How Do I Become an Insurance Recruiter?

Insurance recruiters are normally human resource professionals who are responsible for finding the best candidates for job openings in insurance companies. These professionals often work for recruiting firms that insurance companies contract to fill positions. They might also be full time professionals in large insurance organizations. To become an insurance recruiter, your first step should be to earn an undergraduate degree in a field such as management or human resources. It normally is not necessary to earn a graduate degree, though this kind of credential can help you to stand apart from the competition.

After graduation, your first step should be to land an entry level position in a human resource department, preferably in the insurance industry. A person who wants to become an insurance recruiter needs to have a basic understanding of the ways in which insurance companies are organized. In other words, he or she should understand workflow stages that occur from the moment clients file claims, through processing and underwriting, to the moment officials decide to approve or reject claims. An understanding of insurance processes gives recruiters a clearer understanding of which characteristics, skills, and experiences to look for in job candidates.

To become an insurance recruiter, it is also important to be able to communicate clearly with colleagues, executives, and priority clients. A recruiter might meet with high level management to discuss needs of an organization. He or she might also meet regularly with representatives from priority client organizations to talk about features and benefits that are working for them, where there should be improvement, and features to which they are looking forward. Insurance recruiters aim to recruit professionals who can contribute to increasing an insurance company's profitability by keeping it up to date with market trends and client expectations.

A person who wants to become an insurance recruiter might also benefit from having marketing skills. Some of the best job candidates might receive offers from other companies. A recruiter might have to convince a desirable job candidate that his or insurance company has the greatest potential for growth, offers the best benefits, and is highly equipped to deal with industry and technological changes.

In order to become an insurance recruiter, it is also important that you can use related databases, such as online job boards and job placement software specific to an insurance company. Insurance recruiters perform a kind of data mining in which they scan through resumes, applications, and job candidate records for qualifications relevant to positions. When recruiters find evidence of promising job candidates, they must be able to further research them by contacting their schools and professional references.