Insurance… Really? Yes! Though it may not be an industry that many of us first think of when it comes to our career, it’s an industry that offers a lot more options than you might think.

“Because insurance is a part of virtually everything we do in life or in business, it requires professionals from diverse educational and experience backgrounds working in a wide variety of roles to make the industry go,” says Trevor Buttrum, Career Connections program manager at the Insurance Institute of Canada.

Career Connections, a division of the Insurance Institute, is a program providing career seekers with a gateway to a career in insurance and helping them to understand its role in society. Career Connections focuses primarily on property and casualty insurance, which Trevor describes as “essentially, everything without a pulse.” Whether it’s an individual’s home, business, jewelry, car, or even liability, property and casualty insurance can provide coverage in all of these areas.

Where to start?

First, if you think insurance is only for people with business backgrounds, think again. In fact, individuals in insurance come from diverse academic backgrounds, from arts or science to law or health care. Check out how your education can fit into the insurance sector.

These are by no means the only roles you could work in, but rather, might be good starting points for exploring the insurance industry’s many potential career paths.

It’s also important to know where you can find the right information and guidance needed to break into the industry.

Using the Career Connections website as your go-to tool, students will be able to familiarize themselves with the industry and get an understanding of what it would be like to work in insurance. “We have created a career exploration map,” says Trevor. “When you get onto our landing page for post-secondary students, you can start to see what you’re studying, what you’re passionate about, where your interests lie, as well as the experience you bring to the table, which could all add up to a great career in insurance.”

One of the stops on the career exploration map is an interactive quiz that can help students determine what might be a fit when it comes to a career.

“It’s all about exploring the opportunities in insurance,” he says. “The quiz identifies some areas that might be good starting points for you, and you can explore all of the nine gateway roles that Career Connections promotes in the sector.” These roles include actuaries, appraisers, brokers/agents, underwriters, claims investigators, loss adjusters, loss control specialists, risk managers, and marketing representatives.

Trevor reminds students that “these are also only the operations roles that exist within the insurance industry. There are also opportunities in all of the other business functions that you would see in any other sectors such as marketing, finance, accounting, HR and IT.”

Then what?

Insurance hopefuls also have the opportunity to:

• Read full career profiles, including roles and responsibilities, information on salary, and future outlook.
• Watch videos of industry professionals sharing their career stories and talking about what it is like to work in the industry.
• Learn more about how to network and tailor your resumé to fit the insurance sector.
• Explore current job opportunities and connect with industry employers.

There is also lots of information on insurance education, professional exams, and industry designations on the Career Connections site.

“We have really tried to compile as much information about the insurance industry as possible,” Trevor says. “That way, no matter where you are at in the process, you can find the information you need, when you need it.”

Other tips?

Continue to build your insurance network. “Chances are you’re connected to professionals already,” he says, encouraging students to connect with those professionals to get their insights and better understand their own career journeys into the industry.

Attend Events. Visit the career centre on campus, jobpostings.ca,  or the Career Connections website for any upcoming events happening on campus. You can also check out the Insurance Institute website for a listing of seminars and events happening in your region. These are all great opportunities to meet and network with industry professionals.

Understand the industry and be patient. Unlike most of their financial sector counterparts, it is not as common to see insurance organizations post all of the positions for students and new grads at one or two points in the year.

Companies may have a particular trainee program that is targeted at new grads or summer students, so start your research early, but know that there may also be other opportunities available. The key is to keep your eye on both broader job sites and those of companies themselves.

Check out the Jobpostings insurance career guide for more industry insights!

Photo: James Woodson/Thinkstock