OKLAHOMA CITY, March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With Oklahoma's unemployment rate at a decade high of 6.8 percent, the time to start a business is now. Allstate (NYSE : ALL ), the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, has launched a recruitment campaign in Oklahoma to attract 20 self-motivated entrepreneurs for a career as an Allstate Exclusive Agent. Targeted areas within Oklahoma include the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas.

While risk sometimes deters entrepreneurs, owning an Allstate agency has built-in success factors, including help with sourcing start-up capital, insurance product education, expert sales assistance, customizable marketing and advertising materials and performance incentives. To engage would-be Allstate agency owners and start a dialog about agency opportunities in the Southwestern U.S., Allstate is also launching a regional networking and career recruitment platform called "More2You."

"We are hoping to attract a diverse group of candidates, including women and multi-cultural entrepreneurs, who thrive as leaders in Allstate," said Jeff Hoffman, strategic deployment leader for Allstate's Southwest Region. "The Allstate agency opportunity is open to everyone – including those with no prior insurance experience – making it ideal for re-careering professionals and 'mom-preneurs,'" Hoffman said.

"With Allstate, agents have the independence to run their own agency while leveraging a well-known global brand and utilizing Allstate's comprehensive resources to build their business," he said. "New Allstate agencies often discover how much more they have to offer their families, their careers, their lives – hence the More2You platform."

Allstate Exclusive Agent Cathy Polony said her decision to become an Allstate agency owner in 2006 was an ideal match for her dreams and skills.

"I was always a self-starter, but I never found that perfect fit until I started my own Allstate agency," Polony said. "There is nothing more motivating than knowing I am responsible for the success of my agency, and that I can put people's lives back together after they've suffered a loss. It's really rewarding. This experience has changed my life and brought out more of me than I ever expected."

Allstate agents have the opportunity to sell the company's wide range of insurance and financial products, including auto, property and financial services. Agents will also have the opportunity to expand their business by opening multiple locations and by watching its value grow with every sale, while connecting with their customers on a personal level.

Allstate's agency expansion plan is part of an overall strategy that calls for growing the provider's auto and property insurance presence nationwide and to protect more families with Allstate Financial life insurance products.  

Anyone who refers a candidate who signs on as an Allstate agent is eligible to receive a $6,000 referral bonus.

Interested candidates can apply to become an Allstate agent by visiting www.more2you.com, chatting in real time via Twitter at www.twitter.com/more2you or by connecting with Allstate recruiter Traci Whitley-Rose at 602-631-6387 or via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/traciwhitleyrose.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE : ALL ) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help nearly 16 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®.

SOURCE Allstate Insurance Company