Entry-level Insurance Agent

An insurance recruiter helps clients identify, attract, and hire the right insurance talent for their agency, firm, or insurance company. Once they have an understanding of the role their client is looking to fill, they manage all aspects of the hiring process including networking with entry-level insurance agents, advertising open positions on job boards or social media, and establishing vetting processes to source qualified candidates. An insurance recruiter typically works full-time at an insurance agency.

Property and casualty insurance agents help individuals, families, and businesses secure coverage for residential and commercial properties, physical assets, and liabilities. Insurance sales agents actively network to find prospective clients to match their unique needs with suitable policy options, while also maintaining a portfolio of existing clients. Property and casualty insurance agents may also facilitate the claims process to ensure that policyholders complete all appropriate forms and meet insurance policy requirements. Agents may work independently or for a specific insurance company, insurance agency, or brokerage.

A personal lines insurance agent is licensed to sell multiple types of insurance policies including property and casualty, life, health, liability, and umbrella insurance to protect individuals and families against financial loss. They analyze the personal insurance needs of their clients to recommend suitable insurance products. They are also the account manager and provide customer service to their existing book of business while simultaneously marketing and prospecting new business, policy renewals, organic growth, and more. A personal lines insurance sales agent must facilitate additional insurance coverage lines like marine or flood insurance if needed to meet clients' insurance needs and collaborate with underwriters on policy retention, modification, and reinstatement. They may work on behalf of insurance agencies, insurance brokers, or be independent agents.

A life insurance broker is responsible for the overall financial performance of a branch office at an insurance company. To achieve the branch’s set targets, the life insurance broker must recruit, train, develop, and supervise life insurance agents to gain new clients and drive sales. They also need to maximize profits and minimize risk and liability regarding payment of future benefits by analyzing actuary data and strategically setting life insurance premiums for policyholders. Other duties include overseeing insurance claims investigations to make sure staff complies with regulations and reviewing existing company policies and making recommendations for improvement. Life insurance brokers typically work full-time at an insurance agency or firm.

A life insurance agent sells policies that are paid out to beneficiaries upon the insured’s death. They are responsible for marketing and selling to potential clients, generating a list of qualified leads using social media, referrals, and other outreach tactics, determining the best policy fit for new clients, and navigating current policyholders through the claims process. A life insurance agent will schedule meetings to consult with new clients, field inquiries from both prospective and current clients, and ensure all digital and physical paperwork is current, filed, and organized. They may be employed as captive agents, working exclusively for one insurance company, or they may work independently, selling policies for several insurance companies.

Insurance underwriting assistants work alongside insurance underwriters or underwriting managers to collect information, perform data entry, analyze risk factors, and more to determine the cost and benefit ratio associated with insuring prospective clients. Additional job duties include supporting the underwriting process for claims by maintaining accurate records and modifying existing policies. They most often do this by acquiring statistical and financial information that the underwriting department can leverage to make educated policy decisions. An assistant underwriter works full-time or part-time for insurance agencies, insurance companies, and corporate business entities.

An insurance underwriter works closely with insurance agents to leverage their direct communication with prospective, new, and existing clients. Serving as the link between insurance companies and agents, they must collect accurate customer information to enter into computer software programs that help them accurately evaluate insurance applications for insurance coverage and calculate their respective premiums. Insurance underwriters collaborate with actuaries and maintain records that allow them to properly assess risk factors associated with insurance policy applicants. They must also weigh the balance between risky and cautious decisions when approving insurance applications. They work full time for insurance agencies, insurance companies, and corporate business entities.

An insurance risk manager is responsible for identifying the critical causes of loss and accidents that may result in increased insurance rates or deficiencies in cash flow for insurance companies, agencies, or brokerages. They recommend and implement precautionary measures for loss prevention and damage and associated cost reduction. Their responsibilities include surveying clients; assessing environments for safety infractions or other issues that could lead to litigation; inspecting work conditions; reviewing code requirements; and developing plans to minimize damages. Insurance risk managers compile the information they uncover into readable reports that usually include graphs, data, and statistics to support their findings. Insurance risk managers can work at insurance agencies or brokerages or for individual businesses and organizations, primarily in the financial sector.

An insurance policy processor is responsible for fielding questions about insurance coverage; processing new insurance policy applications; reviewing existing policies to confirm relevance to policyholders; compiling data on policy changes; and acquiring crucial information for recordkeeping. To ensure the accuracy of accounts, insurance policy processors must remain up to date on evolving mandates, insurance policy changes, and provisions necessary to process applications and reinstatements. They are also tasked with making changes to policies to meet the needs of existing clients and canceling insurance policies upon request. Policy processing clerks typically work at an insurance company, firm, or corporation.

An insurance office manager oversees all administrative operations at an insurance agency. They implement office policies and filing systems, supervise administrative staff, and screen calls and emails to make sure all claims and customer inquiries are directed to the correct department. Additionally, they perform basic bookkeeping tasks, schedule appointments, make sure employee licenses are renewed, and keep the office stocked with supplies. Insurance office managers work at an insurance agency.

An insurance office assistant provides administrative support to an insurance agency. They perform secretarial duties such as answering phone calls, responding to emails, scheduling appointments, distributing mail, and directing customer inquiries to the appropriate department. Office assistants also help keep the agency organized by regularly updating the client database, keeping track of office expenses, ordering office supplies, and scheduling maintenance, when needed. Insurance office assistants typically work full-time or part-time at an insurance agency or firm.

