Insurance resume
In insurance the license is the first line, and the numbers come right after.
Insurance hiring is regulated. An agency cannot let you quote or bind without a state license for the line of business, so the first thing a hiring manager checks is whether you hold one, which one, and in which states. A resume that buries the license under "Certifications" on page two has already lost a screen.
After the license, agents are judged on production and retention, service reps on volume and accuracy, and claims staff on caseload and cycle time. This guide covers the license block, then the numbers for each role, then two example entries.
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The license block, right under your name
One or two lines that answer the compliance question before the reader has to ask it.
- Lines of authority held. Property and Casualty, Life, Accident and Health, Personal Lines, Surplus Lines. Use the official names.
- Resident state, and any non-resident states. "Texas resident license; non-resident in OK, LA, NM." Multi-state licensing is a hiring advantage for remote agencies and carriers.
- License number and issue year, or the NPN. The National Producer Number lets a manager verify in a minute. Include it.
- Securities registrations if you have them. Series 6, 7, 63, 65. State the sponsoring firm status if relevant.
- Designations. CPCU, CIC, CISR, AINS, LUTCF, CLU. With the year.
- If you are unlicensed, say when you will be. "Property and Casualty exam scheduled for October 2026; pre-licensing course completed." Many agencies hire pre-license for service roles and sponsor the exam.
The numbers each insurance role is judged on
| Role | Lead with | Then show |
|---|---|---|
| Producer or agent (P&C, life, health) | Written premium per year, policies or apps per month, retention rate | Lead sources (provided, referral, self-generated), cross-sell rate, carriers written |
| Captive agent (State Farm, Allstate, Farmers) | Policies sold per month against goal, household count, retention | Multi-line percentage, life and financial products attached |
| Customer service representative or account manager | Book of business serviced (policies or premium), calls and endorsements per day, retention on your book | Agency management system, carriers and raters used, renewal review process |
| Claims adjuster or examiner | Caseload (open files), cycle time, closing ratio, accuracy or audit scores | Lines handled (auto, property, liability), authority limits, litigation rate |
| Underwriter | Premium volume underwritten, loss ratio on your book, turnaround time | Lines and classes, authority level, agents supported |
| Sales manager or agency owner | Agency premium growth, team production, retention | Producers hired and licensed, carrier appointments won |
Example 1: Property and casualty producer
Independent agency producer with three years, applying to a larger agency.
Daniel Okoro · Houston, TX · (713) 555-0147 · [email protected]
Texas Property and Casualty, Life, Accident and Health (NPN 1848XXXX, 2023); non-resident P&C in LA and OK · Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR, 2025)
Personal and small commercial lines producer writing $1.1M in new premium in 2025 (goal $850K) at a 91% first-year retention, from provided leads and a referral network of 6 real estate and mortgage offices.
Producer, Gulf Coast Insurance Group (independent agency, 12 carriers), Houston, TX, 2023 to present
- Wrote $1.1M in new personal and small commercial premium in 2025 (298 policies), 129% of goal; $740K in 2024, 104% of goal.
- First-year retention of 91% on my book against an agency average of 84%, through a 60-day post-bind call and a renewal review 45 days before expiration.
- Built a referral network of 6 real estate and mortgage offices producing about 25 quotes a month; 38% of 2025 production came from referrals rather than provided leads.
- Cross-sold umbrella, life or flood on 41% of new households; quoted in Applied Epic and EZLynx across 12 carriers.
License and NPN on line two, then premium, goal, retention and lead sources. That is the whole screen.
Example 2: Customer service representative, unlicensed to licensed
Hired unlicensed, licensed in the first six months, now applying for an account manager role.
Maria Castellanos · Phoenix, AZ · (602) 555-0119 · [email protected]
Arizona Property and Casualty (2025, agency-sponsored) · Bilingual English and Spanish
Insurance customer service representative servicing a 2,400-policy personal lines book, handling about 45 calls and 20 endorsements a day, with 93% retention on assigned renewals in 2025. Applied Epic, EZLynx and 8 carrier portals.
Customer Service Representative, Desert Sun Insurance Agency, Phoenix, AZ, 2024 to present
- Service a book of about 2,400 personal auto and home policies: 45 inbound calls, 20 endorsements and 10 to 15 certificate or ID card requests a day in Applied Epic.
- Run the renewal review process for my assigned book: remarket, quote and present options 45 days before expiration; 93% retention in 2025 against an agency target of 88%.
- Passed the Arizona P&C exam in month five (agency-sponsored); now bind endorsements and quote new business for walk-ins and referrals, about 12 policies a month.
- Handle all Spanish-language clients for a 9-person office, roughly 30% of the book.
Book size, daily volume, retention, the license story, and the language line. Account manager postings ask for every one of these.
What insurance agent postings name
Counted from live postings. We read 72 current postings for "insurance agent" on the SmoothApply job search on 2026-09-13, out of 20,383 matching listings, and counted how many mention each requirement.
| Mentioned in postings | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leads provided | 58 of 72 | 81% | |
| Claims | 5 of 72 | 7% | |
| Customer retention | 2 of 72 | 3% | |
| Property and Casualty | 1 of 72 | 1% |
General requirements in the same postings:
- Communication skills: 6 of 72 postings
- Problem solving: 5 of 72 postings
- Team player: 3 of 72 postings
- Microsoft Office or Excel: 2 of 72 postings
- Attention to detail: 2 of 72 postings
- Remote or hybrid: 2 of 72 postings
Licensing and lead sources dominate. Say whether you can work provided leads, referrals or self-generated business, because agencies hire for a specific model.
Counts are how many of the 72 sampled postings contain the term at least once. Sample titles included Solution Architect - Insurance , Insurance Industry Development; Sr. Account Executive, LCS Insurance, LCS Insurance, Services; Finance Manager, Insurance Accounting. A posting mentioning a skill does not mean it is required, only that employers name it. Source: SmoothApply job search, 2026-09-13.
Coming from outside insurance
Agencies and carriers hire from sales, banking, retail management and customer service, and the license is usually the only barrier. The path is the same everywhere: get the pre-licensing course done, schedule the exam, and put the date on the resume.
From sales: lead with quota attainment and retention, then the license date. Agencies read quota history the way they read premium.
From banking or finance: compliance, cash handling and product cross-selling translate directly; life and health lines value the financial background.
From customer service or retail: volume, accuracy and complaint handling translate to service rep roles, which are the usual unlicensed entry point and often come with exam sponsorship.
Whatever the background, the first line under your name should be the license status. "P&C exam scheduled September 2026, pre-licensing complete" tells the manager the compliance problem is weeks from solved.
What screens an insurance resume out
What insurance postings advertise
Listings in our database that state pay for insurance roles. Agent pay is often base plus commission and advertised as a range; service and claims roles are salaried.
Compare offers on base, commission rate, renewal commissions and whether leads are provided. The renewal commission is where independent agents build income.
Salary figures are from job listings that state pay, collected in the SmoothApply salary database, and reflect what employers advertise, not what people are paid. Read on 2026-09-13.
Questions people ask
Can I get an insurance job without a license?
How do I list a license I let lapse?
Should I put my NPN on the resume?
Which certification helps most early on?
Sources
- National Insurance Producer Registry (NPN lookup and licensing)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Insurance Sales Agents
- The Institutes, CPCU and AINS designations
- SmoothApply job search and salary database, sampled 2026-09-13
Last reviewed 2026-09-13. Job posting and salary counts are refreshed when this page is rebuilt and are dated in the text.
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