Stand Out: Claims Adjuster Resume Tips

Trying to stand out to a hiring manager in the independent adjusting field is a difficult task when you’re relying on an electronic application to showcase your abilities. To help your application gain attention, we’ve compiled a list of how to help your resume be as effective as possible.

Your resume

• Contact: Be sure that your full name, current email address, and phone number are listed at the top of the page. Hopefully, you have an email address that is professional and clean: use an email with first/last name formatting like johndoe@email.com instead of something like johnnyboi89@email.com.
• First impression: As you start to create your resume, be mindful of what you put in the upper part of the page. This is what the hiring manager will see first, and it acts as a ‘first impression.’ So focus on including your best, most relevant experience here. This could be a Summary section that highlights your skills and certifications, as well as your goals as an adjuster.
• Experience: List your most recent experience first. And, if you’re new to adjusting and don’t have much experience, include any customer service experience you have — people skills are a huge necessity in claims adjusting! Likewise, if you come from a construction or engineering background, call it out on your resume. This helps hiring managers to know that you’re ahead of the game in this area.
• Certifications: As far as certifications, the more you have the more deployable you are. Make them easy to spot on the page, whether using a bold font or creating a ‘Certifications’ section.
• Sample work: Make a note on your resume that you’re willing to provide sample work in the software you’re proficient in, ‘upon request.’ Then get your sample work ready to go should the hiring manager request it.
• Proofreading: Proofread. Then proofread again. Then have a friend proofread. Small mistakes can stand out in a big way, making your resume look sloppy or rushed. Sometimes another set of eyes will catch something you don’t see when you create and review a document.
• PDF: Save your document as a .pdf (not a .doc). This will keep your formatting from accidentally getting messed up when the hiring manager opens it on their computer.
• Naming: When saving, name your document. Simply naming it “Resume” is not helpful. Name it “John Doe Resume” instead to make it easier on the hiring manager.

Skills

There are certain skills that are key for adjusters to have. If you can incorporate these into your Summary section or past job experience, you will be making it clear you know what it takes to be an asset as an adjuster.

• Customer service: As stated previously, adjusters work with policyholders during tough times and encounter many temperaments. You must be professional and polite to all kinds of people. If you can show this on your resume, you will stand out. If you’re new to adjusting, maybe you’ve volunteered in the community, worked a retail job, or done disaster relief to use as an example of your experience.
• Attention to detail: The adjusters who succeed long term are the ones who don’t have files constantly returned due to errors that could have easily been caught beforehand. By creating a resume that is concise, well laid out, and professional, and by taking your time on the application, you’re showing attention to detail, and are likely to be more often called on for deployment.
• Insurance policy knowledge: Having a basic knowledge of insurance policies and terminology will help you stand out to hiring managers.
• Computer/software skills: Be able to explain your level of proficiency with computers and software like Xactimate and Symbility. If you’re completely new to these programs, we highly recommend taking courses, as estimating software will be essential once you’re deployed. Xactimate can be intimidating and difficult to learn, so invest in training and practice. View our training schedule here: https://adjustingexpectations.com/category/classes/

The application

• When filling out the application, take your time and include all of the correct information that’s being asked on the application.
• If you’re asked to include a photo, make it professional-looking, well-lit, and recent.
• Once you’ve submitted your application, give the HR team a call to check that they have what is needed so they can go ahead and adjust anything that might be needed to build their profiles. Our HR team can be reached at 251-471-4718 option 4.

Other ways to stand out

• Try to attend training classes offered by the company you’re applying for so that you can meet the team in person. Introduce yourself to everyone you meet, including receptionists and fellow adjusters.
• Watch for Meet the Team remote sessions the company may offer to get to know the team. We’ll offer these helpful sessions to adjusters in 2021.

Bonus Tip

Hiring managers sometimes search social media or Google your name to learn more about you. Comb through your social media profiles to be sure they reflect a professional version of yourself.

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