Saturday, October 23, 2010

Insurance Manager Jobs - Life Insurance Managers' Salary & Job Benefits - A Downfall

Life insurance manager jobs project a visual image of prestige, high salaries, and great job benefits. In reality the second level insurance manager jobs, that of life insurance managers, do not materialize into what many think. Here are reasons to say no to becoming one of the life insurance managers of a sales team.
Any life insurance company has one major motive in mind, and that is profit. When a new branch career office opens it places in a General Life Manager with a guaranteed a salary plus production bonus This article will explain how other insurance manager jobs work differently, like that of the life insurance managers.
A new sales manager is led by a carrot into thinking he is part of the company established money machine. HE IS NOT.
WHO IS ASKED TO BECOME A LIFE INSURANCE MANAGER? The office general manager needs sales growth, and having 2 sales training managers are better than one and 3 are better than two. So here is the start of the hunt to fill these insurance management jobs. If you have true sales ability and are making sales consistently, the general life manager is already scouting you out. This is especially true when he starts to give you the company call in leads for some really easy sales. (an initial sublime bribe) After 2 years experience, you are wined and dined by the general manager, and asked if you would like to make a big career jump to a insurance management job. You could be the next life insurance sales manager.
As an insurance manager, you will have a base salary, plus additional sales production income tacked on. In addition, you will no longer have to go out and personal scrounge up new business. This means personally no longer making cold calls! Health benefits are often provided. Then the big career ego blockbuster is laid out. The company will be expanding, and the new office general life managers chosen will be from the current life managers working for the company.. That is an offer few insurance representatives could resist.
WHAT A PROSPECTIVE LIFE INSURANCE MANAGER IS NOT TOLD. The sales company home office will benefit off every agent you hire, especially those that are productive then leave. When your agent leaves, your production bonus stops completely. The sales company takes over all money yet to be collected on the sales your leaving agent made. The general manager upon your first couple agent loses comes up with a "new plan just for you". He hands over a couple of mediocre in house agents, (those who no longer have a sales manager) and puts them on your sales team. In addition he is going to budget funds for the next couple months in the local Sunday newspapers to haul in enough new interviews to build your staff even quicker. Some weeks you will find your insurance manager job bombarded with interviewing a dozen prospective new representatives...
YOUR DUTIES AS THE SLICK NEW SALES MANAGER. Instead of a cubicle you get your own private office with a nice desk and chair. Your main duty is to recruit enough reps to always have at least a dozen. Ads portraying an insurance professional sales person with freedom in hours and unlimited income capacity always draw in lots of interested employed and unemployed people, some single, some with a family. Next as the leader you must license prepare them if necessary, plus get them to memorize the home office sales script. The hard part is budgeting your time. Your do not want to work 13 hour days, but recruiting and in office pre-training eats away lots of time.
Your insurance reps need their life insurance manager to spend enough time to train them outside the office. This means working with an agent on 3 straight appointments, and selling by example. You receive no instant compensation on the sales, but it will count towards your monthly bonus. You have the inside pressure of being the best sales manager in your office to ever move upward. SO YOU CHEAT. Often you will take the all important closing stage away from your struggling representative, and close the sale. It chocks your salesperson a sale, and a notch upward for you.
However the promotion to get your own company sales office never materializes.
HOW YOU REALIZE BEING A SALES MANAGER COSTS YOU. After 6 months of being a sales manager you stop blaming yourself when a sales person decides to head elsewhere. You then start up new insurance reps and help them get sales. However your office general life manager is now rarely handing any leads your way. As a result you put pressure on new agents to approach any relatives or friends to give presentations to. Your monthly income does not shoot up, despite all the sales you are closing. The base salary remains the same and because of 70% or higher first year agent turnover, your bonuses remain fairly level. The insurance management jobs prestige is quickly fading.
BACK TO SALESPERSON. When you tell the office general life manager that you want to sacrifice your sales crew and go back to selling on your own you are surprised. His face is unemotional. Unknown to you, he has already picked out your replacement and will entice his newest manager. The new life insurance manager will have some of your sales crew to him to get launched.
The best part for you is that by going out on so many sales presentations, you improved from being a good closer to being top notch at closing sales. Therefore immediately your commission income exceeds that of your salary income when you were a manager. In reality all the upper experience did, was make you see that can not cookie cut out insurance reps. Instead depending on your sales abilities always works best. Later you wil find that second level insurance manager jobs rarely pan out. Instead when you go independent, your manager job is managing yourself, a rewarding opportunity.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Insurance Risk Management Jobs - What Does A Risk Manager Do?

