INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Insurance Agent positions are at a 7% growth rate, which is as fast as average. With that said, there are currently 507,200 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 35,500 to 542,700 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Insurance Agent jobs was $52,180 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $29,000, and the highest 10% more than $127,840.
Our conclusion? The Insurance Agent job market is wide open for candidates.
Top insurance agent sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write an insurance agent resume experience section
Insurance agent resume experience: Checklist
- Use either chronological or reverse-chronological format when listing your previous jobs;
- Mention only relevant positions that add value to your resume;
- Briefly state the challenges you’ve faced and how you’ve overcome them;
- Highlight the results from your efforts (for bonus points, add numbers, percentage rates, etc.);
- Forget about buzzwords! Use power verbs instead.
Use the examples below to build your own experience section!
- Attend meetings, seminars and programs to learn about new products and services, learn new skills, and receive technical assistance in developing new accounts.
- Develop marketing strategies to compete with other individuals or companies who sell insurance.
- Interview prospective clients to obtain data about their financial resources and needs, the physical condition of the person or property to be insured, and to discuss any existing coverage.
- Preparing or updating employment records related to hiring, transferring, promoting, and terminating Explaining human resources policies, procedures, laws, and standards to new and existing employees Ensuring new hire paperwork is completed and processed.
- Conducted insurance sales for health and life lines within the San Diego metropolitan area in a captive sales environment
- Developed successful relationships with clients
- Produced high volume of sales and continued customer maintenance of all clients
- Networking & Relationship Management with businesss partners with National Accounts
- Consultive sales approach for personal lines insurance
- Generate and grow book of business
- On-site marketing & events
- Developed and implemented winning marketing strategies to compete in an ever changing, dynamic and aggressive financial services industry.
- Counseled clients and prospects on various products to promote sale of insurance, investments, annuities and estate planning services.
- Generated new business and developed a book of business by identifying new opportunities and nourishing existing client relationships.
- Achieved an average of $165K in annual premium, generating $81K in FYC.
- Managed information inventory for a successful sales process and selling system
- Gathered and interpreted field activity to ensure maintenance of long-term success
- Explain features, advantages and disadvantages of various policies to promote sale of insurance plans
- Customize insurance programs to suit individual customers, often covering a variety of risks
- Attend meetings, seminars and programs to learn about new products and services, learn new skills, and receive technical assistance in developing new accounts.
- Seek out new clients and develop clientele by networking to find new customers and generate lists of prospective clients.
- Providing supplemental union benefits to working families
- Sold over $300K in 1st production year
- Daily cold calls soliciting insurance business opportunities to potential clients
- Increased book of business by over 500 total policies
- Manage, service and retain a book of business
- The main tasks were consulting clients about insurance policies( health , auto, trip insurance, etc. )
- In addition I was working as a real estate agent for the company
- Consulting clients about the real estate market, narrowing their needs and finding properties for them.
- Market and sell a full line of insurance and financial products, serving as a trusted adviser to individuals and businesses.
- Develop and implement sales plan and manage all phases of the sales cycle-from marketing and prospecting to close and follow-up support.
- Provided high quality customer service for existing clients, including claims handling and advising.
- Insurance agent with licenses in property, casualty, life, health and insurances.
- Developed relationships with mortgage brokers and realtors to obtain a network and lead generation.
- Responsible for marketing to current and prospective clients via leads and cold calling.
- Doubled income in second year and worked off of 100% commissions.
- Doubled insurance book of business every year to over $500,000 in written premium
- Certified Insurance Producer
- Certified Insurance Service Rep
- Flood Insurance Division Manager
- Office Rep - Attend industry events and seminars to market and create business.
