Source: CareerProNews

What would happen if the sewer system in your town backed up and your home was covered with a foot of muck? Or what if someone snipped through your lock and rode off with your bike? Thanks to the insurance industry, you probably wouldn’t have much to worry about. Insurance is designed to cover these types of losses.

The insurance industry is huge. Doctors, lawyers, actuaries, computer experts and public speakers are just a few of the talented individuals who come together to make the industry tick. No matter what your skills are, the insurance industry is a viable career option.

“Insurance can mean so many things,” says Heather Clowater. She is an assistant manager of human resources at a group of insurance companies. “Our market is the high-end client — the $2-million home, the yacht and the jewelry collection,” she says.

But wealthy people aren’t the only clients in the insurance business. Churches, homes, people, cars, bicycles, clothing — all of these things are insurable.

Insurance works like this: everyone pays a little to cover the losses of a few. The money (premiums) goes into a big pot at the insurance company. When someone suffers a loss, they are able to take money from the pot to recover what they’ve lost.

Remember the Y2K millennium bug at the turn of the century? According to Phillips Nizer Benjamin Krim and Ballon (a law firm), Nike attempted to claim as much as $110 million in insurance for the costs of fixing up the Y2K mess. If it weren’t for insurance, companies like Nike would have been forced to fork out millions of dollars.

Insurance is Here to Stay

The insurance industry has a bad rap for being boring. Trudy Lancelyn is the deputy executive director of the Insurance Brokers Association of British Columbia. She points out that it’s a very traditional industry. “There’s been insurance for hundreds of years and there always will be,” she says. “It’s not something that goes through fads.”

Unlike some high-tech industries, the insurance industry isn’t grabbing the world’s attention. It is, however, a stable industry. And it’s here to stay. “Insurance is one of those products that is not so volatile,” says Clowater. “Everyone needs insurance.”

Clowater’s company is a prime example of just how stable this industry is. It’s been around since the 1880s and it’s still growing at a steady pace. “This year alone, we hired 10 or 11 trainees,” says Clowater. “So, certainly we are growing.”

The insurance industry needs workers with hundreds of different talents and specialties to make it run smoothly. Clowater’s firm, for example, has an accounting department, a collections department, a customer service department and an IT department. Just imagine how many different skill sets are called upon in each of those separate departments!

Here are just a few of the titles that insurance employees may hold: actuary, actuarial assistant, case manager, underwriter, broker, casualty adjuster, customer service rep, sales rep, marketing rep and auditor.

Since the industry experiences steady growth, there is always a well-rounded selection of jobs available. “Our vacancy positions [are] across the board,” says Clowater. “It’s not just underwriting or claims or IT jobs.”

This is a very traditional, pen-and-paper industry, although Lancely says that there are IT positions available. “Like anything else,” she says, “the large, multi-branch brokerages would probably have an in-house IT person.” But there certainly isn’t a wild cry for IT experts in the world of insurance.

Getting There

Since the insurance industry is so diverse, there isn’t a standard educational pathway for getting involved. It depends on the company you work for, the state or province you’re working in and the position you’re after. In fact, Clowater believes that this lack of structure may be the biggest stumbling block for students — the career path simply isn’t straightforward.

“For anyone who is going to get into actuarial sciences, there are undergraduate programs out there,” says Gretchen Schaefer. She is the media relations director for the American Insurance Association. She adds that actuaries take courses and classes throughout their careers. “It’s just an ongoing education.”

For anyone becoming an insurance agent, there are licensing requirements. These differ from state to state.

In some cases, a generalist background combined with a pleasant demeanor is all you’ll need. For example, the human resources department at Clowater’s company isn’t necessarily looking for someone with an insurance background. “We’re just looking for someone that has a general business background or a university degree,” explains Clowater.

Take Schaefer’s background, for example. “I had a communications and marketing background,” she says. It was enough to get her foot in the door. “It’s really a matter of learning the industry,” she says.

Once you’re in the industry, there is no shortage of certificates or professional examinations that you can obtain to improve your status, ability and wage. For certain positions, like actuary, you’ll be expected to upgrade your qualifications continually.

Clowater encourages young people to stop and think about just how huge the insurance business really is. “Whatever your interests are, think of it as an option.”

If you have any doubts at all, pay a visit to a local insurance company. See if you like the atmosphere and start making your connections. “There is a lot to learn. It’s a very interesting industry,” says Schaefer.
Net Sites

American Insurance Association
A great source for industry info

http://www.aiadc.org/

Insurance National Search, Inc.
Linking employers with job hunters

http://www.insurancerecruiters.com/

Insurance Journal
Online industry news

http://www.insurancejournal.com

Speaking of Insurance
Learn the lingo

http://www.insurance-canada.ca/consinfogeneral/lingo.php

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I was recently interviewed by C.M. Russell, (webmaster, blogger and podcaster for the online job search)
on his Secrets of the Jobhunt Podcast which is sponsored by JobRadioFM.

