An insurance agent is responsible for inviting potential clients to the insurance company by offering different insurance services. Insurance agents must have a comprehensive knowledge of insurance types to provide the clients with the best insurance option in the market. The insurance agents should evaluate a client's long-term needs and financial goals to create individual packages as the insurance company allowed. An insurance agent also handles policy renewals and keeps customers' insurance files for reference.

Take a few minutes to create or upgrade your resume. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Insurance Agent resume.

Insurance Agent Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real insurance agent resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • 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.
  • Develop and run basic training classes as well as advanced training classes for new agents.
  • Educate borrowers and realtors about the short sale process, deed in lieu process, and other loss mitigation workouts available.
  • Recommend appropriate annuities, insurance and investment products to existing and potential customers.
  • Consult small business owners and individuals with life insurance, disability income benefits and annuities.
  • Discuss legal documentation such as green cards and permanent residence cards for qualification of Medicaid.
  • Provide unparallele brokerage services, specifically focusing on a thorough analysis of business risk and comprehensive options for clients.
  • Assist clients in the application process and ensure that all require information is accurate for CMS compliance.
  • Educate clients on ACA regulations.
  • Set up payment arrangements and run credit card information.

Insurance Agent Job Description

Perhaps the hardest question to answer when deciding on a career as an insurance agent is "should I become an insurance agent?" You might find this info to be helpful. When compared to other jobs, insurance agent careers are projected to have a growth rate described as "faster than average" at 10% from 2018 through 2028. This is in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What's more, is that the projected number of opportunities that are predicted to become available for a insurance agent by 2028 is 48,300.

On average, the insurance agent annual salary is $51,936 per year, which translates to $24.97 an hour. Generally speaking, insurance agents earn anywhere from $30,000 to $88,000 a year, which means that the top-earning insurance agents make $52,000 more than the ones at the lower end of the spectrum.

As is the case with most jobs, it takes work to become an insurance agent. Sometimes people change their minds about their career after working in the profession. That's why we looked into some other professions that might help you find your next opportunity. These professions include a licensed sales producer, sales producer, agent assistant, and direct sales agent.

Learn More About Insurance Agent Job Descriptions
Find Better Talent in Less Time
Post a Job on Zippia and take the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Insurance Agent Jobs You Might Like

12 Insurance Agent Resume Examples

Insurance Agent Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 25% of Insurance Agents are proficient in Customer Service, Insurance Sales, and Health Insurance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Initiative.

We break down the percentage of Insurance Agents that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 25%

    Assisted the account executives in resolving customer service situations, assessed and presented applicable recommendations based on customers' needs.

  • Insurance Sales, 8%

    Created an annual process to manage renewals while building relationships that extended into additional commercial insurance sales.

  • Health Insurance, 6%

    Promoted and managed insurance needs within individual and business markets for retirement, health insurance, disability and life insurance.

  • Life Insurance Products, 6%

    Launched, developed and managed an insurance agency focusing on Property/Casualty and Life Insurance products.

  • Financial Resources, 6%

    Assessed prospective clients by obtaining information about their financial resources and deficiencies.

  • Auto Insurance, 5%

    Specialized in bringing in new business and providing individual services for personal and commercial auto insurance accounts.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Insurance Agent Resume templates

Build a professional Insurance Agent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Insurance Agent resume.

Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume
Insurance Agent Resume

Some of the skills we found on insurance agent resumes included "customer service," "insurance sales," and "health insurance." We have detailed the most important insurance agent responsibilities below.