- Prospected over 50% of the time to grow the company's book of business
- Assessed of clients' coverage and sold insurance policies to close insurance deficits for clients
- Maintained a conversion rate of over 30% cold-calling insurance prospects
- Added more clients to the company's book of business using creative prospecting techniques, including partnering with day cares to create IDs for children
- Partnered with peers in outreach efforts at local events
- Licensed Property & Casualty Agent in CA
- Licensed Life & Health Agent in CA
- Provides quotations and issue new policies for most types of insurance services
- Key role in providing excellent customer service between clients and third-party organizations
- Call on policyholders to deliver and explain policy, to analyze insurance program and suggest additions or changes, or to change beneficiaries. Confer with clients to obtain and provide information when claims are made on a policy;
- Develop marketing strategies to compete with other individuals or companies who sell insurance;
- Ensure that policy requirements are fulfilled, including any necessary medical examinations and the completion of appropriate forms;
- Interview prospective clients to obtain data about their financial resources and needs, the physical condition of the person or property to be insured, and to discuss any existing coverage;
- Preparing or updating employment records related to hiring, transferring, promoting, and terminating;
- Explaining human resources policies, procedures, laws, and standards to new and existing employees;
- Ensuring new hire paperwork is completed and processed;
- Business development in the corporate and end-users segments: increasing of insurance portfolio through active search for new clients and improvement of cross&up-sales with current customers
- Contacting clients, arranging meetings and advising them on products. Customer care and continuous development of relations with customers
- Preparing proposals and insurance policies
- Sales of insurance products based on well informed customers’ decisions. Meeting sales targets to ensure continuous company profit growth
- Maintained State of GA Life and Health Insurance and P & C Licenses
- Identified and developed means of generating new business
- Sold P&C and life insurance products, resolving the needs of the client
- Initiated & responded to calls/e-mails for sales and service purposes
- Maintained & developed client relationships to further long-term goals
- Main duties required local market research aimed at creating new detailed buyer personas, with special attention to foreign citizens;
- 4% increase in insurance policy sales, thanks to intense teamwork and cooperation where language competences played a relevant role;
- Developed strong and persuasive communication skills experienced through a dedicated listening to customers' needs and concerns.
- Guarantee customer satisfaction by providing excellent customer service in a timely manner with a client-first mentality
- Strategize with customers on how to eliminate his or her risk exposures by offering insurance product solutions
- Ensure to provide value to customers by acting as a trusted risk advisor
- Oversee all office performances by means of positive reinforcement to motivate staff to fulfill the expected duties
- Secure financial responsibilities of the agency, i.e. accept premium payment transactions, bank deposits, and running the remittance report to end the accounting day at the end of each business day
- Assist the Principal of the agency in the hiring process of customer service and sales reps
- Develop new business by prospecting via telemarketing and cross-selling existing customers
- Maintain existing customer relations and adhere to his or her insurance needs
- Earned Allstate binding authority
- Placed 20 phone calls per day to prospect new business
- Closed a minimum of 3 new business accounts per week
- Timely communication of proposals, contracts, and policy information
- Consistently updated customer relationship management software with information gained from contacting a protested customer
- Placed 50 phone calls per day to prospect new business
- Closed a minimum of 3 new business accounts per week
- Networked and prospected through the Chamber of Commerce, Kennesaw Business Association, and Acworth Business Association.
- Proficiently worked alongside an Accredited Advisor in insurance, office processor, and office manager
- Relayed information in a timely manner to each of the parent companies the agency provided for the customers
PRO TIP
Show off real numbers that display your accomplishments in past roles. Instead of listing out your responsibilities as Insurance Agent, talk about the measurable impact you made to their business. Did you boost their revenue? Increase customer retention? Mention your proudest points on your resume.
Action verbs for your insurance agent resume
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Insurance agent resume: the skills section!
How to write a strong insurance agent resume skills section?
- Make sure to include all types of skills - soft, hard, technical;
- Focus on skills that show your expertise in the field;
- Check the job description for keywords and make sure to add them to your resume – this will help you pass ATS;
- Leave room for discussion – elaborate on some of your strongest skills in other sections of your resume
Top skills for your insurance agent resume
Insurance Policies
Documentation
Sales
Negotiation
Data Analysis
Conflict Resolution
Numeracy
Insurance Violations
Relationship Building
Time Management
Storytelling
Research / Information Gathering
Critical Thinking
Problem Solving
Tech Savvy
Networking
PRO TIP
When describing your experience, don’t go too far from its terminology. Recruiters use ATS systems to filter resumes based on them having certain keywords, so make sure you use at least a few keywords mentioned in the job description.
