The Four Reasons You Are NOT Getting the Insurance Job You Want in 2018

I am not sure why so many people are unhappy in their jobs. One culprit; life gets in the way. This causes people to work jobs, not for job satisfaction but to support their families. "Family first" is a good thing on the surface, but over time it never works out. If you fall into this category, the good news is that hiring is the best it has been in over ten years. However, even with great insurance jobs open and waiting for you to apply, many will not make a move because quite frankly, it is hard to do. Life responsibilities get in the way.

The reason you are not getting the insurance job you want is that you may not understand how the job search process typically works in 2018. You search job boards, find a great job with a great company then apply. For many, this is where it ends and when you don't hear back from the company, you write it off to the famous "black hole." What if you could change this and get an interview? That is all most need. But most people accept the fact that employers make the decision on who gets hired and you have no say in that. This is where you are making your big mistake. You do have a say in this. You are not talking their language when applying. Your digital presence (resume) is not optimized to showcase what you can bring to this employer. It is a significant reason many fail in their job search.

Here are four things you are doing wrong in your insurance industry job search:

1. Not standing out in the application process.
   You know the dirty little secret with employers is that they really can be lazy during the recruiting process. What this means is that if they get 100 resumes for their opening, they will select the resumes that are "low hanging fruit." In other words, resumes that read exactly like the job posting. When applying to a great job, you need a great resume, and if you can't simulate the skills required from the job posting, you shouldn't be applying in the first place. For entry level and new college grads, your resume has to be keyword centered and hopefully you had an insurance industry internship or possibly worked in it during school (very important). It has to be clear to the employer that you are interested in the insurance industry and are very trainable.

2. Applying then sitting back and waiting.
   If you read a job description and say, "that job fits me perfectly," you should get excited. Once you apply, go after it. For the smaller companies, it can be easy to connect to the hiring manger via LinkedIn or Twitter. For Facebook, look to see if the company has a career page. Leave a comment here but never seek out a hiring manager's personal Facebook account. Most major insurance companies have career social media webpages that have important information about their jobs and how to get them. (Examples: GEICO Facebook Career Page, Travelers Career Twitter Page, Liberty Mutual Career Twitter Page)

3. Applying to jobs that you can’t get.
   If you are an underwriter and blindly apply to a insurance claims position, you most likely will not get invited for an interview. It is not that you can’t be up to speed quickly in the claims jobs, however many applicant tracking systems at insurance companies pass on your credentials. To switch a jobs from one insurance discipline to another, you have almost do this through networking in your current company or know someone at other insurance companies. 

4. No job search plan or organization.
   Many of you go to a couple job boards and apply to as many positions as you can in a few hours and sit back and wait. A well-done job search includes keeping a journal of every job you apply to, when you applied and why you applied. When an employer calls you for an interview, you can refer to your journal to see your notes and avoiding the number one sin of so many; asking an employer, “what company are you calling about and what job.” 

Follow Roger Lear on Twitter @RogerLear1