Take the 'I' Test
(provided by InVEST)

Before taking the next step on your career path, ask yourself the questions below and read the following information:

You may be among the very few career-bound students who have what we call a high "IQ" (Independence Quotient).

 Questions

Here are five basic questions about your attitude toward your career.

1)  For the most part, I would prefer work that puts me in touch with:

a.   Machines exclusively
b.   Both people and machines
c.   People exclusively

2)  For the most part, I would prefer a career where I:

a.   Work from 9 to 5
b.   Work roughly from 9 to 5
c.   Set my own schedule

3)  I would prefer the kind of career which provides me:

a.   Total job security in a big company or bureaucracy
b.   Some security in a growth industry or in a medium-sized company
c.   Limited security

4)  I would prefer a job in which I:

a.   Work in an office regularly
b.   Travel locally or regionally
c.   Travel exclusively

5)  I would prefer a career with upward mobility:

a.   In which I climb to the top of an existing structure
b.   In which I make the structure of my enterprise grow and I grow with it

 

Your Answers

The answers to The "I" Test are not as obvious as you think. Each one has weighty implications.

Question 1 addresses a serious consideration. Some people prefer the limited responsiveness of the machine and are motivated by mechanical invention. Some prefer dealing with people almost 100% of the time. And some prefer a mix of people contact and machine technology.

If your answer was (b) your "independence quotient" is best served. You prefer harnessing technology for your people-to-people contact and you prefer working with both human and hardware resources.

Question 2 contrasts the total independence of an entertainer, answer (c), with the regularity of the 9 to 5 worker, answer (a). In the center lies a happy medium, answer (b) - the job which relies upon your initiative and is yet part of a larger, structured system.

Question 3 illustrates your job security motivation. A career should not be a gamble. But there are extremes. Answer (a) implies the total security situation in a large corporation or governmental bureaucracy. Answer (b) implies some security like that offered by a medium-sized company. If you chose (c) you are independent, but be careful – your future is at stake and at least some security is a good thing! If you chose (b) you may be headed for the security that comes from being part of the decision-making team of an independent insurance agency or insurance company.

Question 4 illustrates the extremes of your willingness to travel, from (a) virtually "none" to (c) "exclusively." If you chose (b), you are ready for the success that comes from personal contacts on a local and regional level.

Question 5 really asks whether you prefer (a) climbing up an existing corporate ladder or (b) making your own enterprise grow - and you growing with it. The independent thinker will probably choose (b).

Independence

Our purpose in illustrating these choices is to interest you in a career that combines the following opportunities:

 

The career that offers these opportunities is that of an Independent Insurance Agent. Independent Agents are entrepreneurs who...

Many Independent Agents own their own businesses and work for themselves and their clients. But they also work with the companies they represent, including some of the largest and most prestigious insurance companies in the world.

And there’s much more to it. The insurance industry needs bright, forward-looking young people who can be INDEPENDENT and make lifelong careers in this rapidly growing, demanding field.

Thank you for taking The "I" Test. If you feel you measure up, there may be a great career awaiting you as an Independent Agent!