Insurance Agent Resume

Whether you choose to go down the captive or independent route, a career in insurance is an excellent option for those craving the freedom to plan out their own workday and build a rewarding career.

Working as an insurance agent can be incredibly lucrative, and the competition is fierce. Knowing how to sell is an insurance agent’s most vital skill. The first step in practicing this skill is writing a persuasive resume that can convince a potential employer to hire you.

Draw inspiration from our insurance agent resume sample and take a look at these four resume writing tips to help get you one step closer to landing your dream job:

1.  Show off your relevant skills

Hiring managers have a very limited amount of time to spend on each resume, so you want to make sure your resume effectively conveys your relevant skills as an insurance agent.

Employers looking to fill an insurance agent position want evidence that you’re results-driven and have the skills required to close sales. One of the most important parts of an insurance agent’s job is to build a loyal client base.

You need to show employers that you have what it takes to be a good insurance agent by demonstrating solid sales skills, customer service skills and interpersonal skills.

Here are some other skills to highlight in your insurance agent resume:

• Active listening
• Negotiation skills
• Problem solving
• Persuasion skills
• Charisma
• Communication skills
• Analytical skills
• Collaboration
• Creative thinking
• Presentation skills
• Flexibility
• Technical skills
• Conflict resolution
• Math skills
• Patience
• Empathy
• Relationship building skills
• Storytelling

2. Bring attention to your accomplishments using hard numbers and action words

As an insurance agent, success in your field is measured by the number of insurance policies taken out. In other words, the amount of money you’re able to make for the company.

To give employers a clear idea of your skills as an insurance agent, be sure to include plenty of accomplishments in your resume’s experience section backed up by hard numbers, rather than just listing off responsibilities.

You could include the following information:

• Number of insurance policies you’ve sold
• Amount of money (in dollars) you’ve brought in
• Percentage of money you’ve saved the company

In addition to adding hard numbers to your experience section, you should also start each bullet point with a strong action verb. Action verbs help show employers how you performed in your previous roles while keeping them engaged while reading your resume.

Here’s a list of action words to include on an insurance sales resume:

Here are a few examples of how to write effective bullet points for your insurance agent resume. Notice that each bullet point starts with an action verb and includes hard numbers:

1. “Maintained a stable client base of an average of 900 personal lines clients”
2. “Responded to 60+ customer requests daily via phone and email”
3. “Generated high quality leads contributing to a revenue increase of 20% over a 6 month period”

3. Highlight your education

Many insurance companies provide on-the-job training to entry-level hires and do not require any previous industry experience. However, adding an education section to your insurance agent resume could give you an advantage over other applicants if this is your first insurance sales job.

Insurance agents often come from academic backgrounds in:

• Business
• Finance
• Economics
• Marketing

Even if you didn’t major in one of these subjects but took a related course, or you only have a high school diploma but took a business class at your local community college, you can still include this on your resume in an expanded education section.

Here’s an example of how to include relevant coursework on your resume:

Successful Negotiation Strategies

University of Michigan, 2020

• Researched negotiation strategies and presented the results in a 30-page final paper
• Applied acquired knowledge of negotiation tactics in a classroom environment
• Explored contract management software including Juro and PandaDoc

4. Feature your insurance license

To be able to work legally, insurance agents need to be properly licensed. Employers will be looking for this qualification, so make sure that your licensure and any relevant certification is prominently displayed on your resume.

There are several different kinds of insurance licenses, but the most common ones are the Property and Casualty License and the Life and Health Insurance License. Note that these are state-specific, so to get licensed in several states you might need to take multiple exams.

Once you have completed the course and received your license, here’s how to list it on your resume:

1. Name of the license
2. The department that issued it
3. Location
4. Date earned

Here’s an example of how to list a license on your resume:

Life and Health Insurance License

Texas Department of Insurance, TX

September 2020

List your insurance license below your academic achievements. If you have multiple licenses or certifications to list, make a separate section on your resume.