3 Easy Tips for Public Adjusters: How To Make Your Resume Stand Out

As a career specialist, my niche clientele base are people preparing to break into the insurance adjusting industry.  Each month, I work with an adjuster pre-licensing school that trains thousands of adjusters annually for catastrophe, property, and casualty adjusting.  I generally start my spiel by asking the class who has a resume.  Typically, about 60% of the students raise their hands. However, when I modify my question and ask who has a resume made specifically to apply to claims adjuster positions, every hand falls.

Most of the job seekers who request my assistance with a resume and cover letter dont realize that there are various styles of resumes and that each one serves a different purpose in obtaining employment. (Of course, I dont know how to write a claim in Xactimate, so I dont expect prospective adjusters to know about resumes!) If you, like most job applicants, are at a loss with creating a resume that will bring you success in the adjusting field, here are a few simple tips that will get you moving in the right direction.

Keywords

In the age of technology, most companies scan resumes through computer programs that search for keywords. A great resume will not be very helpful if it never finds the hands of a hiring manager. Using the appropriate keywords can make or break your chance of employment with a company. A great way to discover appropriate keywords is to search job descriptions on various employment websites.

Skill Sets

If you have a career history in or related to the adjusting industry, your resume will look very different than if your experience is not obviously relevant. Regardless, there are applicable skill sets within almost any type of work. For instance, if you have great customer service skills or strong computer proficiency, these abilities translate well to the insurance adjusting industry. There are different formats for writing a resume including chronological, functional, and mixed. Make sure you use a format that highlights the professional skills and attributes that are directly related to the adjusting industry.

Less is More

Every so often, someone will hand me a four page resume. I immediately put it aside because that is simply too much information. Hiring managers are much the same way; if they do not see what they are looking for within 10 seconds, your resume likely will not get a second look. It is extremely important to present your applicable employment history, training, licenses, skills, and abilities in a clean and clear fashion. I recommend a one page resume, possibly two pages if you have an extensive relevant career history.


 

Leave a Reply