The insurance industry is full of great career opportunities. You can work for large insurers, brokers, and find your niche in the ever-evolving InsureTech space.  Those within the industry realize this, but many others don’t.

The trouble for insurers is they have difficulty attracting top young talent to the industry. Many people assume insurance careers are boring. Much like the stigma associated with other traditional industries such as accounting, insurance jobs today are very different than what there were in the past, especially with progressive organizations.

Here are some key recruiter tips for identifying top insurance talent:

1. Look for candidates with technology skills

Insurance continues to make strides toward becoming more digitized. Therefore, insurance sales candidates must be well versed in technology, online sales tools, and digital sales tactics, as the industry focuses more and more on attracting and selling to customers online.

2. Motivation

As with sales reps in other industries, it’s important to understand a candidate’s motivation and driving force. Are they all about making money? If so, you could risk underwriting poor insurance business. Hire insurance sales professionals who have the right approach and are motivated for the right reasons.

3. Long-term objectives

Working as an insurance broker or agent and focusing on insurance sales can lead to a variety of other positions within the industry. Try to get a sense of where the candidate wants to take their career long term. Look for candidates who can fit immediate and future needs to keep top talent in-house.

4. Test insurance knowledge

Insurance is a very specialized industry. There is a lot of insider information, rules, regulations and terminology to learn. Therefore, it can be a steep learning curve for sales candidates who do not have insurance industry experience. Test a candidate’s knowledge to see how much they know about the industry. If they don’t have much experience, ensure they have the drive and desire to ramp up quickly.

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SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right salesperson for your organization, start your search here.