  • Analytical skills can be considered to be the most important personality trait for an insurance agent to have. According to a insurance agent resume, "insurance sales agents must evaluate the needs of each client to determine the appropriate insurance policy." Insurance agents are able to use analytical skills in the following example we gathered from a resume: "processed new insurance claims as well as analyzed incoming claims from policy makers. "
  • While it may not be the most important skill, we found that many insurance agent duties rely on communication skills. This example from a insurance agent explains why: "insurance sales agents must be able to communicate effectively with customers by listening to their requests and suggesting suitable policies." This resume example is just one of many ways insurance agents are able to utilize communication skills: "demonstrated excellent sales and verbal communication skills by personally handling insurance claims. "
  • Another skill that is quite popular among insurance agents is initiative. This skill is very critical to fulfilling every day responsibilities as is shown in this example from a insurance agent resume: "insurance sales agents need to actively seek out new customers in order to maintain a flow of commissions." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "build professional relationships with clients demonstrate initiative to develop leads. "
  • In order for certain insurance agent responsibilities to be completed, the job requires the skill "self-confidence." According to an insurance agent resume, "insurance sales agents should be confident when making “cold” calls (calls to prospective customers whom they have not contacted before)" As an example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies: "managed insurance claims for policyholders and handled confidential health information. "
  • See the full list of insurance agent skills.

    We've found that 53.2% of insurance agents have earned a bachelor's degree. Furthermore, 5.9% earned their master's degrees before becoming an insurance agent. While it's true that most insurance agents have a college degree, it's generally possible to become one with only a high school degree. In fact, one out of every six insurance agents did not spend the extra money to attend college.

    Those insurance agents who do attend college, typically earn either business degrees or accounting degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for insurance agents include insurance degrees or psychology degrees.

    Once you've obtained the level of education you're comfortable with, you might start applying to companies to become an insurance agent. We've found that most insurance agent resumes include experience from Aflac, Lincoln Heritage, and Bankers Life Insurance Company. Of recent, Aflac had 463 positions open for insurance agents. Meanwhile, there are 334 job openings at Lincoln Heritage and 232 at Bankers Life Insurance Company.

    If you're interested in companies where insurance agents make the most money, you'll want to apply for positions at Z Capital Group, Golden Rule Insurance Company, and Cognizant. We found that at Z Capital Group, the average insurance agent salary is $128,500. Whereas at Golden Rule Insurance Company, insurance agents earn roughly $100,292. And at Cognizant, they make an average salary of $92,132.

    View more details on insurance agent salaries across the United States.

    We also looked into companies who hire insurance agents from the top 100 educational institutions in the U.S. The top three companies that hire the most from these institutions include Bankers Life Insurance Company, Aflac, and New York Life Insurance.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious insurance agents are:

    Build a professional resume in minutes.

    Our AI resume builder helps you write a compelling and relevant resume for the jobs you want. See 10+ resume templates and create your resume here.

    resume document icon

    Don't Have A Professional Resume?

    What Licensed Sales Producers Do

    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. Other responsibilities include making sure that all sales personnel adhere to all policies and procedures, coordinating with customers about policy expiration dates, and maintaining strong and long-lasting relationships with customers. As a sales producer, you will be responsible for managing prospective sale campaigns and managing all correspondence with both prospective and existing clients.

    In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take licensed sales producer for example. On average, the licensed sales producers annual salary is $13,583 lower than what insurance agents make on average every year.

    While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both insurance agents and licensed sales producers positions are skilled in customer service, insurance sales, and health insurance.

    As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because an insurance agent responsibility requires skills such as "life insurance products," "auto insurance," "develop contacts," and "house training." Whereas a licensed sales producer is skilled in "life insurance," "customer relationships," "processing payments," and "schedule appointments." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

    Licensed sales producers receive the highest salaries in the manufacturing industry coming in with an average yearly salary of $39,583. But insurance agents are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $49,448.

    The education levels that licensed sales producers earn is a bit different than that of insurance agents. In particular, licensed sales producers are 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an insurance agent. Additionally, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Sales Producer?

    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. They reach out directly to clients through calls or face-to-face interactions, discuss product specifications or promos, negotiate contracts, and demonstrate products when necessary. They are also responsible for processing client orders and payments, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction.

    Next up, we have the sales producer profession to look over. This career brings along a lower average salary when compared to an insurance agent annual salary. In fact, sales producers salary difference is $649 lower than the salary of insurance agents per year.