An insurance marketing specialist is responsible for strategizing, creating, and implementing marketing campaigns that support business development and growth at an insurance company. They work to elevate the company’s larger marketing efforts through brand awareness that supports lead generation and conversion. They are required to facilitate website development, social media management, event planning, organic and paid media campaigns, digital marketing, content creation, copywriting, and more. An insurance marketing specialist also assists with the development of creative marketing materials for go-to-market strategies that are analyzed against key performance indicators to gauge success. They typically work full-time or part-time in an in-house or agency capacity.

An insurance field inspector is responsible for conducting residential and commercial property inspections for the purpose of processing insurance claims. They schedule appointments for visual inspections, home inspections, occupancy inspections, and more and document their findings in detailed reports. They are required to collect measurements, take photographs, transcribe interviews, and request supporting documents, when needed, as part of their inspection services. Adjusters may provide valuations, property assessments, and investigations on behalf of insurance companies, mortgage companies, financial institutions, or other corporate entities. Insurance field inspectors work in the field and often are hired as independent contractors.

An insurance customer service representative manages insurance company inquiries, resolves service problems, documents customer requests, and finalizes policy adjustments. Additionally, they assist insurance agents and sales representatives in resolving customer complaints. They serve customers through inbound and outbound calls and call transfers for service transactions. An insurance customer service representative usually works full-time in an insurance office or call center.

An insurance processor or claims processor is responsible for handling the entire claims process from acquiring personal information from potential policyholders for the insurance application to reviewing claim submissions. They regularly interface with insurance agents and beneficiaries to accurately and efficiently process claim payments. Insurance claims processors must also have a thorough understanding of policies, regulations, and coverage limits to perform additional job duties such as fielding customer inquiries, calculating claim values, issue payments, and ensuring the accuracy of insurance company records. Insurance policy processing clerks may work for individual insurance carriers or at an insurance company, firm, or corporation.

Insurance claims managers oversee insurance claims departments, including adjusters, examiners, and other vital employees involved with claims processing and insurance program coverage. They work to facilitate property claims, casualty claims, and they problem-solve other claims issues. The claim manager’s job also focuses on identifying cases of intentional fraud and falsified documents. A claims manager must escalate issues to key claims management contacts and commercial lines specialists. They must be thorough, detail-oriented, and precise. They often report to top management-level employees in a firm or insurance company setting.

An insurance claims adjuster is responsible for investigating and evaluating claims to determine liability, negotiate settlements, and ensure that processed claims are properly paid to policyholders. The evaluation process may include reviewing police reports or hospital records, interviewing witnesses, assessing property damage, and acquiring other forms of credible evidence. Claims adjusters may also meet with clients or report to incident sites to gather background information. Insurance adjusters frequently maintain irregular hours to accommodate client schedules and conduct investigations.

An insurance broker is responsible for the overall financial performance of a branch office at an insurance company. To achieve the branch’s set targets, the insurance broker must recruit, train, develop, and supervise insurance agents to gain new clients and drive sales. They also need to maximize profits and minimize risk and liability regarding payment of future benefits by analyzing actuary data and strategically setting premiums for policyholders. Other duties include overseeing insurance claims investigations to make sure staff complies with regulations and reviewing existing company policies and making recommendations for improvement. Insurance brokers typically work full-time at an insurance agency or firm.

An insurance billing representative or billing clerk is responsible for maintaining billing records, documentation, and other financial information for companies and their clients. They are required to prepare invoices, reconcile billing by overseeing outstanding balances and assessing unpaid claims, expedite the billing process to ensure timely payment, research denials and resubmit claims, as needed, conduct billing audits, and compile reports. Insurance billing representatives may also be tasked with various administrative duties such as retrieving documents from client files to generate claim forms. They typically work full-time or part-time for insurance agencies and brokerages, or for specific insurance companies.

An insurance appraiser determines whether a company or agency is required to pay for a claim by assessing current policies and factual evidence. They typically serve as field representatives and report to onsite locations to assess vehicle damage or property damage, evaluate real estate, determine the practicality of repair, communicate with automobile repair shop workers about repair cost if needed, establish salvage value, collaborate with claims adjusters, and confirm testimonies. Other work activities include interviewing claimants, consulting experts, and preparing documents for examiners to review throughout the claims process. Insurance appraisers typically work full-time and may represent insurance carriers in agencies or brokerages, or work on behalf of policyholders to negotiate insurance claim settlements as an independent consultant.

An insurance account manager acts as a customer service representative at insurance companies. With a focus on the customer service side of the insurance sales cycle, they manage and nurture customer relationships, and lead all client communications. Their responsibilities include responding to customer inquiries, explaining coverage and premiums, informing clients on any policy or billing changes, and facilitating the claims process between clients and the adjuster. Account managers work closely with the rest of the team to enable ongoing and future sales or renewals. An insurance account manager may focus on either personal lines or commercial lines of insurance, and typically work full-time at an insurance agency.

Insurance agents serve as liaisons between customers and the insurance coverage they need. They are responsible for overseeing a portfolio of clients and reaching out to existing, potential, and new clients to attain crucial information that allows them to match each individual’s unique circumstances with suitable policy options. Agents’ successful sales rely on their ability to maintain accurate personal information; identify, differentiate, and negotiate various insurance plans; and remain current on policy and life changes. Insurance agents also assist clients in settling claims through their policies. Whether independently or on behalf of large insurance companies, they typically work full-time on commission-based salaries ⁠— a structure requires a high degree of autonomy in both day-to-day job responsibilities and income.

Commercial insurance agents sell multiple types of insurance and commercial lines to businesses. They handle high-stakes, high-cost insurance policies on behalf of companies rather than individuals and serve as intermediaries between customers and insurance companies. They oversee a portfolio of clients and help them purchase various insurance products for their company. They typically work full-time on commission-based salaries for insurance agencies or work as an independent broker where they represent one or more insurance companies.