The skills you need to get into insurance as a career

Interested in insurance as a career? We’re here to help you secure your dream job by running through the skills you’ll need. If you know what employers are looking for, you can focus on developing those abilities and get your career in insurance off to a strong start.

To work for insurance companies, you’ll need the following skills:

• Customer service
• Numeracy
• Organisational skills
• Problem-solving
• Attention to detail
• Analytical skills
• Communication

Whether you work as a broker, claims manager, loss adjuster or underwriter, you’ll negotiate with clients or on their behalf. A key requirement for these insurance roles is being able to provide excellent customer service.

While actuaries will have less contact with customers directly, you’ll still use similar skills to interact with your colleagues.

• If you’ve got a part-time job in a customer service role, such as retail, ask your supervisor for feedback. Also, make a note of any time you receive excellent feedback from customers. It’s a great confidence booster and is useful evidence for future job applications.
• Volunteer to help on campus tours for prospective students. Put in extra effort to research the information they’re likely to need.

• Clearly state any relevant customer-facing roles on your CV and emphasise the transferable skills you’ve learned.
• In an interview, be polite and make it clear that you’re a friendly person who is easy to talk to.

Some insurance roles are more mathematically demanding than others. Actuaries work with statistics and computer modelling, so need extensive maths skills. For other roles, like claims handlers, you just need to be comfortable with numbers.

• Practise your maths. Like many things, numeracy gets better with practice. So, challenge yourself to work out tougher sums.
• Get comfortable with using spreadsheets by introducing them into your daily life. Why not work out your food shopping allowance by putting your income (ie. student loan and any part-time wages) into an Excel spreadsheet?
• You could even volunteer as a treasurer of a club or society to get hands-on numeracy experience.

• Include examples on your CV or at an interview. If you’re responsible for handling cash at work, mention that.
• Be prepared to face a numerical question in your interview. If one comes up, think through how to approach it before diving in. An interviewer will likely be just as interested in your method as your answer, so talk things through and don’t rush to say the first number in your head.

When you’re dealing with customers and clients, you need to keep accurate records. Organisational skills will help you do that.

• Identify your weaknesses. If you struggle with putting aside enough time for revision, try mapping out a schedule.
• Embrace organisational tools. There are many apps available. Just getting used to putting your schedule in a calendar is a good place to start.
• Take on organisational responsibilities at work, such as designing shift rotas or delegating tasks. If you’re not able to take on a leadership role, you could still help in other ways. For example, you could create a log for customers’ lost property and volunteer to clear out unclaimed items every month.

• Write a clear and well-structured CV. It’s your chance to make a good first impression.
• Reference your organisational abilities in your job application and include examples. Anyone can say that they’re organised, so give your statement more weight by providing evidence. If you’re responsible for juggling walk-ins and late arrivals in a restaurant, it immediately tells a potential employer you’re already using organisational skills at work.
• Turn up to the interview on time and with everything you need.

In any insurance role, you’ll come across problems that need a creative solution. As a broker, you might have to find cover for a client with unusual insurance needs. As an actuary, you could calculate new and unpredictable risks. Your problem-solving skills will be useful.

• Volunteer to take on new responsibilities, whether that’s at work, a university society or your sports team. The more things you’re responsible for, the more problems you’ll likely run across. And the more problems, the more opportunities you’ll have to solve them.
• Practise with puzzles. You can add crosswords, sudoku or logic puzzles into your daily routine. Think of them as gym sessions for your brain.

• Take your time and be creative if you’re given a problem-solving task in an interview or at an assessment centre. It’s easier said than done, but try not to be put off by an interviewer watching you. They just want to see your ways of working.
• Think of some examples you can take into the interview. Perhaps you came across a tricky scenario at work, or maybe you had to deal with a group project drama. While you can’t predict the exact questions an interviewer will ask you, it’s worth having something in mind for “Tell me about a time you dealt with a problem”.

As insurance involves payments and calculations, attention to detail is vital. A misplaced decimal point or incorrectly typed figure could be costly.

• Create processes that work for you. For example, proofreading your essays the day after you finish your drafts might suit you.
• Take on work or society-related tasks that require attention to detail. You could volunteer to check over a fundraising event poster before it goes to the printers.
• Practise mindfulness. It’s hard to pay attention to detail when your mind is busy. Meditation and breathwork can help you clear your mind and concentrate. If you’re struggling with your mental health, reach out to your doctor, your university’s student support team or another support service.

• Proofread your application thoroughly. Your CV and cover letter should be typo-free!
• Listen carefully to your interviewer. It’s perfectly OK to ask the interviewer to repeat or clarify any questions you don’t fully understand, but you still need to do your best to focus and listen to what they’re saying. So instead of rehearsing your answers in your head, try to listen to what they’re saying in the moment.

Analysing information is an important part of insurance, whether you’re looking at the risks a client faces or analysing insurance options to find the best policy for your customer.

• Ask your lecturers for feedback on the analysis in your work. Analysis doesn’t have to involve numbers. Any essay where you analyse the evidence to choose and support a conclusion is a valid way of using analytical skills.
• Volunteer for tasks where a decision needs to be made based on evidence. For example, choosing a venue for a society event based on factors like location, suitability and price.

• Include relevant examples on your CV and share them in your interview. If you’re a business student, social scientist or statistician, you’ll likely have experience analysing statistical data. Make sure you call out relevant analysis, including the essay-writing skills we mentioned. Look back on challenging assignments and describe how you succeeded.
• Be prepared to take a test to show your analytical skills, particularly if you’re facing an assessment centre as part of the recruitment process. Sample tests can help you get an idea of the types of questions you might face.

When you work in insurance, you’re the expert. Your clients and customers know much less about the topic. You need to have strong communication skills to get information across in a simple, jargon-free way.

• Take on a part-time job or volunteer role that requires effective communication skills, such as answering the phone for a peer support line.
• Join a debating society, student council or even an improv group for on-campus opportunities to practise verbal communication.
• Write for a student magazine, website or your own blog to improve your written communication skills.

• Accurately respond to any questions in your job application. Make sure your answers are clear, well-structured and relevant.
• Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Activity and Result) to explain examples of when you’ve used a skill and made an impact.
• Speak clearly during your interview. It’s normal to feel nervous, which can make you talk more quickly. However, occasionally pausing will help you slow down and get your point across.

If you’re considering insurance as a career, it’s worth trying to improve the following skills: customer service, numeracy, organisation, problem-solving, attention to detail, analysis and communication. You can grow them through part-time work, your studies, society involvement, hobbies and everyday life.

To get a job with a leading graduate employer in insurance, you’ll need to impress them during the hiring stage. So, make sure you show a recruiter that you’ve got the skills they’re looking for.

If you’re applying for an insurance grad scheme, take a moment to recognise your existing skills and develop them. Having the right skills will help your application stand out. Good luck with your future career in insurance!