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Insurance underwriter skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Janet Ruiz,

Robert Hoyt, Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical insurance underwriter skills. We ranked the top skills for insurance underwriters based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.4% of insurance underwriter resumes contained health insurance as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an insurance underwriter needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 insurance underwriter skills for your resume and career

1. Health Insurance

Here's how insurance underwriters use health insurance:

Evaluate and classify risks by determining eligibility for Health Insurance coverage via Underwriting Guidelines.
Job duties include underwriting health insurance applications for individuals statewide in Colorado.

2. Insurance Underwriting

Here's how insurance underwriters use insurance underwriting:

Used in-depth knowledge of agency and mortgage insurance underwriting requirements and company contractual obligations.
Handled insurance underwriting and quotes for commercial and residential properties.

3. Insurance Coverage

Here's how insurance underwriters use insurance coverage:

Record information through computer database & determine eligibility for the individual insurance coverage they applied for.
Reviewed individual applicants and medical records for multiple lines of insurance coverage.

4. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how insurance underwriters use customer service:

Provide wide range of customer service, applying diplomacy and assertiveness to obtain extensive business information for policy coverage.
Retained positive relationships with account executives and brokers to maintain a high level of customer service

5. Underwriting Guidelines

Underwriting guidelines are a set of rules and requirements an insurer provides to its agents and underwriters. The underwriter then uses these instructions to judge the prospective insured, whether to accept, modify or reject it. These guidelines help the insurers set the criteria for the customer and let them know the amount of money that should be offered to the client, or whether not to offer an insurance policy in the first place.

Here's how insurance underwriters use underwriting guidelines:

Advised customers of decisions by providing timely resolution of customer inquiries and effectively communicating United Guaranty's underwriting guidelines and policies.
Analyzed new business and renewal policies to determine eligibility and controlled & restricted risks based on compliance with underwriting guidelines.

6. Insurance Products

Here's how insurance underwriters use insurance products:

Interacted with current and prospective policyholders as requested by agency to market commercial insurance products and services to target audience.
Influenced customers' decisions with respect to medical insurance products including healthy lifestyle and disease management product portfolio.

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7. Phone Calls

Phone calls are a wireless or wired connection made over a telephone or a mobile phone between two people. Two parties are involved in a phone call, the caller and the receiver. A caller dials the number of the one he wants to call, and the recipient hears a bell or a tune to which he picks up the call. The call establishes a connection between them through which they can communicate. The voice is converted into signals and is transmitted through wired or wireless technology.

Here's how insurance underwriters use phone calls:

Provided support to new and existing agents on underwriting standards via live online chat, email and phone calls.
Fielded 75+ phone calls per day and assisted clients with insurance related questions and policy changes.

8. Life Insurance Policies

Here's how insurance underwriters use life insurance policies:

Reviewed applications of individuals applying for life insurance policies.
Licensed Insurance Underwriter offering life insurance policies.

9. Underwriting Decisions

Here's how insurance underwriters use underwriting decisions:

Developed a standard of business expectations within agencies with diverse business models to negotiate mutually beneficial underwriting decisions.
Communicated with clients verbally and/or in writing regarding requirements, additional information needed, and underwriting decisions.

10. Financial Data

Here's how insurance underwriters use financial data:

Reviewed and investigated insurance applications, medical records, and related financial data.
Review and assess the risk for life insurance applicants through analyzing health, lifestyle and financial data.

11. Underwriting Process

Here's how insurance underwriters use underwriting process:

Reviewed life underwriting processes used and established guidelines that helped underwriters perform duties with maximum quality and efficiency.
Applied both traditional and accelerated underwriting processes according to company's requirements.

12. Loss Ratio

Loss ratio is a term used in the insurance industry to represent the ratio of losses to earned premiums. The formula stands for adjustment expenses plus insurance claims divided by the total premiums.

Here's how insurance underwriters use loss ratio:

Worked with C-suite executives negotiating contracts for increased premium production, evaluation of loss ratios and reimbursements of administrative fees.
Developed the quarterly CFO report for the Regional Account Underwriting Team which monitored revenue, medical loss ratios and projected earnings.

13. Risk Assessments

The process of analyzing and identifying the acts or events that have the potential to negatively affect an individual, asset, or business is called risk assessment. Risk assessments are important because they form an integral part of an organization as well as occupational safety plans

Here's how insurance underwriters use risk assessments:

Provided positive communications with agents and internal staff to collect necessary information to perform risk assessments.
Evaluated and assessed Medicare applications applying established medical criteria including risk assessments and acceptance of risk using appropriate insurance industry standards.

14. Inspection Reports

An inspection report is a written document provided after a thorough evaluation of a specific procedure/ process.

Here's how insurance underwriters use inspection reports:

Review submission for completion and all relevant information including financial reports, inspection reports.
Review inspection report and advise broker regarding recommendation and compliance.

15. Insurance Carriers

Here's how insurance underwriters use insurance carriers:

Market new business to various insurance carriers.
Maintained client files Negotiated with insurance carriers to provide the best possible coverage at the lowest cost to client.

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What skills help Insurance Underwriters find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What type of skills will young insurance underwriters need?

Janet Ruiz

Director – Strategic Communication, Insurance Information Institute

The mathematical mind, meet the meaningful purpose (Liberty Mutual). Underwriters are the heart of the insurance process, gathering and researching pertinent information and then, using finely tuned analytical skills to evaluate the acceptability of business and institutional risk. Underwriters are more than just analysts - they are the core relationship builders with agents and clients. They are responsible for managing a profitable portfolio of business by distributing agents and brokers. An underwriting career includes a dynamic blend of analytical and marketing skills. Research, Analytics, Communications, Relationship Building, Marketing.

What technical skills for an insurance underwriter stand out to employers?

Robert Hoyt, Ph.D.

Department Head and Dudley L. Moore Jr. Chair of Insurance, University of Georgia

The ability to collect information, work with data, and translate this into insights and knowledge is key in insurance going forward. An important focus in our classes is helping students apply what they are learning to real business situations through projects that are often carried out in teams. The growth of digital strategies in insurance means that emerging graduates are excited by and embrace the use and application of such approaches. However, the ability to engage with people to assist them in managing their personal or business risks is what matters most in this business. At the end of the day, building relationships and trust are the key in insurance.

Do you want to know more?

List of insurance underwriter skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an insurance underwriter resume and required skills for an insurance underwriter to have include:

Health Insurance
Insurance Underwriting
Insurance Coverage
Customer Service
Underwriting Guidelines
Insurance Products
Phone Calls
Life Insurance Policies
Underwriting Decisions
Financial Data
Underwriting Process
Loss Ratio
Risk Assessments
Inspection Reports

Insurance Carriers
Policy Changes
Profitable Book
Motor Vehicle
Life Insurance Applications
Financial Risk
Risk Selection
Financial Statements
Medical History
Claims Handling
Annuities
Insurance Brokers
Automated Underwriting
Policy Terms

Insurance Policies
DMV
Customer Inquiries
Policy Holders
Business Applications
Commercial Property
Mortgage Insurance
Insurance Quotes
Risk Exposure
Insurance Proposals
Claims History
Applicable Endorsements

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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