How to hire an insurance agent

How to hire an insurance agent, step by step

Here's a step-by-step insurance agent hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an insurance agent job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new insurance agent
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an insurance agent do?

Post an insurance agent job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The insurance agent hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect insurance agent also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents insurance agent salaries for various positions.

   Type of Insurance Agent	Description	Hourly rate
   Insurance Agent	Insurance sales agents help insurance companies generate new business by contacting potential customers and selling one or more types of insurance. Insurance sales agents explain various insurance policies and help clients choose plans that suit them.	$14-42
   Sales Producer	A sales producer is responsible for performing sales calls and administering all leads. You will be responsible for preparing the policies aimed at sales procedures and developing the necessary sales documents... Show more	$11-51
   Direct Sales Agent	A direct sales agent is primarily responsible for introducing and selling products or services to clients in a particular area. Aiming to reach sales quotas, they typically conduct market research and analysis, generate leads, and develop sales strategies to build positive client relationships... Show more	$14-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Insurance Sales
   • Health Insurance
   • Life Insurance Products
   • Financial Resources
   • Auto Insurance
   • Develop Contacts
   • House Training
   • Life Insurance Policies
   • Casualty Insurance
   • Field Development
   • Financial Products
   • Develop Leads
   • Annuities

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Used consultative upselling techniques to provide leads
   • Maintain personal and confidential Medicare & Medicaid customer information following all HIPAA.
   • Follow all applicable HIPPA and privacy regulations.
   • Explain medical plans to Medicare / Medicaid eligible clients to ensure best fit.
   • Identify and solicit sales prospects in agency database and in the general marketplace.
   • Develop productive business relationships with key marketplace players by identifying the right products and services.

   More insurance agent duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your insurance agent job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An insurance agent salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an insurance agent in Idaho may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level insurance agent usually earns less than a senior-level insurance agent. Additionally, an insurance agent with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average insurance agent salary

   $51,936yearly

   $24.97 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level insurance agent salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 27, 2025

   Average insurance agent salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$70,230	$34
   2	Texas	$64,984	$31
   3	Arizona	$64,725	$31
   4	District of Columbia	$64,588	$31
   5	Washington	$64,133	$31
   6	Colorado	$63,335	$30
   7	Massachusetts	$63,126	$30
   8	New Jersey	$61,889	$30
   9	Florida	$60,439	$29
   10	Oregon	$59,061	$28
   11	Mississippi	$57,543	$28
   12	Alabama	$56,791	$27
   13	North Carolina	$56,130	$27
   14	California	$55,943	$27
   15	Maryland	$54,446	$26
   16	Indiana	$53,749	$26
   17	Wisconsin	$53,639	$26
   18	Nevada	$53,128	$26
   19	Ohio	$52,765	$25
   20	Illinois	$52,500	$25

   Average insurance agent salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Z Capital Group	$128,500	$61.78	13
   2	Golden Rule Insurance Company	$100,292	$48.22
   3	Cognizant	$92,132	$44.29	85
   4	Infosys Public Service	$88,479	$42.54	6
   5	Aflac	$78,524	$37.75	38
   6	Globe Life	$75,211	$36.16	28
   7	Combined Insurance	$73,835	$35.50	1
   8	New York Life Insurance	$67,507	$32.46	101
   9	Family First Life	$66,221	$31.84
   10	Elevance Health	$61,233	$29.44
   11	Integrated Resources	$58,783	$28.26	12
   12	United Insurance Company of America	$58,763	$28.25
   13	PMA USA	$58,574	$28.16
   14	Richmond American Homes	$58,341	$28.05
   15	MassMutual	$58,129	$27.95	10
   16	Symmetry Financial Group	$57,561	$27.67	17
   17	PEAK6	$56,820	$27.32
   18	Liberty Mutual Insurance	$55,762	$26.81	2
   19	Mcgriff, Seibels & Williams	$55,451	$26.66
   20	HealthMarkets	$55,383	$26.63	2

4. Writing an insurance agent job description

   An insurance agent job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an insurance agent job description:

   Insurance agent job description example

   "Ranked #1 Most Admired Companies to Work for in America (Finance)" - Fortune (2021)

   "Ranked #2 Most Admired Companies to Work For in America" - Fortune (2019)

   #1 Ranked Company in leading the Million Dollar Round Table for 68 consecutive years

   **MDRT membership consists of all Top Producing Agents in the Insurance/Financial Services Industry

   "Best Finance Companies and Top 50" - Business Insider (2020)

   "America's BEST Largest Employers" - Forbes (2019)

   "Top 60 Companies for Executive Women" - NAFE (2018)

   The Only Life Insurance Company Endorsed by AARP

   What does a career need to offer you?

   Financial growth? Personal satisfaction? Opportunity to advance? You’ll find all that and more as a New York Life Financial Professional. At New York Life Insurance Company, we believe it’s possible to get ahead and do the right thing. This belief shows in how we do business and it shows in the people we partner with as Agents and Managers.

   This career isn’t for everyone, but the best Agents and Managers in our company will tell you there’s nothing else like it. Successful Agents at New York Life Insurance Company come from many different cultures and backgrounds. Most have dreams like yours. And life stories nothing like yours. That’s one reason our company is a great place to build your career.

   Join us.

   If you're looking for a career where you can grow your own business and make a difference in your community, then let’s talk. We're looking for motivated self-starters who want:

   Comprehensive and ongoing professional training and development (Harvard Business School Curriculum)

   Significant Earning Potential (Average Established Agent in Southern California Office $149,800)

   State-of-the-art marketing, Sales Force Customer Relationship Management System and sales solutions.

   A vast array of competitive insurance and financial products designed to meet the protection and financial needs of your clients

   A clearly defined career path, including opportunities in Management for qualified individuals.

   Comprehensive benefits, including a Pension Plan, 401K/ROTH 401K

   Here's what you'll do:

   As a New York Life Agent, you'll be offering high-quality life insurance, fixed annuities, long-term care insurance, and other products for insurance and retirement planning needs. You'll also:

   Develop and implement business and marketing plans

   Prospect for potential clients

   Discuss financial concerns and needs of individuals

   Present potential solutions using our suite of products and services

   Develop your professional skills and knowledge

   About Us

   Our promise? To work with you to build a strong financial future.

   We have always believed in helping people like you, families like yours, and businesses of all kinds create, protect, and preserve their financial security. Since 1845, we’ve been doing just that—making sure our customers are prepared for whatever life has in store and that we will be there to help them face the future with confidence.

   We’re a lot like the clients we serve. Each of us is working hard to meet life’s responsibilities and build our own futures. Funding retirement? Looking after aging parents? Dealing with the death of a family member? We’ve been there, and we’ve persevered through the toughest of times. So when we work with you, we appreciate that we are being trusted with your most important assets: your family and your business. We take that responsibility seriously. For more than 175 years, we’ve kept every promise we’ve made to our customers. That’s simply a fact.

   We invite you to explore the depth of that commitment.

   Certain eligibility requirements apply. Monthly payments are determined by your earnings, years of service, age, and the form of payment you choose. The company reserves the right to amend or terminate the plan at any time for any reason.

   Issued by New York Life Insurance and Annuity Corporation or New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIAC), a Delaware Corporation.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find insurance agents for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your insurance agent job on Zippia to find and attract quality insurance agent candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with insurance agent candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new insurance agent

   Once you've decided on a perfect insurance agent candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an insurance agent?