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In the old days an “Entry Level” career position meant a person with a high school diploma could apply and expect a good chance for the opportunity to build a career from the bottom up. In the business world today “Entry Level” usually means after earning a college degree. This is true for the Business of Insurance, there are many careers that require a four-year college degree. However, there are still paths where talented and motivated high school graduates can work their way up.
In the first part of this series, Insurance Careers I outlined the overall workforce and some of the characteristics of the opportunities for careers within the business of insurance. I personally consider the insurance industries to be one of the few left that have strong, lower, middle and upper career paths.
A person with basic understanding of Insurance combined with ordinary secretarial and clerical skills is in high demand. In many cases a talented person can gain experience by working as an agent’s administrative assistant. These positions can be very simple to find, any Insurance Agent office is a possible opening, and many insurance agents need help. Most new insurance agencies or single agent offices need help, but can’t afford to employ a full time secretary.
When I relocated from one state to another, I created a fl yer offering insurance specific secretarial services by the hour. I had worked with a Farmers Agent and took my flyer’s to the Farmers District Manager who distributed them to the new and old agents. Within a short time, my services were in high demand and obtained by the District Manager as well. While I worked with different agents, in different offices dealing with the same company I became very knowledgeable and effective.
Each state has Licensing requirements. Generally, a few weeks or a specific number of class credits qualify a person to be eligible to take a state licensing test. It takes some study and effort but Not four years of college! Obtaining an Insurance License can be a huge stepping stone for moving forward with an insurance career.
In many cases with an Insurance License businesses not related to insurance directly will have great career positions. For example a person with a Property Casualty Insurance License might find a job in a Car Dealership processing purchases and making sure the legal insurance information is processed correctly. Someone with a Health Insurance license may be seen as a better employee for the Human Resources department of a large corporation.
With the right attitude, a high school diploma and a 2-weeks of classes and a passed insurance exam a person has many doors open to build a career in the insurance business. Unlike many of the other professions requiring similar skills a person meeting these requirements with an Insurance license has opportunities that are not necessarily dependant on sales. For example becoming a Real Estate Agent requires roughly the same things, however the bulk of work in the Real Estate Business is about Sales. In the Insurance business there are unbelievable opportunities that aren’t dependant on future sales.
Look for my Next Blog about Insurance Careers.
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Anna Glendenning is a Families.com Insurance and Guest Blogger. Read her Blogs at: http://members.families.com/happymomanna/blog