In the insurance sector the job of a risk manager in simple terms is to work out how likely someone is to claim and what premium would be required should they need to pay out on the policy.
An example of risk management in work could be, given the recent changes in the UK law, anyone found using a mobile phone whilst driving is liable to a fine and penalty points on their license. The idea follows anyone who has been found using their mobile and received penalty points is more likely to have an accident & claim on their policy. If they have disobeyed traffic laws in the past this implies they might do again in the future. Therefore their premium is higher to cover the greater likelihood of a claim.
The role of a risk manager typically goes through four stages
Planning - normally this involves understanding the process or what happens that needs to be insured. By understanding the detail a risk analyst is able to understand the potential outcomes of a situation and make reasoned judgments & recommendations.
Mapping out - this involves working out the various stake-holders and to what extent each risk needs to be assessed based upon the likelihood of the risk & consequences of that event.
Defining a framework - now that the risk itself has been identified a framework is important to understand & explain your findings.
Developing an analysis - here is where the experience & training really becomes important. It is the analysis & recommendations that are created during risk management that helps those creating premiums understand the situation even if they may not be familiar with the intricacies of that specific case.
However the role of an experienced and qualified risk manager can be a lot more complex & challenging. Field assessments as well as the production of detailed risk reports are all part of the job.
Given the important role insurance has within every area life an insurance job offers real potential for future growth. There are a number of organisations which risk analysts can become members of, which provide support, training & professional opportunities to their members. Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) is one of the main organizations and they offer a variety of specific qualifications which would be worth considering as part of your ongoing development in risk management.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Different Types of Insurance Careers You Could Get Into

If you are looking to start a new career than you might be interested to know that the insurance industry can offer you a broad spectrum of career opportunities. If you have a strong background in math and great people skills than pursuing a job as an insurance service representative or an underwriter may just be the path you want to take. Though these positions usually require a college degree and some even require an insurance license both of which are fairly easily obtained if you have the drive to succeed.
There are generally 5 different fields that you may want to pursue as an insurance career, the first that will be talked about is agents and brokers. Agents or brokers may also be known as insurance producers who offer their clients insurance products and keep their policies up to date. They will usually solicit business over the telephone or web but may also have offices where possible clients may walk in to obtain a new policy. A producer must be licensed to perform their duties and sell and service insurance policies. On average an agent or broker will earn an annual income of about $34,322.
Another insurance based career you may want to pursue is an underwriter. Once a producer has taken an application from a prospective client they send the completed application to an underwriter. The underwriter will then review the application to ensure that the applicant is eligible for insurance from the company. They may then approve the application, contact the agent and ask for more information pertaining to the client or decline the application if the prospect is ineligible. An underwriter may also review current policies and if claims are excessive cancel it. The insurance underwriter usually earns about $47,955 annually.
The next career to be explained when looking for a job in insurance is actuaries. Actuaries determine what the premiums of an insurance policy will be, they analyze statistics and determine what the probability of a claim being received will be. They may also keep track of the company's cash reserves to make sure there is enough cash on hand to pay out any future claims. Actuaries will also help write the actual policy and provisions. The average annual salary of an actuary may vary widely and range from $55,798 to $97,028 based on what the actuary is handling for the company.
A career path that you may be interested in is a claims adjuster. A claims adjuster is the person who will assess any claims and decide what the proper amount of money to be paid out is. As an example if a client is involved in a auto accident the claims adjuster will examine your vehicle and assess the damage done to the vehicle and give the client the necessary amount of money for the repairs. Adjusters are usually required to travel as they will often have to visit a policy holder's home. An adjuster will generally earn about $44,741 per year.
The fifth and final insurance career that will be discussed is the service representative. If a client ever has a question or problem with their policy they may call the insurance companies headquarters, these clients will usually deal with a service representative. A service representative will answer a clients question about billing or make general changes to a client's policy, such as adding a driver or changing your address. In some cases a representative is required to hold a valid insurance license. The average pay scale for a service representative is $32,328 annually.
So now that you know the different types of careers you can get into with an insurance job it may make it easier to decide if this is a field you want to get into. You may need to get some extra schooling or obtain your insurance license but if the field of insurance interests you it will not be that big of a deal to take the time to obtain either one of these simple pieces of paper.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Finding a Insurance Claims Job - Insurance Recruitment Tips

