Jul 18, 2024
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12 min read
Craft your insurance sales resume to sell yourself effectively: Tips to help you stand out.
Rated by 348 people
Crafting the perfect insurance sales resume can feel like navigating a maze. As an insurance sales professional, you know that first impressions are everything, and your resume is no different. The challenge is to present your sales achievements and skills in a way that stands out to employers. Spelling mistakes, poorly organized information, or failing to highlight key accomplishments can halt your job search. Balancing industry-specific terminology with easy-to-read content is tricky but essential. Your resume needs to convey confidence, expertise, and reliability – just like a good insurance policy.
Choosing the right resume template is crucial. It helps you structure your information effectively, highlighting your strengths and making sure nothing important gets lost. A good template can showcase your skills, experience, and achievements in a way that's clean and professional.
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Key Takeaways
When crafting your insurance sales resume, it's crucial to convey your professional experience, sales achievements, and customer service skills to the recruiter. Highlight your ability to meet and exceed sales targets, your understanding of insurance products, and your knack for building lasting client relationships. Your resume should also showcase any relevant certifications and your proficiency with insurance sales software. To boost its impact, consider including:
When crafting an insurance sales resume, it's crucial to include essential sections that showcase your skills and experience. Must-have sections include:
Additional sections, like "Achievements" and "Professional Affiliations," can further highlight your accomplishments and commitment to the insurance industry. Including these sections will give potential employers a comprehensive view of your qualifications and expertise.
When crafting your insurance sales resume, a reverse-chronological format works best to highlight your latest accomplishments and job roles prominently. Opt for modern fonts like Rubik or Montserrat to give your resume a sleek look, avoiding the common Arial or Times New Roman. Always save your resume as a PDF to ensure formatting stays intact across devices. Keep your margins at 1 inch to make your resume readable and professional.
Using clear section headings helps with ATS (Applicant Tracking System) readability, ensuring your resume gets noticed. An insurance sales resume should have key sections including Contact Information, Professional Summary, Work Experience, Skills, Education, and Certifications. Awards and Achievements can also add value if applicable.
Resume Mentor's free resume builder handles all of this, making it easy for you to create an effective resume that stands out.
To craft a strong resume for an insurance sales role, focus on clearly presenting your work experience section. Make sure you list your positions in reverse chronological order, starting with your latest job. Stick to experience from the past 10-15 years unless earlier roles are especially relevant.
Only include job titles directly related to insurance sales or roles where you developed relevant skills. Tailor each resume submission to the job you're applying for by emphasizing different experiences. Use strong action words like "achieved," "led," "increased," and "developed."
Here's how not to write your resume experience section:
This example is bad because it’s too vague and doesn’t show specific achievements. It uses dull verbs like "sold" and "provided" that don't distinguish you. There are no numbers or results to demonstrate impact.
Here’s how to write a stellar resume experience section:
This example is excellent because it uses strong action verbs like "increased," "developed," and "trained." It focuses on specific achievements and includes impressive numbers that demonstrate your impact. It helps the employer see what you bring to the table, making it a standout experience section.
Welcome to the experience section where we insure you'll see some impressive qualifications. Let's dive into the nitty-gritty of what our star candidates have accomplished in their roles—without the premium price tag!
Highlighting your premier accomplishments can show potential employers your success in the insurance industry.
Insurance Sales Agent
ABC Insurance Agency
June 2020 - Present
This section emphasizes the unique skills you bring to the table in insurance sales.
Senior Insurance Consultant
XYZ Insurance Solutions
January 2018 - May 2020
Showcase the range of responsibilities you handled in your insurance sales role.
Insurance Advisor
WellGuard Insurance
March 2015 - December 2017
Emphasize specific projects that made a real difference for your clients and your company.
Insurance Sales Agent
PrimeProtect Insurance
April 2019 - November 2020
Concentrate on the outcomes of your actions and decisions in your insurance career.
Insurance Broker
SecureShield Insurance
July 2017 - March 2021
Tailor your experience to highlight your expertise and contributions within the insurance industry.
Underwriting Specialist
Trusty Insurance Co.
February 2016 - October 2019
Showcase your knack for overcoming obstacles and resolving issues effectively.
Claims Resolution Specialist
InsurePlus
March 2018 - Present
Highlight your innovative approaches to improving insurance sales and customer satisfaction.
Insurance Sales Agent
Innovate Insurance
May 2020 - Present
Show your ability to lead and inspire others in the insurance sales industry.
Sales Team Leader
Guardian Insurance Group
August 2017 - June 2021
Emphasize your dedication to providing excellent customer service in the insurance sector.
Customer Success Manager
ProCare Insurance
January 2018 - Current
Show how you’ve contributed to the growth and expansion of your insurance business.
Business Development Officer
SkyHigh Insurance
June 2019 - Present
Showcase your ability to improve processes and increase efficiency within your insurance roles.
Operations Coordinator
FastTrack Insurance
March 2016 - April 2021
Highlight your experience with the latest technology in insurance sales.
