GEICO to Expand Staff, Increase Wages in Tucson Office
GEICO looks to add to its robust workforce in Tucson by hiring 250 new associates as soon as possible in the fields of claims, customer service and sales, among others. Tucson is also hiring people who speak Spanish and want to help our Spanish-speaking customers—pay is reflective of this additional skill.
GEICO recently increased the starting salary in its Tucson office, offers great benefits and is looking for people who have a positive attitude, enjoy helping others and like to work in a fast-paced environment.
Five years ago, Tucson associate and native John Manriquez graduated college and began looking for a job. A lot of positions he found were out of state, but he wanted to be close to family and friends. So, he applied to GEICO as a temporary fit.
“Orientation was a bit fast paced—as my first job out of college you definitely felt that corporate environment. However, once I left orientation and joined my colleagues on the floor, I instantly felt differently—our environment certainly wasn’t what you’d expect from this type of job. I also realized that orientation prepared me perfectly for the fast-paced nature of the job,” said Manriquez.
Manriquez found out quickly this was a “thinking person’s job,” one that kept you on your toes and engaged. Even if it was tough, “GEICO provided great coaching—they won’t let you fail. Yes, it might be difficult, you might have a learning curve, but the company is dedicated to your growth and your results,” he said.
This was clearly a different type of job than he was expected.
“We’re all licensed agents and here to help each other and our customers. The support I got was tremendous. Every day, I was excited to go to work with these people,” said Manriquez.
In just three years Manriquez has advanced his career, going from a service agent to mentor to an orientation supervisor. Manriquez is also is halfway to a business administration degree, utilizing GEICO’s tuition reimbursement benefit to pay for it.
In addition to helping customers when they need help the most, Manriquez loves to see the “lightbulbs go off in my agents’ brains—seeing them come back to me and share their success,” Manriquez said.
Now, five years in, Manriquez doesn’t see himself going anywhere and is charting his career advancement. “I love the culture. I love the opportunity. I also love our office—it’s central to the entire region, which makes commuting easy. The University of Arizona is even opening a tech park next door,” said Manriquez.
His viewpoint is shared by many of his Tucson colleagues, according to Regional VP Michelle Trindade. “GEICO and Tucson alike are growing and thriving. We’re excited to be a promote-from-within company that is consistently opening opportunities for new associates, training them up, and watching their careers advance. We have a fun office that celebrates our diversity and our successes and works hard together,” said Trindade.
A member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies, GEICO is a stable company that was founded more than 80 years ago. The company’s Total Rewards benefits package includes health, dental and vision coverage, paid vacation and holidays, parental leave, and continuing education and tuition reimbursement.
When asked what he tells people about GEICO, Manriquez said: “One of my friends, who I worked with at a big box store, just joined GEICO in claims. I told him: you’ll get great hours, job stability even during a pandemic, the pay is competitive, and you can’t beat the benefits, especially the tuition reimbursement and advancement opportunities. You’re going to be working for a company that genuinely cares for you. You aren’t just a number in the books, they want to see you grow and succeed because you are part of the GEICO family from day one. There’s nowhere else I’d rather work than GEICO.”
