to see why there’s gaps. If you want to call out, maybe you moved back home for family reasons or something like that, so that’s helpful. Or if you have very specific experience, you want to call out in your cover letter, but otherwise that could be used for your resume, so it’s a hit or miss. It’s not required. I don’t ever, I’m not ever searching for a cover letter when someone submits an application.

Kim: Got it. Okay, so we can use a cover letter for those more personal details.

Brianna: Exactly.

Kim: Okay. Got it. Now, a tip that I’ve heard, from a former recruiter was, you know, talk about accomplishments on your resume versus what you do, right? I remember them saying, if I read your job title, right, I know what you do mostly. So, talk about how you do it and talk about those accomplishments. What is your opinion on that? Should we be putting accomplishments or talking more about our day-to-day?

Brianna: I think a mixture of both is helpful. Like accomplishments as far as if you’re excelling in key metrics in the job you’re performing in, we recommend putting those in your resume. We love numbers, percentages, so definitely include those if you’re excelling in a certain area. But I think a mixture of both is really helpful. You don’t want it all to be accomplishments, you know?

Kim: You don’t want to be too “boasty.”

Brianna: Save that for the interview.

Kim: Yeah, there you go. Okay. So, speaking of interviews, or maybe even a step back before the interview, right? We get together our resume, fill out the application, maybe a cover letter, maybe not, and we send that in. Folks on social media, we see it all the time, you know, there’s memes about it, there’s Reels about it, that the application just goes into a black hole, right? And they’re ghosted or they never hear back. What actually happens at Travelers when somebody submits an application?

Brianna: So, when someone submits an application at Travelers, they are reviewed manually. We don’t have a system where it automatically rejects applicants based off of a word they have or don’t have on their resume. We’re looking at your experience manually. So, a lot of factors go into play. It depends on how long the job’s been posted. If you apply right away, the chances of being considered might be a little bit higher. But sometimes you don’t know if, how long the job’s been posted. Even if it says ten days, it could, that could be inaccurate. It could have been unposted then reposted. So, it is really based off of timing and we try to prioritize as soon as possible, but unfortunately, if you apply late to the game, that’s what might lead to that misconception of a black hole. But we do try to reach out to people as soon as we can.

Kim: Okay. And what is the first step? So, when you do reach out to somebody, kind of, what’s the process look like for them?

Brianna: Yeah. So, we’ll conduct a first initial phone interview. So someone would connect with me, another recruiter on our team and it’d be a lot of those behavioral-type questions. So, definitely recommend folks to come prepared for those. Or we also do more talking about your job. So we just want to, not your job but your experience. We want to hear about your experience, your interest in the position, you know, why? Why Travelers? What about Travelers excites you to leave, to come here, but then to leave your current company? So, it’s more of a ‘get to know you,’ but then also, why are you the right fit for the position as well?

Kim: Okay, so that’s that first step and past that, do they start to meet with the actual team they’d be working with?

Brianna: Yeah. So depending how that goes the team and I will collaborate and then we’ll determine next steps. Usually interviews are on video but a lot of teams are now incorporating a lot of in-person interviews. So, you might go to an office and meet with the hiring team. A lot more behavioral-type questions would be asked during that conversation. So, we really, I try to prep my candidates a lot with those behavioral-type questions because there’s a plethora.

Kim: Okay. Okay so Travelers allows for both in-person interviews and, like, virtual video interviews.

Brianna: Yes.

Kim: Okay. Awesome.

Brianna: And I guess depending on the office and what, you know, it’s dependent across everywhere. But yeah, most offices are incorporating in-person interviews again since COVID because that’s all we used to do.

Kim: Sure. Yeah. I know, life changed so much since then.

Brianna: Yeah.

Kim: And after the interviews, a question we got from social media was, how often do you receive a thank you note, or does a hiring manager receive a thank you note after interviews? And is that important?

Brianna: Yeah, that’s a great question and I actually preach about thank you notes to everybody I talk to. For recruiters, it’s not, I don’t take it as a bad or good thing. If you don’t thank me after a call, it’s really what matters next. So, if you meet with the hiring team and you want to send them a thank you note, we really think that it’s critical. You know, it makes you stand out to the hiring team. You highlight 2 to 3 sentences on why you’re the right candidate for the position, maybe call out a certain level of experience that you have to offer, and it just goes a long way. You might not always get a response from the hiring team, that’s totally normal, but just going that extra step to put yourself out there, let them know you had a great conversation, it does go a long way.