Insurance agent resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your insurance agent resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended Reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have policies about identifying information like photos on your Insurance Agent resume. Be sure to check all the relevant rules before submitting yours. If you’re in doubt, you can always try contacting the company’s HR department to ask for their policy.
A career summary for your insurance agent resume
Things to include in your insurance agent resume summary:
- Your total years of experience in the industry;
- 2-3 of your most remarkable achievements so far;
- How your experience relates to the position you’re applying for;
- A very brief description of your strengths.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a professional taster. Use it wisely. Effectively convey your professional profile and let the hiring manager know that if they hire you, they won’t be disappointed. Make sure to include keywords from the job description too! Elaborate on your abilities further in your experience section. Again, cater to the job description.
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Insurance agent resume: the education section
Things to include in your resume's education section:
- Your highest education degree – including course, year of graduation, institution;
- Awards received as part of your education;
- Extracurricular activities that have helped you gain relevant skills;
- Certifications that have helped you master new skills and increase your expertise;
- Entry-level applicants only: relevant courses and projects.
Top certifications for your insurance agent resume
Fundamentals of Insurance - 1
Fundamentals of Insurance - 1
Facebook Marketing For Insurance Agent
Build Awareness, Attract Prospects To You & Advance Follow Up Strategies With Facebook
Fundamentals of Insurance - 2
Fundamentals of Insurance - 2
Excel Skills for Insurance Professionals
From Vlookups to Pivot Tables: Learn the Excel basics anyone working in the insurance industry needs to know!
Easiest Facebook Ads for Life Insurance Telesales
The quickest, easiest most affordable way to start generating leads with Facebook Ads
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PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Choosing the right format for your insurance agent resume
In general, there are three basic formats for your resume:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Some things to consider when choosing the right format for your Insurance Agent resume include the stage of your career, whether you have all the right skills required for the job or are looking for an industry change, and what field you’re looking to grow in.
The reverse-chronological resume format is the most common one. It lets you describe your most recent job and then move backward. This makes it great for people who have around or less than 10 years of experience and are looking to highlight only their work-related skills and qualities.
If you’re just starting your career journey and reverse-chronological resumes sound too demanding, go for the functional resume format. It’s ideal for showcasing your strengths, personal qualities, skills, education, and the courses you’ve taken, without putting too much pressure on experience and expertise.
Don’t worry if neither of these sounds suitable for you – the hybrid or combination resume format will surely match your needs. It’s similar to the reverse-chronological, but with a catchy twist. Combination or hybrid resumes are great for showcasing both your experience and work-related skills and your personal qualities. Add a “What my day looks like” section for enhancing the jaw-dropping experience!
Here are some more things worth remembering when it comes to formatting your Insurance Agent resume:
- Choose standard 1-inch resume margins;
- Go for traditional resume fonts sized 10-12p;
- Match the length of your Insurance Agent resume with your experience – choose a one-page template if you have less than 10 years of experience, and be careful with two-page templates – use them only when applying for executive positions;
- Save your resume in PDF to avoid formatting issues and potential unauthorized editing.
Tired of getting rejected? Check out this article on how to craft a resume that stands out!
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PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical Insurance Agent resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
Other sections suitable for your insurance agent resume
Depending on the position and the industry, you can spice your resume up by adding some more sections. They will help the recruiter get a glimpse of who you are as a person, besides all your job-related skills and qualities.
Here are some examples:
How to add creativity to your insurance agent resume
Gone are the days when creative resumes were frowned upon by recruiters!
What’s more, the right amount of creativity will make recruiters remember you and want to learn more about who you are – both as an individual and as a professional.
There are two ways to build a creative resume - add creative sections or go for a more creative design approach in general. Go for whatever suits you, the position, and the industry most!
What makes a great insurance agent resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
