Insurance is big, big business. Some 1,800 U.S. insurance companies offer personal and commercial product lines including basic health/life and property/casualty protection as well as a long list of other coverage ranging from automobiles to mortgages to insurance for insurance companies (known as reinsurance). These products protect customers from losses resulting from illegal actions, medical needs, theft, earthquakes and hurricanes, and a variety of other causes.
In the simplest terms, insurance is the transfer of risk, from the insured to the insurer, in exchange for a premium. In other words, insurance equals peace of mind. In exchange for a payment or payments to the insurer, the insured knows that, should some unpredictable ill befall him or his property, the insurer will be responsible for resolving some or all of the problem (depending on the terms of the insurance agreement).
The insurance industry enjoys more demand for its products today than ever before. As the U.S. population grows and the Baby Boomers reach old age, demand in areas like health insurance, auto insurance, and homeowners insurance will be especially strong.
However, ongoing consolidation and technology advances make it unlikely that job opportunities in many functional areas will grow at a strong rate in the insurance industry.
If you are interested in working in the insurance industry, there are plenty of job opportunities, in a variety of capacities and locations. These insurance jobs are exclusive to the industry that you have chosen as your profession.
Know why you want to work in insurance. And when you interview, show that you’re personable. Agents, claims adjusters, service reps, and risk managers all deal with a wide array of people, and they must be able to get along well with all of them. Tact is an important quality, and it’s important to be assertive, too. If you get a tough question, don’t back down.
Insurance is also about your company’s security. Aetna, Prudential, State Farm, and other well-known insurers didn’t get big by insuring everybody; they got big by carefully calculating risks and making sensible bets.
But never think you’re playing against the odds to win: Insurance companies sell peace of mind and they profit when more people buy into it than collect.
Job opportunities in some functional roles in the industry are expected to grow, though. For instance, adjusters will not be replaced by technology; face-to-face interaction with the customer is key to this job function—so this area should see solid employment growth. And agents who can sell a variety of types of insurance or financial services will face much better prospects than traditional insurance agents.