Kim: Now if you don’t hear back, right, on your thank you note, is that because they’re trying to maybe hold back bias or is there something along those lines, or is it more just, right, thank you notes come and go and, you know, what is the response rate and why might they not answer?

Brianna: Honestly, I see more non-response rates. It’s probably because they just don’t want to give any indication. Like if they were to say something like, ‘Oh yeah, it was great meeting you,’ that maybe someone would take that as, ‘Oh, I think I’m going to get the job.’ So, I think they’re really just trying to keep it very high level and neutral.

Kim: Yeah. Okay. That makes sense. That makes sense. So, regarding the interview, some of those hard questions, hard for the candidate to ask, usually around negotiations for salary, benefits. How should a candidate go about asking those questions or can they find that information publicly?

Brianna: Yeah. So, it’s a good mixture of both. So, Travelers I like to think we’re very transparent about putting our benefits out there, what our salary is. Benefits you can find on our Travelers website, so, careers.travelers.com. You can go on there under Life at Travelers, then Benefits tab, all the way at the bottom you’ll see a brochure that you can open up and see all the benefits we have to offer. There’s also a benefit rate calculator that’s on there. So, if you wanted to play and plug and chug information to see how much they’d cost you on average, that’s available.

Kim: Okay.

Brianna: Salary expectations, those are posted on all of our jobs. So, we have a nationwide range, a low all the way to a high number, but it’s not including where any of our candidates are located. So again, it’s nationwide, but you don’t know where your number could fall because we haven’t chatted yet.

Kim: Right.

Brianna: So that comes when you talk to us. One of us recruiters will narrow that down for you a little bit more on what salary we’re going to offer and if it’s in, not exact numbers, but kind of like a range, and if it’s in their range. If it’s not, we ask you to be transparent with us because we would hate to make an offer to you, and then it’s not the number you want. So, we set those expectations very clearly on that initial phone call.

Kim: Okay, so that’s not a taboo subject.

Brianna: No. We’re very transparent and open. It’s a question that we, that we ask you.

Kim: Okay. So other questions outside of salary, benefits, what other questions should a candidate be asking a recruiter? What’s important for them to know that they might not think of?

Brianna: Yeah, those are good questions, too. So, I’ll start with ones that, maybe to avoid with a recruiter. I recommend staying away from the technical kind of questions about the job. Like anything that is very specific about the job, save those for the hiring team. What I do recommend you ask the recruiter, is anything about Travelers, like the culture or career growth, networking opportunities, volunteer opportunities, anything like that is really helpful. If you wanted to talk about the team environment, the team make-up, you know, work flexibility, we will have all that at our fingertips.

Kim: Okay.

Brianna: We feel like we could do every job that we talk about because we talk about it so much but, you know, we’re not that skilled in it. So, we do recommend to keep it more high-level or ask the recruiter, you know, how we got started here, what’s our career journey look like. Same with the hiring team, you know, put the questions on them and what they like most about Travelers.

Kim: Okay and then for the hiring team, it’s more the nitty gritty of the day-to-day of the role.

Brianna: Yeah, because they’re the experts. You know, most managers on the team have done the role themselves. Most. So, you know, I would definitely Save it for them for sure.

Kim: So, from personal experience, I remember people mentioning working at an insurance company. Right? I live near Hartford, insurance capital of the world. Travelers was mentioned and I thought, ‘I’m never going to work for an insurance company,’ right? Sounds boring. Sounds like paperwork. Sounds like there’s just not a role there for me, right? I’m not an underwriter. I’m not in claims. You know, it’s not for me.

Brianna: Right.

Kim: So, you know, we obviously both found our way here, you know, what would you tell folks about the roles we have here? What would people not expect to find as a role at an insurance company?

Brianna: Yeah. And it’s crazy because I didn’t have that idea either that I would work for an insurance company. My dad worked in insurance his whole life, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m not going that route.’ And here I am and, like, loving it, obviously.

Kim: Yeah.

Brianna: So, a few roles that you wouldn’t expect that we have to offer at Travelers are pilots, we have a couple of private jets, so we would need to hire a pilot for that.

Kim: Right.

Brianna: Nurses, we have nurse case managers mostly in claim. We have architects. We have fitness and wellness instructors, event planners, forensic scientists.

Kim: Wow.

Brianna: Chemists in Risk Control.

Kim: Yep.

Brianna: So, yeah, it’s a wide variety that you wouldn’t think of.

Kim: You just think of, you know, underwriters and claim reps. So, yeah, very interesting.

Brianna: It’s awesome.

Kim: And recruiters.

