Kristin Jones
Associate broker, Bliss & Glennon
Years at company: 5
College: Berklee College of Music '07
Organizations: AAMGA Under Forty Organization
Accreditations: ASLI

What is an important lesson you learned when you joined a professional working environment?
I learned that it is important to choose your work friends and mentors wisely for they not only shape you, but other people's perception of you. Surround yourself with focused, bright, successful people who you like. If you are focused at work, that makes the happy hour afterward all the more enjoyable.

What are your goals in this industry?
My goal is to be a top producer within the Bliss & Glennon organization. I'd like to focus growing my book of business in the entertainment field, something B&G hasn't really tapped into yet. Ultimately my goal is to do whatever it takes to keep this organization growing and moving forward in this saturated, challenging market.

How did you choose insurance as a viable career choice?
With a mother in the industry, of course I grew up saying I would never be in insurance. I went to college to sing and write music for film. While working a few unpaid internships in the entertainment industry, I also was working part-time at Bliss & Glennon. One day I decided to give insurance my undivided attention and really see what my options were. From there it was pretty easy to determine that the wholesale MGA and brokerage business is not a bad gig!

The great thing about insurance is that you can come into it from any educational background. Underwriting is all about experience, the more diverse the better. Music is something everyone can relate to and being a Berklee grad is a good conversation starter in marketing and networking.

How do Gen Ys struggle in a professional environment?
I hate to promote stereotypes, but speaking as one myself, “Gen Y'ers” tend to get bored more easily than older generations. We like to multitask, feel that we are making a difference and see clear steps to moving up in a company. That may sound high maintenance, but my advice to employers is to simply keep the lines of communication open. If you can keep a Gen Y employee engaged, then you'll have a star employee. My advice to the young generation is not to take any job or position for granted.

What advice would you give young agents without an insurance background or training?
Insurance will seem like a separate language at first. Don't be discouraged; pick up the INS education series to learn the basics. After that there are dozens of industry-specific courses to choose from and I recommend you take as many as you have time for. But the most important training will come from job experience–find a mentor, ask lots of questions and work hard. You'll be rattling off acronyms and coverage terms like a true insurance professional in no time.

Who do you look to as a mentor in this industry?
I look to my mother as a mentor in management, operations and pure work ethic. I count myself incredibly lucky to be able to pick her brain on a daily basis. I look to one of the younger female producers in our office as a mentor in underwriting and market placement. She has the perfect balance of experience, attention to detail and humor to help with developing producers.

Special Reports /

nGI: Kristin Jones

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