Things to think about before making the decision enter the profession…

When reading this article, it is important to understand the context or position of thought it was written under. The Author of this article is a lifelong property person with basic cross training in other disciplines of claims. It is written from the perspective of a property claims adjuster. Property claims adjusting is a portion of the overall Claims Industry and only a portion of the general claims profession.

Claims positions exist in the property units, liability units or work comp units for example. Within those units, there are Staff positions with direct writers, positions as independent adjusters for daily and catastrophic related losses, or positions for TPA’s or third party administrators. There are also outside and inside adjusters as a sub category in each unit as well. There are many other areas in the industry however, the main emphasis of this article relates to the independent and staff related property claims disciplines.

First of all, do you understand what is involved in being an insurance adjuster? Have you talked to anyone in the insurance business to get an idea of what will be expected of you? Have you determined what you want to do in the insurance business? Industry leaders can be a great help to anyone wanting to know what the various components of the industry do and what the job involves? There are many avenues or paths one can take within the Insurance Industry. Research of the various areas and an understanding of one’s own personality are vital to determining where to concentrate your efforts.

What do you want in a job is one of the biggest questions you need to ask yourself after all, you have to be happy at what you do in order to be the best. List out what you want in a job/career. Be true to yourself and make sure you know what you want before you put it on paper. It could be one of the most important decisions you make.

Do you want a career or simply a job? That is a legitimate question to ask yourself. There are those who simply want a Job and do not want to bother with the career issue but rather put in their time and enjoy other things in life. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that but it is an attitude that does not lend itself well to a “career” in the insurance claims industry.

A career in the insurance industry as an adjuster or in another area is a life or lifestyle decision that affects many aspects of your life. The idea here is not to be hasty in your decision but rather forthright in determining what you want; applying those ideas to the claims discipline or other area within the industry to see what part of the industry applies best to you.

What does your personality trait or traits say about you? Is your personality trait right for claims or perhaps some other section of the insurance industry? There are other avenues in claims such as the Liability area where the more analytical person seems to thrive.

There was an old school idea years ago to make multi-line adjusters by combining the various aspects of claims into one person or adjuster. The problem with that is each discipline requires a different approach and in reality, a different personality. Companies have moved away from this in favor of the more segmented approach. Separating out the specific disciplines such as property adjuster, liability adjuster or workers comp for example.

Are you an early riser and hustle no matter what the task? Do you take pride in all things you do and do it to the best of your ability? Can you handle discord between yourself and others such as customers, clients or insured’s? Are you self -motivated and enjoy any given challenge? Do you work well under pressure and can you cope with extreme demands of “going to press” on a regular basis? If the answer is no then your shortcomings will be discovered extremely quickly in the fast paced world of adjusting claims. You may want to re-think you career decision.

There are avenues in the insurance profession which might suit you better and one that you would enjoy: having fun at your job makes life easier, gives you a desire to come to work and as a result, produce the finest work product when you like what you do. Do not think of your chosen profession as a job or you will simply be mediocre. Being content in the claims business is somewhat of an oxymoron so to speak. Contentment can be mediocrity in the adjusting world. Adjusters are always adapting, learning or being creative. Be proud of what you do, like what you do and you will become the best.

If you are willing to do what it takes to be an insurance adjuster (believe me it’s not all about the money as many would have you think). It is a lifestyle and a specific career that one really needs to think about before deciding to become an insurance adjuster. There is a huge difference between being a “claims adjuster” or simply an adjuster with a license. If you chose the path to be an adjuster then it will be up to you to listen, learn and apply everything you know in order to become the best of the best. It is a fun, interesting and rewarding to those with the right attitude and aptitude for the industry.

If interested, contact a local claims professional or local claims association in your area. Adjusters/claim Associations are plentiful and adjusters always like to talk about their industry. To those who choose this industry as there career, I do hope that they find the industry fun and rewarding to them. I have always believed that we needed to leave the industry better than we found it. So if you want it then go for it... ...it is up to you to make your mark.

Developed by Cimarron Claims Service, Inc.

All rights Reserved!