How To Hire An Insurance Agent

Research Summary. Here are some key facts to know if you're looking to hire a insurance agents in the United States:

The median cost to hire an insurance agent is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
Small businesses spend $1,105 per insurance agent on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
There are a total of 194,144 insurance agents in the US, and there are currently 67,977 job openings in this field.
Phoenix, AZ, has the highest demand for insurance agents, with 48 job openings.

How to hire an Insurance Agent, step by step

To hire an insurance agent, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire an insurance agent:

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

Post A Job For Free, Promote It For A Fee

1
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Identify Your Needs

The first step in the insurance agent hiring process is determining what type of worker you actually need. For example, certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

Your Progress

1/10

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

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 the salaries of various insurance agent 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

2
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Create An Ideal Candidate Profile

Before creating an insurance agent job description, imagine the ideal employee for this position and begin creating a profile. What skills do they have and what responsibilities do they have to be proficient in?

Here is a list of skills that are commonly associated with insurance agent:

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

Here is a list of common responsibilities that insurance agents may be expected to fulfill:

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.

Check all Duties

Beyond the basics, you should also consider how well a candidate fits into your company culture. In other words, you should think about how your ideal insurance agent will live by the company's mission statement and contribute to the team dynamic you already have in place.

Most Common States For Insurance Agents In The US

Rank #	State	# Of Jobs	% of Population	Avg. Salary
1	Pennsylvania	1,447	11%	$50,690
2	Ohio	1,345	12%	$52,212
3	Massachusetts	951	14%	$63,287
4	Arizona	891	13%	$64,714
5	Missouri	801	13%	$49,478

Professional Project Manager CV example

3
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Make A Budget

Including a salary range in the job description can help attract top candidates to the position. An insurance agent salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience and seniority of the candidate, any certifications they may hold, and the prestige of the company they will be working for. For example, the average salary for an insurance agent in Idaho may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level insurance agent may earn 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.

Updated March 16, 2023

Insurance Agent Salary Estimate

$51,936

$24.97 hourly

Entry level Salary

$30,000 yearly

$30,00010%

$51,936Median

$88,00090%

Insurance Agent Average Salary By Location

Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Count
1	New York	$70,230	$34	6
2	Texas	$64,984	$31	2
3	Arizona	$64,725	$31	11
4	District of Columbia	$64,588	$31	3
5	Washington	$64,133	$31	5

Insurance Agent Average Salary By Company

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	Z Capital Group	$128,500	$61.78
2	Golden Rule Insurance Company	$100,292	$48.22	4
3	Cognizant	$92,132	$44.29	1
4	InfosysPublicService	$88,479	$42.54
5	Aflac	$78,524	$37.75	2
6	Globe Life	$75,211	$36.16	7
7	Combined Insurance	$73,835	$35.50	1
8	New York Life Insurance	$67,507	$32.46	43
9	Family First Life	$66,221	$31.84	163
10	Anthem	$61,233	$29.44
11	Integrated Resources	$58,783	$28.26
12	United Insurance Company of America	$58,763	$28.25
13	PMA USA	$58,574	$28.16	217
14	Richmond American Homes	$58,341	$28.05
15	MassMutual	$58,129	$27.95	2
16	Symmetry Financial Group	$57,561	$27.67	34
17	PEAK6	$56,820	$27.32
18	Liberty Mutual Insurance	$55,762	$26.81	81
19	Mcgriff, Seibels & Williams	$55,451	$26.66
20	HealthMarkets	$55,383	$26.63	249

4
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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:

Example of Full Job Description

"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.

5
.
Post A 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 Process

Your first interview with insurance agent candidates should focus on their interest in the role and their specific 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.

Don't forget to include a few questions that give a candidate chance to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their special skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, candidates who are good enough 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 also include details such as 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 Checklist For The Hiring Process

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.)

How Much Does it Cost to Hire an Insurance Agent

Before you start to hire insurance agents, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire insurance agents pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

Insurance agents earn a median yearly salary is $51,936 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find insurance agents for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $14 and $42.

Find Better Talent in Less Time

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Hiring Insurance Agents FAQs

How Much Does A Good Insurance Agent Cost?

A good insurance agent costs $24.97 an hour in the US. However, it can vary based on factors such as the insurance agent experience, abilities, industry, and the specific requirements of your business.

What Are The Duties Of An Insurance Agent?

The duties of an insurance agent are:

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.

Should I Hire An Insurance Agent With No Experience?

Yes, you should hire an insurance agent with no experience. Hiring an entry-level insurance agent with no experience offers versatility for your team. They may lack some qualifications, but are adaptable and have not yet formed problematic habits. However, more training may be required compared to experienced.

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Updated March 16, 2023

How To Hire An Insurance Agent