I love this topic: how to tell if you need a job search coach. You can listen to the 20 minute podcast here:

http://chrisr2.hipcast.com/deluge/18b89df9-76cc-139b-da74-a8dc7b486066.mp3

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Are you in a full-time job search? Many job seekers who are find that supplementing their income until they land their next job takes a lot of pressure and anxiety off of them and helps to build their confidence and keep their energy and motivation up.

It’s actually not difficult to create one or more temporary income streams using the following strategies:

# 1. Management Consulting – jobs in management consulting (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) have DOUBLED over the last 10 years. If you are experienced in your niche, this can make exceptional additional income! Guru and Elance are great sites for getting the word out and giving you the ability to instantly bid on projects. www.flexjobs.com has an annual fee of $49 or you can sign up by the month – word from my clients is that this is an excellent site and resource.www.realmatch.com is yet another option.

# 2. Higher Ed Adjunct Teaching – teach part-time in your area of expertise and get paid for it! Adjunct teaching is increasingly popular with state and local colleges as they do not have to cover benefits.

# 3. Ebay/Craiglist – the business you can do using these mediums is pretty phenomenal. I know many people who generate significant passive income off these sites.

# 4. Interim Executives – many companies are looking for interim executives for various reasons. Most of the largest recruitment firms in the U.S. including Heidrick and Struggles, Russell Reynolds, Spencer Stuart and Spherion now have specialized practice areas for interim executive placement.

# 5. Corporate Project Assignments – gear a version of your resume toward project assignments, highlighting the key skills/strengths you are really experienced in. This strategy appeals to companies (even for some full time positions) because these positions don’t require automatic long-term commitments, benefit packages and contracting projects can generally meet many corporate challenges at significant savings to them. The benefits to you are clear including getting your foot in the door for more permanent work and giving you a chance to see if you and said company are a fit!

# 6. Register With Your Local Temporary Agency – employers hire mid-level professionals for project assignments through temp firms.

# 7. Earn Income From Your Hobby – a few things I have seen people do in the past includes selling fresh baked bread or veggies at their local farmers market, dog boarding, day care, ghostwriting, graphic design, selling antiques, equestrian lessons and photography.

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When you are setting up a turnkey job search campaign and trying to tap into the hidden job market, you may happen upon some hurdles that can stop you in your tracks, shake your confidence and cause you to doubt yourself or tempt you to settle for much less than you deserve. In my previous feature article I covered how fear, negative thoughts, perfectionistic and isolating behaviors can create sticking points for you. Here are the final four pitfalls and how you can avoid them:

Pitfall #5: Not being open to try new job search methods

In this job market you are going to have very little success if all you do is answer a handful of posted jobs.

My clients who are having success right now are the ones that are using direct mail programs, learning how to research and use strategies to tap into the hidden job market (actually quite easy) and learning about social networking.

Pitfall #6: Putting all your eggs in one basket

I worked with a client once who secured three interviews a week after I sent this client her final resume copy.

She was so excited, and I was excited for her. But when I asked her how her job search strategies were going she said she was just waiting for her immediate interviews to pan out before she did anything else. Though I encouraged her not to do this, her mind was made up.

Six weeks later all three potential job opportunities fell through and my client was left with an empty basket and the daunting task of starting all over again from scratch.

Moral of the story: keep your pipeline full and your job search activities consistent until your first day at your new company.

Pitfall #7: No Strategy

In order to be successful in your job search, you have to have a foundation of basic goals and a clear understanding of your driving motivators.

If you don’t, you aren’t going to know what to focus on or where to best invest your time and energy.

I have worked with job seekers who when they first came to me shared that they had been in “I’ll know it when I see it” job search mode for over a year with nothing to show for it.

So, know what industries you are targeting and why, what your salary goals are, your timeframe and your basic game plan before trying to move forward. You’ll be so glad you did!

Pitfall #8: Work/life imbalance

You can’t job search 8-hrs a day. Well, you can but if you do you will probably be feeling drained and burnt out in no time at all.

During a job search you will most likely be experiencing more stress than normal. It’s important that you take better care of yourself and take more time off then perhaps you are accustomed.

This isn’t a luxury! It’s actually a vital part of your successful job search.

Eat right, get plenty of rest and do plenty of those things you love to do. This way you will have plenty of energy for creativity and strategy. You will be rested, clear-headed and enthusiastic in your job interviews which will make a positive impression.

If you see yourself in any one of pitfalls, take heart and use these simple techniques to break through the hurdles so you can stay focused and confident as you move toward the career opportunity you really want.

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