Great Insurance Jobs’ Co-Founder Roger Lear is here to help you overcome obstacles to your career and job search. This month, he discusses how technology has changed the job-search process in recent years, for both hirers and job seekers.
Q: I have not had to look for an insurance job in a very long time. What has changed in the job search process that can help me land a great job?
A:Like most industries, the insurance industry has undergone significant changes in how it hires. One thing is sure: No silver bullet guarantees you the perfect job. The critical difference that has changed in the last few years is the technology that companies use to find, recruit, hire, and retain you. If you understand the impact of this on your future, you can increase your odds of getting an ideal job.
Having an optimized resume is your first important step. Resumes do not get jobs; they get interviews. An optimized resume goes beyond listing your experience and education. It has to highlight your skills and showcase your contributions so that the robots and humans can quickly recognize you as a great candidate. An optimized resume starts with the job you are applying for. The job posting is the cheat sheet and tells you all the skills, titles, and responsibilities that must be part of your resume. Don’t make the mistake of telling your career journey; only focus on the skills and responsibilities needed to get the job you are applying to. If you are applying for a complex-claims specialist position, the title at the top of your resume will be “Complex Claims Specialist.” Follow this up with core competencies, which are the skills needed to get the job. Doing this at the top of the resume will bring you more interviews.
Once you optimize your resume, optimize your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is being used by 95% of all insurance companies to identify talent. If your LinkedIn profile has the correct skill keywords, your chances of being found escalate. To do this, go to your LinkedIn profile and update your title. Your title is one of the main keywords, so make this stand out. For example, Commercial General Liability Claims Adjuster (Litigated Files) is a fantastic job title. Follow this up by ensuring the “about” section tells your story with keywords. Have a great photo as well as a background picture on your header. Once you optimize your LinkedIn profile, add a link to the top of your resume. This is very powerful.
Finally, using artificial intelligence can help you in a big way in your job search. Think of AI (like ChatGPT) as a co-pilot career coach.
For any job you are applying for, you can go to ChatGPT, copy and paste your resume and the job description, and ask ChatGPT for suggestions on changes that can be made to optimize the resume further. Once you get an interview, you can upload the job description and ask it to predict the top-10 interview questions and how they should be answered. Talk about a fantastic way to prepare yourself. AI will only improve, and for today’s job seekers, it is a potent tool helping many get new jobs.
As you can see, a lot has changed in the job search process over the last few years. The stumbling block for many has been getting interviews with great companies. If you make these changes, you will gain more interviews, giving you a chance to shine more often.