    While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both insurance agents and sales producers are known to have skills such as "customer service," "insurance sales," and "health insurance. "

    But both careers also use different skills, according to real insurance agent resumes. While insurance agent responsibilities can utilize skills like "life insurance products," "develop contacts," "house training," and "field development," some sales producers use skills like "insurance products," "strong work ethic," "business relationships," and "cross-selling."

    In general, sales producers study at similar levels of education than insurance agents. They're 1.1% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How an Agent Assistant Compares

    The agent assistant profession generally makes a lower amount of money when compared to the average salary of insurance agents. The difference in salaries is agent assistants making $14,532 lower than insurance agents.

    Using insurance agents and agent assistants resumes, we found that both professions have similar skills such as "customer service," "health insurance," and "auto insurance," but the other skills required are very different.

    Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from insurance agent resumes include skills like "insurance sales," "life insurance products," "financial resources," and "develop contacts," whereas an agent assistant might be skilled in "life insurance," "insurance policies," "scheduling appointments," and "roadside assistance. "

    Agent assistants make a very good living in the real estate industry with an average annual salary of $42,564. Whereas insurance agents are paid the highest salary in the finance industry with the average being $49,448.

    When it comes to education, agent assistants tend to earn similar education levels than insurance agents. In fact, they're 2.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Direct Sales Agent

    Direct sales agents tend to earn a higher pay than insurance agents by about $5,776 per year.

    While both insurance agents and direct sales agents complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, health insurance, and casualty insurance, the two careers also vary in other skills.

    Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an insurance agent might have more use for skills like "insurance sales," "life insurance products," "financial resources," and "auto insurance." Meanwhile, some direct sales agents might include skills like "medicare," "direct sales," "underwriting process," and "sales tools" on their resume.

    Direct sales agents reach similar levels of education when compared to insurance agents. The difference is that they're 1.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree less, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    What an Insurance Agent Does FAQs

    Do Insurance Agents Make Good Money?

    Yes, insurance agents make good money. The national average pay for an insurance agent is $79,730 a year. However, it can vary widely, starting as little as $20,000 a year to as much as $174,000 a year.

    How Does An Insurance Company Make Money?

    Insurance companies make money in two ways: by charging premiums and then reinvesting those premiums. Premiums are the money individuals pay to an insurance company in exchange for insurance coverage. Part of this money needs to go back directly to consumer costs, but there is a portion that can be assessed and invested.

    What Are The Roles Of An Insurance Agent?

    The roles of an insurance agent are to sell and manage insurance policies on behalf of an insurance company. Their role may include attracting new clients and answering their questions, helping clients choose the best approach, and making sure all legal requirements are met.

    What Is A Mutual Insurance Company?

    A mutual insurance company is an insurance company that is owned entirely by its policyholders. Any profits earned are either invested back into the company or get reimbursed back to the policyholders. In contrast, a stock insurance company is owned by investors who hold stock, and they will receive any profit.

    There are pros and cons to choosing a mutual insurance company over a stock insurance company. Opportunities for reimbursement are great, but one con is that it can be difficult to raise capital which makes growth opportunities rare.

    What Role Does Math Play In The Insurance Industry?

    Math is used in the insurance industry to set premiums, determine risks, and stay competitive.

    Statistics are used to determine the likelihood of obtaining clients. Part of this process involves setting the premiums to sign clients, and still making a profit. Statistics are also used to determine the chances of a client switching companies. Numbers are crunched to create the best possible scenario to keep the client.

    What Skills Do You Need To Be An Insurance Agent?

    The skills you need to be an insurance agent include the right mixture of product knowledge, sales abilities, and people skills. To be successful as an insurance agent is all about your ability to sell policies. There are specific skills that every successful insurance agent should have.

    Insurance Agent Vs. Broker

    An insurance agent is an insurance professional who sells insurance plans to buyers, while a broker is an independent insurance specialist who legally represents buyers.

    An insurance agent works for an insurance company and sells that company's insurance products to customers. Insurance agents provide information about available policies from the insurance company to insurance buyers. They have contractual agreements with their company specifying policies they can sell and the compensation the agent receives.

    Search For Insurance Agent Jobs