Creating an insurance resume that stands out from the crowd

In the new world of artificial intelligence (AI), it can be tempting to use ChatGPT to write a cover letter and resume for job applications or use a template or tool such as LinkedIn’s Resume Builder.

But for job candidates that want to set themselves apart, it pays to do a little extra legwork and research the company they want to work for and the role they are looking to fill, says Moya Radley, manager, Insurance Faculty, at IAG.

"We have a lot of resumes and cover letters that come across our desks, and you look at them and think, this person's got really good skills, but they're just not selling themselves. And then, of course, what would happen is, these would go straight to the bottom of the pile,” she says.

Radley and her colleague Tania Charles, specialist, Technical Insurance Capability, at IAG, will be presenting an ANZIIF webinar on 12 June, outlining how job candidates can make their resume stand out from the crowd.

Back to basics

Radley says sometimes the best things job candidates can do to differentiate themselves from other applicants are the simplest — including presenting a resume and cover letter in an easy-to-understand format with no spelling mistakes.

When hiring recently for a role in her team, she noticed that out of approximately 30 resumes, only two candidates were interviewed. 

"Thinking about the two people we interviewed, both of those resumes and cover letters looked professional [but] for the most part, the remainder didn't,” she says.

"We could not believe how many spelling mistakes we found. You've got to present yourself in a professional way.”

It also helps to understand the difference between a resume and a CV or curriculum vitae. Outside of academia, it is a resume (a two-page summary of relevant experience) rather than a CV (a complete list of all work experience) that the hiring manager will be asking for.

"You find that resumes are used more in the corporate world, whereas CVs are used more in academia, research and the sciences. But in the corporate world, hiring managers are busy, they just want to get a snapshot and move on,” says Radley.

Clever keywords

In addition to getting these basics right, applicants should undertake a skills audit — matching the skills mentioned in the job advertisement with their expertise.

Ensuring these keywords are included in the cover letter and resume — not lying, but authentically pairing them to the applicant’s expertise, “will increase your likelihood of being matched to the job by both a human and AI,” says Radley.

Writing a cover letter and resume isn't a standalone task, either; it can be useful preparation for an interview. 

"This is where submitting your resume and your cover letter connects you to the interview. Because in your preparation, you can start thinking about what examples you can bring out in an interview scenario,” says Radley.

She encourages job applicants to phone the prospective employer and speak to the hiring manager, to learn more about the position and gauge how receptive they might be to their particular skill set.

Embracing honesty

Finally, Radley says job applicants shouldn't be put off if they don't have all the skills specified for a job, as long as they are honest about any shortcomings and can detail in the interview how they would learn those skills. 

One of Radley's recent hires, for example, only met some of the job criteria.

"They were well prepared, presented themselves well, understood their strengths and their weaknesses. The person had not even worked in the learning and capability domain before, [but] we could see the connection. We could also see where they could grow,” she says.

Importantly, they were upfront about their weaknesses and what they would need to learn to do the job well. It was that authenticity that landed them the role. 

Radley is very encouraging of people moving out of their comfort zones and applying for positions where they may not have 100 per cent of the outlined experience or skill sets but can explain how they might be able to learn and why they want to stretch themselves.

"Just try it. Put yourself out there and see what happens,” she suggests. “You never know what opportunities might be presented.”

Find out more about the webinar