How to write a great insurance agent CV

Success as an insurance agent starts with the art of persuasion, and you’ll have to draw on those same skills when writing your CV for a job application in this industry. Your professional CV, along with your cover letter, is your chance to convince the hiring manager to offer you an interview.

This guide will show you:

• What to include in your insurance agent CV
• How best to structure your insurance agent CV
• CV writing tips to help you secure an interview

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Your insurance agent CV should be well-presented, results-driven and will explore relevant experience in the insurance industry or a related field like sales.

Highlight any experience generating leads, nurturing client relationships, managing a client base, developing marketing strategies, and selling via inbound and outbound channels. If you’ve worked as an insurance agent before, then clarify where your expertise lies, such as with life insurance.

You’ll also want to showcase certain soft skills, such as communication, numeracy and customer service. Many of these skills are transferable and can be evidenced using sales experience from other fields like retail and hospitality.

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The structure of your insurance agent CV will vary depending on your chosen CV format. You have three options:

• Chronological — This format emphasises work experience.
• Functional — This format focuses on skills.
• Combination — This format balances skills and work experience.

The chronological format is favoured by most recruiters and hiring managers. It’s also the format we use with the insurance agent CV sample below.

Contact Details

Add your contact details to the CV header at the top of the page. This information includes your

• Full name
• Professional email address
• Phone number
• Address
• Professional profile link, such as your LinkedIn profile

Present this information clearly so that the hiring manager can easily reach out to you should they wish to proceed with your application.

Professional summary or career objective

The professional summary or career objective is a brief overview of your skillset as a candidate. A professional summary covers your key skills and experiences. A career objective is similar but includes a statement of your career aspirations.

If you already have several years of experience as an insurance agent, then a professional summary will work best. Consider a career objective if you’re at the starting point of your career or making a career change.

Skills

Use the skills section to tailor your CV to the needs of the role. Study the job description and select some of the skills listed as essential or desirable to include in your CV.

Hard skills for insurance agent roles include:

• Cold calling
• Cross-selling
• Upselling
• Underwriting
• Knowledge of insurance products

Relevant soft skills include:

• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Active listening
• Customer service

Aim to cover both soft and hard skills in your CV.

Work history

In the work history section, run through relevant work experience from your previous ten years of employment. This could include work as an insurance agent, general experience in a sales position or a former job in a call centre.

For each position, list the tasks and skills most transferable to the role of an insurance agent in bullet points. Where possible, use specific examples and statistics to add context and credibility to your work history. 

Education

List your highest level of educational qualification in the education section. This could be a diploma, bachelor’s degree or higher. You can also add relevant certifications, awards, honours, etc. to this section.

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Do:

• Tailor your CV to the employer.

Insurance companies serve different markets. Make sure your CV is fit for purpose by showing your knowledge of the employer’s particular area of expertise, whether that’s auto insurance, homeowner’s insurance, life insurance or health insurance.

• Use performance metrics in the work history section.

An ability to consistently hit targets is what hiring managers are looking for. Showcase your skills by referencing specific sales goals and client retention rates when discussing your work experience.

• Use a CV template.

A CV template will provide you with a striking layout that’s sure to catch the hiring manager’s attention. Our CV builder tool features hundreds of free-to-use templates.

Don’t:

• Be dishonest.

In such a results-driven profession, you may be tempted to exaggerate some of your past achievements or knowledge of insurance policies. This is never a good idea and it will cost you later in the process.

• Include your grades. 

Unless your grades in college or university were exceptionally high, there’s no reason to include it on your CV. Doing so can actually harm your chances of getting a callback.

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