If you’re considering a career in insurance, take a look at these skills that you will need to succeed in the industry. You can work on developing these skills to improve your career chances and land the role you want in the insurance industry.
- Customer service. Whether you’re working as a broker, claims manager, loss adjuster, or underwriter, you will be negotiating with clients or negotiating on their behalf. Whether you’re advising on liability or helping with medical indemnity insurance comparison, the key to doing well is being able to provide great service for your customers. You can develop these skills in customer service based roles, like retail. Take note of the service you get as a customer, and what you view as ‘good service’. In job interviews, show your skills by being friendly and using open body language. Show your ability to connect with others by finding common ground with your interviewer.
- Numeracy. Some roles within insurance are more mathematically demanding than others, so consider which area you want to work in. Actuaries work with statistics and computer modelling, whereas claims handlers just need a comfort around numbers. Use examples of your skills in your CV, even if your main example is managing your own budget.
- Organisation. You’re likely to need to deal with many different customers and clients. To keep them all straight, you will need to be organised and keep accurate records. You can practise this in your daily life by trying different organisation methods and seeing what works best for you. Some people like a physical written To-Do list, whereas others like organisation based apps, like Asana. In interview, talk through your process if asked how you’ll handle a situation.
- Problem-solving. In an insurance role, you’re bound to come across problems that will need a creative solution. As a broker, you may need to find suitable cover for a customer with some unique needs. If you’re an actuary, you might need to calculate a new and unpredictable insurance risk. Concentrate on developing your problem-solving skills in your daily life.
- Attention to detail. Your job in insurance will involve payments and calculations, so close attention to detail will be vital. You will need to spot small errors. This skill could save you from disaster. Get in the habit of triple-checking your work. Take on tasks like proofreading to hone your error spotting skills. When applying for jobs, check your application carefully. A spelling error or typo won’t convince an interviewer that you can spot mistakes.
- Analytical skills. An important part of the insurance industry is analysing information. This might be analysing the risks a client might face, or different insurance options to find the best policy for your client. If you studied business, social science or statistics, you should be used to analysing statistical data. Other work, like essay writing or making decisions based on evidence also build analysis skills. At the interview, you may be tested on this, so find some practice tests online to get an idea of what may be asked of you.
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