How to Get Started in the Insurance Industry

Puzzle Piece with Insurance Written On It.

It’s tough to find a career that can help you align your experience, interests, and aspirations, but that is what attracts so many job seekers to get started in the insurance industry. People from any educational background can find a place for their skills, from high school graduates to those with graduate degrees. It’s just a matter of understanding how to get into the insurance business and figuring out where your existing skill sets can help you start a career in insurance.

Step 1. Do Your Initial Research

As with almost any job search, figuring out how to work for an insurance company and jumpstarting a new career is largely about research. You can start by researching careers in insurance to get a better idea about the range of options out there. It helps to develop a better understanding of the day-to-day responsibilities of the insurance careers that might interest you.

Part of that understanding can be gleaned from reading about the experiences of people who’ve worked in the insurance  industry. You can find out almost as much by exploring company profiles online to learn more about how they operate.  And for narrowing down your search, consider checking out the Career Wizard Tool to help find what kind of careers might suit you.

Step 2. Tailor Your Resume & Cover Letter                                                      

After you’ve done your research and discovered some insurance industry positions that may be a good fit, you can increase the chance of getting the jobs you want by making your resume and cover letter job-specific. A good place to get started is by reviewing some tips for writing a cover letter, and equally important, advice for submitting a resume for an insurance job.

Armed with that information, you’ll learn how to use your resume to highlight some of the valuable skills for the insurance industry that you’ve learned through previous experience. Creating these job-specific applications also allows you to develop a better idea of what could strengthen your candidacy.

Step 3. Begin Working Toward A Professional Certification

Among the many ways to get started in the insurance industry, obtaining the proper industry-level certifications is often the most overlooked step.  However, earning credentials such as the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation or the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation can help you in both the short-term and the long-term.

In the short term, it can help make your resume more attractive to employers by distinguishing you from other entry-level candidates. Depending on your career path, in the long term, having your CPCU or CIC can help you advance your career. 

Related Article: How to Become an Insurance Agent

Step 4. Prepare to Ace the Job Interview

Having worked through the previous three steps, the only remaining task is preparing to interview. A good place to begin is by learning how to address behavioral interview questions. These questions can help you better demonstrate not only that your skills are a fit for the job, but that your personality and disposition is a fit, too.

How can you make the best case for yourself? Almost anyone interested in finding out how to get a job in an insurance company will want to learn more about how to describe yourself in a job interview. Because the right things to say are rarely intuitive, and the wrong things to say can be easy to stumble into, gaining a better understanding of the subtle nuances of communicating your persona, skills, and expertise well in an interview is key.

Start Your Career in Insurance with MyPath’s Career Planning Resources

If you’re interested in learning how to get started with an insurance career, MyPath’s Blog offers a variety of resources for people looking for a lucrative career in the industry. That includes career planning resources to help you find the most efficient path towards your career goals.