Tech Integration Specialist
Modern Shield Insurance
September 2017 - June 2020
Emphasize your ability to work well with others to achieve common goals in insurance.
Client Relations Specialist
Allied Insurance Group
July 2018 - Present
Show your commitment to training and developing other professionals in the insurance industry.
Training Coordinator
Elite Insurance Firm
February 2020 - Current
Writing your resume summary section is crucial to landing an insurance sales position. You want to convey your skills, experience, and what makes you stand out. Start with a strong opening line that showcases your professional achievements. Mention your years of experience and any notable achievements. Highlight specific skills that are relevant to insurance sales, such as client relationship management, sales tactics, and understanding of insurance products. End with a statement that shows your enthusiasm for the role you're applying for.
When describing yourself, use active and positive phrases. Be specific about your skills and achievements. Avoid generic statements and focus on what makes you unique. Use numbers or statistics if possible to back up your claims.
A resume summary provides a snapshot of your professional background and job skills. A resume objective, on the other hand, is a statement of your career goals. It’s more focused on what you want from the job, rather than what you bring to it. A resume profile is similar to a summary but often includes a mix of skills, experiences, and personal traits. A summary of qualifications is a list of your top skills and achievements, usually in bullet points.
First, let's look at a poorly written resume summary example.
This example is bad because it’s vague and unstructured. The phrases "a lot of experience" and "many years" do not specify any real skills or achievements. The candidate does not mention any relevant skills or specific experience. Phrases like "good at it" are too generic to impress the reader. There is no focus on what makes the applicant unique.
Now, consider this well-crafted example.
This example is good because it is clear and concise. It starts with a powerful statement about the candidate's experience and achievements. The use of specific numbers, like "increasing sales by 30%," adds credibility. Highlighting awards like "Salesperson of the Year" shows recognition of skills. This summary is tailored, focused, and compelling, making it clear why the applicant would be a valuable addition to the company.
When writing the skills section of your insurance sales resume, you may either have a standalone skills section or incorporate skills into other sections like experience and summary. Strengths and soft skills are your natural abilities and personal attributes that help you interact effectively with others. Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities or knowledge sets that are job-specific.
By listing skills and strengths as keywords throughout your resume, you can help it get noticed by automated systems and hiring managers.
This example is good because it is simple and to the point. Each skill listed is directly relevant to insurance sales, making it clear that you have the necessary expertise. There is no irrelevant information, which keeps the section focused and easy to read. Also, it uses common keywords found in job descriptions that can help in getting your resume through automated screening.
Hard skills are technical abilities that show you can perform job-specific tasks. They should communicate your proficiency and practical experience in key areas.
Hard Skills
Soft skills are interpersonal abilities that communicate your proficiency in handling interactions and building relationships.
Soft Skills
Including an education section in your insurance sales resume is crucial. This part should be tailored to the job you're applying for, omitting any irrelevant education details.
When adding your GPA, only include it if it's impressive (usually above 3.5). Add "cum laude" or other honors if you've earned them. Listing your degree needs to be clear—display the degree type, institution, and graduation date.
The above example is poorly written because the degree is irrelevant, the GPA is low, and there's no connection to an insurance sales role.
The right example is excellent because the degree is relevant, the GPA is strong, and the honors show achievement. This presentation aligns well with the skills coveted in the insurance sales field.
Including a certificates section in your insurance sales resume can significantly boost your credibility. List the name of each certificate clearly and include the date you received it. Add the issuing organization to provide authenticity. You may also include this information in the header of your resume to draw immediate attention. For example, “John Doe, Certified Insurance Sales Professional (CISP), Licensed Insurance Agent, Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU)”.
Here's a detailed example:
This example is strong because it includes certifications directly relevant to insurance sales, such as CISP and CLU. Each entry shows the name, issuing organization, and is positioned in a readable format, enhancing the resume’s professionalism.
Crafting a standout resume for an insurance sales position involves more than just listing your work history and qualifications. You want to paint a well-rounded picture of yourself to potential employers. Including sections like languages, hobbies, volunteer work, and books can set you apart and provide deeper insight into your character and skills.
A cover letter is a brief document that accompanies your resume when you apply for a job. It introduces you to the hiring manager and highlights your qualifications and enthusiasm for the role. This letter can help you stand out by showing your personality and providing context that isn’t on your resume.
For an insurance sales position, your cover letter should focus on your ability to build relationships, meet sales targets, and communicate effectively. Highlight any previous experience in sales or customer service, and describe how your skills will benefit the company. Mention any relevant licenses or certifications, like a state insurance license, which supports your qualifications.
Crafting your cover letter is easy and efficient with Resume Mentor’s cover letter builder. It allows you to create and export your letter as a PDF, ensuring your content and formatting are preserved. Take the first step toward your new job and create your cover letter today!
Gabriel Baker
New York City, New York
+1-(234)-555-1234
help@resumementor.com
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