Brianna: And recruiters for sure. Yeah, the opportunities are endless. It really does not matter what you went to school for. You can find a place for you here.

Kim: Yeah. And is there a lot of movement internally in the company? I know you joined via the call center, right? And now you’re a recruiter. Does that happen a lot?

Brianna: I think it does. And it’s also what you make of it. So, that’s what I tell candidates, too. It’s like, you know, where can I go here? Well it’s really where you want to go. You make the most out of your career. You make that career path for you. You make your own networking opportunities. So, if you wanted to do whatever you want to do, you have that opportunity here. We have so many different people and departments to work with.

Kim: Yeah.

Brianna: So, yeah.

Kim: We got a question from social media regarding being an undergraduate, right? You’re not currently applying yet. How can folks who are in college now, prepare for a role at Travelers?

Brianna: Yeah, so, there’s a couple different ways that I recommend. I mean, number one, and it’s the most convenient, is attending your college career fairs. I think that’ll give you a wide variety of different companies, maybe what areas you’re interested in, or might not even be aware that you’re interested in yet.

Kim: Right.

Brianna: So, definitely start there. Set up your LinkedIn profile.  I’m sure you can talk a lot about LinkedIn.

Kim: Yeah, we talk a lot about LinkedIn.

Brianna: LinkedIn is so important. You can network with people. Start there and you never know who you’ll be connected with. We have tons of internships here, so, just browsing our careers website, seeing if there would be anything you would be interested in after college is helpful. We have so many trainee and entry-level job opportunities so, checking out our website, seeing if they ring a bell to you, and if so, have that be your way in when you graduate or before. Start applying like a month before or something like that.

Kim: Yeah. And I’ve heard you mention networking a lot. Would you say networking is a big part of it?

Brianna: Yeah, networking is huge. I mean, I don’t think I’d be where I am without networking, so, I try to advocate that for everybody else and I try to be that network for other people as well.

Kim: Yeah. So, for folks who are getting ready to,  you know, come to Travelers or they’re currently interviewing.

Brianna: Yes.

Kim: We talk about the culture and that sort of thing, but, some of those specific questions, right? Is there a dress code at Travelers?

Brianna: Oh, yeah. So, I think, I think you and I started around the same time in Talent Acquisition. So, it was somewhere around that time they changed the dress code to ‘dress for your day,’ where you were now able to wear jeans and just like, you know, dress for your day. What’s on your calendar that day? Do you have all virtual meetings? Do you know you’re not going to be on camera? Just dress appropriately. If you are meeting new clients or a new team or anything in-person, have an interview, then dress appropriately for that. So, that’s the guidance that we do tell our candidates.

Kim: Yeah.

Brianna: When they ask about dressing appropriately for work. But there’s no defined, like, you have to wear a business attire every single day. There’s nothing that outlines that.

Kim:  Again, it’s just that insurance, kind of, stigma. Right? It’s suits and, yeah, the whole deal.

Brianna: I wear jeans every day.

Kim: Yeah.

Brianna: So, I mean, yeah. It’s awesome.

Kim: Yep. Okay, awesome. Bri, any cool recruitment stories? I mean, you’ve obviously talked to so many people. Have you had interesting backgrounds or folks, you know, come from, you know, different places and end up where they didn’t think they were or?

Brianna: I have. So, one of them actually, I, someone reached out to me on LinkedIn. I wasn’t even searching for anybody.

Kim: Okay.

Brianna: He reached out to me and told me he applied to a position within Worker’s Comp. So, I spoke to him and we had a great conversation. He ended up getting the job for that position and, before that, though, he’s an ex-police officer, which we do see a lot within claim.

Kim: Wow.

Brianna: A lot of ex-police officers or ones that are retired, want a change in career, they’re interested in Claim because there’s a lot of transferable skills.

Kim: Yeah.

Brianna: So, he ended up getting a job and then let me know that he got another job in TIS, which is, like, our investigative services.

Kim: Yep.

Brianna: So, it just goes to show that a background in being a police officer can translate to Claim, but then also the investigative team. And I’m sure he never expected to work at an insurance company during his career. So, that was pretty cool.

Another one, one person I hired, he applied for, I believe, a Property Trainee position, which are very common entry-level positions. And he, the day I called him to extend the offer, he got told that his job was getting, like, eliminated or realigned. Something along those lines.

Kim: Yep.

Brianna: And it was going to be effective on our start date. So, he was like really emotional that we offered him the job effective the day that his job was going to change and it was just a really cool opportunity.

Kim: Yeah, that eased his mind there.

Brianna: Yeah.

Kim: Yeah.

