There are countless career options for liberal arts majors. A well-rounded education makes you an attractive candidate for positions that require strong communication skills, analytical thinking, and ability to learn, meaning you could be a great fit for a lot of different roles and companies.
But even with all of your options, having the chance to do meaningful, impactful work while carving out a career path is a unique opportunity – and it’s what makes PURE Insurance such a great first step for liberal arts majors coming out of college.
PURE Insurance, a fast-growing insurance carrier that specializes in the high net-worth market, is a purpose-driven insurance company with outstanding professional development opportunities, a welcoming company culture, and an impactful, people-first mission. While PURE Insurance has numerous roles that could be a great fit for someone coming from a liberal arts background, PURE frequently hires liberal arts majors for its entry-level claims adjustment role, called a Member Advocate. The company looks for candidates with empathy, great communication skills, curiosity, and a passion for learning – all traits which are typically found in liberal arts majors.
While Member Advocates are largely responsible for taking calls with PURE’s members and adjusting claims, the skills learned in the role lay the foundation for a number of different career paths, making it a perfect place to transition into a professional career. We spoke with two liberal arts graduates who started their careers as Member Advocates for PURE Insurance and have since progressed through the company. They shared how their educational backgrounds made them the perfect fit for an entry-level role that demands a balance of analytical thinking and interpersonal skills and laid out the top reasons why every liberal arts major should consider starting their career at PURE Insurance.
1. The Member Advocate role comes with a training program that equips you with invaluable professional skills.
Sarah Evarts, a former Member Advocate currently working in Talent Acquisition at PURE Insurance, didn’t have a clear idea of what she wanted to do after graduation, though knew she wanted a people-facing job with dynamic day-to-day responsibilities. Insurance wasn’t initially on her radar, but the job description for the Member Advocate role and the paid training program that accompanied it caught her eye.
“I knew nothing about insurance and didn’t have experience working in a corporate setting, so the training program was really important to me,” she said. “The training program provided the perfect transition from campus to corporate. It helped me hone the skills I had developed from extracurriculars and classes and provided me with the additional skills I needed to be part of the workforce. I really felt comfortable my first day in the office because of the program.”
On top of that, PURE’s supportive and welcoming culture helped her feel more comfortable about entering an unfamiliar industry.
“While interviewing, I noticed PURE really focused on the culture and creating a productive and supportive environment for their employees,” she said. “When I got into the office, I saw that the care and personalized attention never stops. They empower young employees to do their own work, but provide the support and resources to help them grow.”
After spending nearly two years as a Member Advocate, Sarah credits PURE’s supportive environment, training resources, and her own liberal arts background for allowing her to succeed in the role and discover where she wanted to take her career next.
“When I was in college, my professional skills weren’t as strong as they are now,” Sarah said. “Through the training program and my day-to-day work as a Member Advocate, I’ve really honed essential professional skills like phone and email etiquette and utilizing office technology. I feel confident I could work anywhere and have those important elements of professionalism.”
2. Starting your career with PURE Insurance gives you an entry point to an exciting and important industry.
Chris Mannion, the current AVP of Risk Management at PURE, started as a Member Advocate in 2012 and moved through various roles at PURE, including risk management, sales, and marketing. Similar to Sarah, insurance didn’t initially top his list of post-graduate options – but he points to his first role with PURE as an ideal start to his career in the insurance industry.
“When I was considering my path after college, I hadn’t thought about the insurance industry. But I really liked PURE, and it wasn’t what I expected from an insurance company,” said Chris. “The Member Advocate role was a great jumping off point because it gives you a great background of the industry. Working in a claims focused role, you develop an understanding of something that’s so critical to the business.”
Chris was able to learn the ins-and-outs of an unfamiliar industry while receiving support and mentorship from the team at PURE, allowing him to progress through a variety of roles before landing in his current one. And both Sarah and Chris benefited from PURE’s approach to career advancement – as part of their role, managers at PURE help employees progress through their careers by identifying strengths and interests of their employees. Together, they come up with a plan for where the employee should go next, whether that’s management, specializing in one role, or a new department.
If you aren’t sure of what you want to do after college, working for a company that cares about the career advancement of their employees can help you navigate the next phase of your career. And the Member Advocate role at PURE Insurance provides invaluable background on a multifaceted and essential industry, exposing you to a variety of opportunities you can transition to over time.
“A lot of people in the liberal arts field are unsure of where they see themselves post graduation,” said Chris. “But the insurance industry is a great place to go. The work we do is important and impactful. Insurance is a crucial aspect of the financial system and allows people to protect those things that matter the most.”
3. From the beginning of your career at PURE, you take on a role that makes an impact.
While the Member Advocate role will help you figure out where to take your career, the role also provides the opportunity to do meaningful work from the start. As a Member Advocate, you will talk with clients during extremely stressful and vulnerable times in their lives, so you have a big opportunity to make a difference early on in your career.
“We talk to people on the hardest days of their lives,” said Sarah. “We have to answer the phone ready for anything. You could get a phone call that someone backed their car into a curb, or that their house burned down.”
“Taking calls and processing claims, you’re really on the front lines,” echoes Chris. “It’s such important work in the organization.”
As a purpose-driven company, being there for members is PURE’s focus. Member Advocates are the ones who speak with members, so they have the responsibility of educating them about risk and helping them become smarter and safer.
“We’re given the wiggle room to go above and beyond to build relationships with members,” Sarah said. “A big part of our role is proactive risk management and handling claims, but it’s also helping members through their tough times.”
PURE Insurance also understands the importance of the Member Advocate role, so young employees can take on the job feeling confident that their work will be valued and meaningful.
“I feel so valued as an employee” Sarah said. “From my first day, I really felt like I was contributing to the company’s success and I could see the impact I was making.”
If you aren’t sure where to take your career, check out PURE Insurance and the Member Advocate role. From the welcoming company culture to the professional growth opportunities, working at PURE offers an exciting, fulfilling introduction to the workforce and can provide a great foundation for the rest of your career.
Learn more about PURE Insurance here.
