This week’s topic is a success story!

Last week I wrote about an early career insurance front office/customer service role where I received 100 resumes and rejected 90% of them for a variety of reasons ranging from grammar/spelling errors on the resume, no job relevance, or not living within the posted job location.  The role required one year of office experience, phone and email etiquette, and a desire to start a long-term insurance career.  Insurance agency training was provided for this position. The job was hybrid requiring four hours in the office daily with the remaining four hours to be worked from home if desired. Five candidates were selected for first round interviews, and I’m happy to report that our employee loves her new job!  

This week, I want to share five reasons why she was selected to interview and why she got the job in hopes that her success helps you with your job search.

1. Relevant location, job experience, and fast accurate follow up: She met the three criteria outlined for the role. She had office experience with customer service over the phone and email, and she lived 10 minutes from the employer’s office. She didn’t stop there.  She sent a follow up email the next day to make sure her resume was received, summarized why she thought she was a good candidate, and offered times she was available to meet that week. She was fast. She responded the same day to the interview request with no spelling/grammar errors in her written communication.

2. Strong written communication skills and a good relevant targeted resume: Her resume was a Word doc PDF. It had no formatting or spelling errors. It listed her phone, email, city and state, and it was targeted for the specific job she was applying for. She had a professional voicemail set up with her name making it easy to leave a message to schedule the screening interview.

3. She made a great first impression on the screening interview. She confirmed she received the video link and accepted the invitation for the meeting. She was logged in on time and ready to interview.  She was professionally dressed, used a full screen computer with appropriate background and lighting, and she was prepared with good questions and answers. She was articulate, answered questions thoughtfully, didn’t use a lot of “like and ya knows”, and had excellent work examples that made sense and showcased her transferable customer service skills.  Most importantly, when asked why she wanted to be in the insurance industry long-term, she said she had been trying to get a job in the industry but was getting rejected due to lack of industry experience.  She said this entry level role was just what she was looking for. Her enthusiasm was infectious and made her a standout candidate. She made me want to present her to the Hiring Manager. After the video interview, she sent me a thank you email the same day summarizing her skills and why she wanted the job.

4. Strong References: She sent a list of references that included past managers, and others that knew her work firsthand.  She included their email, phone, and their business relationship to help make it easier to ask relevant questions. Her references responded promptly and said she was a terrific employee with great customer service skills, a positive attitude, and great work ethic.

5. She did standout first and second interviews with the employer: She was on time, dressed professionally, showed enthusiasm, was prepared having done research on the company, and she impressed the hiring manager so much that she scheduled her for the 2nd interview on that first round call! She followed up with a thank you email that same day. Her email outlined her skills, what the employer said was important, and showed enthusiasm for the upcoming 2nd interview. When she met the team, she was on time, prepared with appropriate questions, and she made sure they knew that she was a hard worker, coachable, and someone they could rely and depend on. She followed up that same day with an email to the hiring manager letting them know how much she liked the team and told them they were her number one job pick.

In short, she stood out from the start, and she got the job!

Job hunting is tough, especially for early career insurance roles, so it’s crucial to set yourself apart from the competition from the very start.  Use these strategies next time you apply, and you’ll make an impression that will separate you from other applicants.

If you are struggling with getting that first insurance interview, I can help.  Contact me and let’s talk about your insurance job search goals.