Brianna: It really eased his mind and you just, it makes you, like, really appreciative of the work that we’re doing and, you know, it goes a long way.

My last one is cool. I went to this local gym in town and the woman I worked out with, I never knew that her husband applied to a job that I screened him for, and it was a great conversation. He ended up getting the job. I never met him, but I saw him at a local grocery store and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s the guy I hired.’ So, it was really cool, full circle to see him.

Kim: Yes.

Brianna: In person. And he’s thriving and he’s been here for a couple of years but, like, you would never expect someone you work out with to now have their husband working at the same like, so.

Kim: There are just folks from Travelers in your local community.

Brianna: Yeah, just a small world. You just realize how small of a world it is.

Kim: Totally.

Brianna: So, so many opportunities is the main point.

Kim: Yeah, during COVID, I had signed up to grocery shop for an elderly couple.

Brianna: Oh yeah, I remember that.

Kim: Yeah, and, I think I had been delivering groceries to them for maybe a month before we talked and the woman I was literally giving groceries to was a Travelers retiree.

Brianna: That’s crazy.

Kim: It was just a wild story. And, yeah, so, we bonded pretty hard over that, after that point.

Brianna: Oh, that’s awesome.

Kim: They still email me now and they’re like, you know, ‘How’s Travelers? It’s been five years but, you know.’ So yeah, I agree, it’s a small world.

Brianna: It is.

Kim: It’s a tight network.

Brianna: It really is. And everyone knows us. So it’s awesome.

Kim: Absolutely. So, personal question for you.

Brianna: Yeah.

Kim: You’re sitting here with me. You are seven months pregnant right now?

Brianna: Yeah. Six, seven.

Kim: Six, seven months. Okay, so, and you already have a little one at home.

Brianna: I do, my daughter.

Kim: And you had her while you were at Travelers? Is that correct?

Brianna: I did.

Kim: So this is your second time, going through a pregnancy while working at Travelers.

Brianna: Yeah.

Kim: What is it like, you know, being a mom at Travelers? What support do you have? And your maternity leave, your team, all that sort of stuff?

Brianna: It is. It’s truly awesome. I never feel like I’m not supported. My management, leadership, I just feel so supported and I cannot imagine being in this situation anywhere else.

Kim: Yeah.

Brianna: You know, obviously with kids, things come up, they get sick, daycare closes. We have to be flexible, so, the work arrangement, the flexibility, is amazing for us. The three days in the office, two days from home, it’s super nice. We just implemented, I think within the last two years or so, a new diversity network called Working Parents and Caregivers (& Allies) and I’m a part of that, which is awesome, but you don’t have to be a parent or a caregiver to be a part of it. It’s just for you to come to and be supported.

Kim: Be an ally as well.

Brianna: Yeah, and be an ally. We have speakers come from the hospital, Hartford Hospital, to talk about just daily things parents go through and ways to cope with it.

Kim: Yeah.

Brianna: So, I just feel really supported in that sense because we have another group here who is focusing in on that now.

Kim: Yeah.

Brianna: I think we need that.

Kim: You have your village at work, too.

Brianna: Yeah you have your village, other other moms on my team, obviously dads, so, we’re all going through the same stuff and it’s so nice to be a part of it here.

Kim: That’s awesome. I’m so glad to hear it and congrats on the upcoming baby.

Brianna: Thank you. We’re so excited.

Kim: We’ll miss you while you’re on maternity leave.

Brianna: I know, I’ll miss you guys.

Kim: But, we’ll be excited. We need pictures, so, send them our way.

Brianna: Alright. Definitely will.

Kim: Bri, anything else that, you know, we didn’t cover today? Kind of, like, more informally that you think we should, candidates should know? Or do you think we, kind of, covered the gamut?

Brianna: I do, I think we covered everything, but, Travelers is, the opportunities truly are endless. And I say that all the time on LinkedIn, like, to check out this job. The opportunities are endless. It’s true, I’m an example of that. I’ve started in the call center and here I am recruiting. You would never think that those two correlate, But, if you’re looking for something or you just want to grow and have a lifelong career, I mean, this is the place. So. Yeah, I have nothing but good things to say.

Kim:  Well, thanks for being here and, for our listeners, can they connect with you on LinkedIn if they want to know more? Okay.

Brianna: It’s under Brianna Sacerdote, so.

Kim Okay.

Brianna: I look forward to getting a bunch of requests.

Kim: Alright. Awesome. We’re going to make you an influencer.

Brianna: Thank you. I hope so. Thanks for having me.

Kim: Thank you.