How To Get Into The Claim Adjusting Industry
Don’t know how to get into the Claim Adjuster Jobs? You’re not alone… there is no step-by-step curriculum out there to help. Here’s why… at least one reason is that every state has different rules and regulations to become an adjuster.
What’s this mean?
You have to scour the internet to get your answers and you have to hope you go down the right path. Even after 100s of hours of searching, you’ll still have a ton of questions about becoming a claim adjuster, right?
GOOD NEWS… You’re in the right place.
Insurance Claim Adjusting Industry Training
Claims adjusting is a great profession and you will have noticeable growth rather quickly. If you follow particular instructions and can work the way you should you will make a great adjuster. You will be able to help people with their problems and make money at the same time! Isn’t it amazing? I think it is.
A really good way to get into the insurance claim adjuster job is to take the hard work away from the insurance companies who want to hire you. You see every company that wants adjusters also wants to pay you. However,
They can only pay you if you have a license… which means if you have a license they’ll hire you before someone without a license.
You can make it easy for the insurance firms and the insurance companies to hire you if you have your license. This is because you won’t have to go through the required insurance adjuster training which is the 40-hour all-lines adjuster course.
Once You Have Your license… Then What?
Find a company looking for an entry-level “claims specialist” (adjuster) that way they can get your foot in the door to the industry and get your certifications in the area you are working. This is really important, ensure your resume show you have experience and you can do this two way…
Work with a professional career coach that can help you identify areas of your current experience that will make you a good fit for the role. Many adjusters start with no previous claims experience but they can show they have the same set of skills. Next,
Get training and certifications.
Think of becoming a claims adjuster as you would becoming a doctor or a lawyer. The 40-hour all-lines adjuster course is your educational requirement and your training is like your apprenticeship. You can think of your certification as your specialization like an eye doctor or a traffic court lawyer.
In order to get into a company, it helps to have some background in what you are trying to do with your career. For example, a Homeowner’s property insurance adjuster adjusts claims like fire & storm damages to people’s homes, outbuildings, and contents (personal property like a TV or a couch).
You will have experience with construction and know the building codes in your area.
By the way, this position will acquire good personal skills…
The adjuster is the face/voice of the company. When you are out in the field, you are responding to an event that could be a low point in someone’s life. So not only are you out there to do the job, but you are there for them and as a representation of their insurance company.
You should be aware that not every day is going to be an easy day.
More often than not, you’ll work long hours. It’s very stressful and can be a challenge. Plus, you’ll likely be away from family and friends for a really long time (really depends on the job you are doing).
Here’s the worst part… claims (homeowners in particular) where you want to help the policyholder but you can’t because of lack of insurance coverage (i.e. floods, long-term damage, city sewer backup, etc). When this happens they’ll ask,
“well, why do I have insurance?”
You have to know how to answer that question.
After a few years of doing this, you will get the hang of it and be able to do the job like a champ. You don’t need a college degree to do the job (which is technically true) but it definitely helps during the screening and interview process (especially for an S&P 500 employer).
Combat the lack of a degree with training and experience.
Once you get your foot into the door at a company, depending on where you are, you may either be a field adjuster or a desk adjuster. The difference is that one is in the office while the other runs around town/state/country (depends on the position). In both instances you want to ask questions, learn all you can about the process, policies, news (your job is literally dictated by the weather), laws, and make connections.
Once you have your certifications and adjuster’s license and you get a feel for the industry, you can choose to go independent. Although, adjusters start independently – this is where the real money is. You can make your own LLC or you can even do contract work from home.
A good trend to follow in the industry is the independent sector due to the number of large insurance companies having more office adjusters handling claims and using IAs (independent adjusters) to verify damages while paying a reasonable consulting fee. Not something that you will really be able to jump right into right away but it is still worth mentioning since it is adjusting.
Now coming to the compensation portion, typically an adjuster position is Salary or “exempt” meaning you do not qualify for OT. The reason for this is that adjusters can work any number of hours to get the job done. Someone may have worked as little as 2 hours a day (when there is nothing going on in his or her area) all the way up to working 16 hours a day including weekends and holidays. Just starting out if you have little to no experience in claims you can expect to make the amount mentioned in this video.
However, as you get more experience and start to specialize (like a large loss, National catastrophe response, etc.) you can get upwards of 150K depending on the company or if you are independent.
Get started adjusting. It can be a very rewarding job if you take the time and go over everything with the insured. Sure, you may have to tell people the bad news. But there is also good news and the reason why we should do it is mainly to help the people who are experiencing the worst days of their life.
by xotatech.com