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mortgage industry. "In terms of implementation, however, most mortgage compa- nies are not doing a good job," she continued. "When I work with mortgage companies on market- ing or recruitment, things that are critical to millennials are often viewed by traditional companies as a luxury or unnecessary." For example, says Messerli, who is a millennial herself, Generation Y sees the importance of having a good online presence and making wide use of social media such as Facebook and customer reviews. Yet many mortgage companies do not place as much importance on such tools. She says she believes lenders could be engaging more on Facebook and other social me - dia for messaging and recruitment. The industry also appears to struggle with recruiting engineer- ing and technology talent, but mortgages are not as sexy as say Snapchat or Google. The mort- gage business needs to use those kinds of tools to invest in its future workforce. Millennials are a generation raised on the Internet, so quick, clear, and convenient communication is important to them—both in their careers and during the homebuying process. What Millennials Employees Need from Lenders M ortgage companies should know most millennials are looking for careers, not jobs, Mes- serli says. They want companies that offer challenges, provide upward mobility, and accept and utilize their skills. "Millen- nials want their employers to understand that they can provide something of value, whether it's new ideas or new ways of using social media," she said. While previous generations see work and life as a balance, mil- lennials see work and life as more of an integration, Messerli adds. Millennials also appreciate men- tors who can give feedback and guide them. They also appreciate knowing they are serving a greater purpose, like helping deserving people get into homes. "They want to feel the place they work reflects their values and they are doing some good," said Messerli. From the sound of things, mil - lennials seem to want an awful lot, but their desires really are not much different from those of any of us. Plus, when they find these qualities in a lender, they tend to give 110 percent. "Millennials are happy to work on a Saturday or Sunday to help out a bor - rower," said Messerli. "Then in return, they want to know that they're able to take a Wednesday afternoon off to go see their son's soccer game." One thing to add to Messerli's list is entrepreneurialism. Many millennials want to start their own businesses someday. Whether one works for a lender, a bank, or a smaller mortgage company, being a loan officer is a lot like running your own busi - ness—and the sky is the limit for how much one can grow. The bottom line: Lenders need to look at millennials more holistically. Sure, they make great borrowers. But they also make great loan officers, so long as lenders understand what they can offer and provide the resources and the environment for them to excel. When they do, everybody wins. BEN MADICK is the Co-Founder of Matic Insurance Services, one of the fastest-growing insurance agencies in the U.S. and a leader in the mobile and online delivery of homeowners insurance. The company provides firm, bindable quotes in seconds from highly rated insurance carriers, expediting the process of closing a mortgage loan. Before launching Matic, Madick founded Mortgage Quality Management and Research, an independent risk-management consulting firm to the mortgage industry. He was the company's past President and CEO, and he currently serves as an advisor. Madick also founded HQ Vendor Management and was past President of Subsequent QC, a provider of mortgage servicing audits. CASE STUDY: Founded and Staffed by Millennials By Ben Madick A s a millennial myself, I can offer insight into what my genera- tion values most and what we're seeking in terms of careers. Aaron Schiff and I co-founded our third company, Matic Insurance Services, both at the age of 30. We came up with the idea for Matic Insurance Services after seeing there was a better way to manage the homeowners insurance process. Today, Matic is one of the fastest-growing insurance agencies in the U.S. and a leader in the automatic delivery of homeowners insurance, specifically when partnered with lenders. Schiff and I certainly believe in the work ethic of Generation Y. At Matic Insurance Services, a full 96 percent of the staff is represented by millennials. Based on my experience, millennials seek knowledge, freedom, and the chance to learn something new in their careers. But most of all, I believe millennials want recognition. They come from a background where Google and Facebook were at their fingertips, and they were able to receive instant acknowledgement by posting photos on social media and receiving "likes." Millennials also grew up with the ability to find vast information about anyone or anything very quickly on the Internet. Cutting-edge technology is important to millennials. They typi - cally look for companies with great technology, modern websites, and mobile-friendly apps. Lenders that invest in technology will be better positioned to recruit younger professionals than those who force new recruits to learn older, outdated ways of conducting business. At Matic Insurance Services, we work diligently to foster a mil - lennial-friendly environment with transparency, independence, and the chance to continually improve and learn new skills. For example, we offer an unlimited ability to work outside the office. In fact, we encourage employees to travel the world and work remotely together as a team. We promote transparency by enabling every employee to see their peers' skills matrix, compensation packages, and weekly and quarterly goals. This policy allows everyone to know where he or she stands. It also helps employees encourage others on ways to improve. We invest in employees' education with second-language courses, new software code classes, and insurance or mortgage banking classes, among other resources. We also have "hack days," where once a month, the whole team stops what it is doing and instead seeks any way to make our company, our customers' companies, or our products even bet - ter. The next day, all team members present what they created and then the staff votes on all the solutions. The top-ranked solution is implement- ed the following week. Hack days give the staff a change of pace and are a great way to foster creativity, new ideas, and recognition. FEATURE TH E M R EP O RT | 25