We've compiled some helpful careers tips which will help getting an insurance claims jobs a fair bit easier.
The Job Search
Know what you are looking for - do plenty of research around your industry on job titles and the description of the roles. They might be too far away from where you are living or in a sector which you don't have specific experience, but the process will give you valuable information on the jobs you want. It will make you better able to quickly find the job you are after and arm you with a good idea what companies are looking for.
Search For the Job Title & Location - there are a huge number of resources online with insurance jobs listings, from specialist websites, general job search sites to local papers online classified adverts. Remember the search engine is your friend, don't be scared to search for a very specific job title with a definite location, it might help you find exactly what you are looking for.
Ask Around You Network - One of the easiest ways to get a job is to get recommended to the firm in advance. Let your friends know you might be open to a new challenge and they'll keep you updated if any suitable jobs arise in their workplace. You've got to be careful to only let people you trust know, the last thing you want is your current boss finding out.
The Application
Tailor Your Cover Letter - Some people find it quite difficult to write a covering letter when applying for insurance claims jobs, but they needn't be difficult. Take the job description from the advert and use it as a base for your cover letter. List all the qualities and experiences they have asked for then point by point illustrate how you have those skills with specific examples in the past.
Research the Company - Have a quick look around the company's website before sending off your application. A five minute scout might reveal an aspect to the companies business into which you have unique insight or it might save you from applying for one job when they have a more suitable job available. The more time and care you take over the application the more likely you are to get the job.
Don't Rush It - Sometimes you can get the urge to get a job application in as soon as possible. There is certainly no harm to be done by appearing keen; but you don't want to make any mistakes that will reflect on yourself badly. Triple check for spelling and grammar mistakes and read both your CV and covering letter aloud to make sure it makes perfect sense. Most of the time it's also worth getting a second opinion.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Making a Career in Medical Insurance

In the industry of medical insurance jobs there are many processes from selling the insurance policies to underwrite the policy by an underwriter and from managing the risk to review the utilization policies. The insurance career industry is formed to fill and to satisfy the customer requirements. The industry can provide many opportunities to people who are looking for. In individual insurance policy and in group policy there are many vacancies available in the career in medical insurance.
The medical insurance functions include paying monthly premium. The patient can transfer the risk to pay for the heavy bills from medical expenses, to the insurance company. There are many processes before entering or getting the insurance policies. The most important is underwriting and another one is sales professional who is selling the health insurance policy. On behalf of the patient who is covered under the insurance policy, the doctor will make a file to the insurance company for the claim. After receiving the claim from the covered patient the insurance company will make a formal underwriting.
The company will take benefit of discounts while at the time of quick claim. So the claims department in the insurance industry will always be busy. The insurance companies will sell the policy, they market the policy through the sales professional, and they underwrite the policy which they sell to the policy holder. The claims management will look after the claims which are received from the patient covered. In medical insurance jobs the results or money will not be obtained very quickly. You have to wait and it will take long time to get the great income. The person who is interested to work hard and who has the talents will get the job. Most of the people who are in high position begin their work in sales in insurance or in underwriting work in the insurance company. The college degree is also not required to get in to the medical insurance jobs.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Insurance Attorney Jobs

Some decades back, there was a need realized to meet the increasing public restlessness about jobs not giving any compensation for any injuries. This was taken up by the federal authorities discussed and then the new concept of insurance was born. Though it existed hundreds of years ago, but then there was hardly anyone who knew about it and did not put it in paper and as a business.
Insurance companies thrived on the public money - because they knew that all their investors wouldn't die or suffer injuries together and hence they could afford to make the compensation to a few.
But then greed started creeping in and often companies would find reasons to decline the insurance coverage of their customers. Again a need was born for someone who could argue against them logically and would help them gain the amount for which the people were insured.
Areas of work of attorney insurance jobs
• Coverage and Claims: The main job of an insurance attorney involves the study and research on the coverage and the claims of the insurance policy and that of the concerned company. Many a times, companies fool innocent people and deny them their claims, citing company rules and regulations - this is where the insurance attorney jumps in.
• Health Insurance: More people are subscribing to health insurance; therefore there is a growing problem in claims made too. Health insurance companies are the cleverest of the lot and have many clauses that they cite to deny their claim. When asked discreetly, they say that since they are here to do business and start providing claims to everyone, they have to force the shutters close - Mainly because almost all the people they cover have some or the other medical complication.
An attorney here will help the affected patient or their relatives to ask for claim for the patient.
• Automobile Insurance: Needless to say, you will have to have some knowledge about the working of a motor vehicle and the type you specialize in. During accidents, it will be your responsibility to see to it that your customer, the claimant gets what they should and are not taken for a ride by the insurance company.
Truly, necessity is the mother of invention and thus attorneys were called to help the insurance sector too. Insurance attorneys generally work for the people and help them make their claims and take their demands to the higher authority of the concerned insurance authorities and even the court - if the company defaults on its promise. Since insurance is a sensitive public area, companies now have resorted to taking more careful steps and clear instructions for the benefit of the general masses.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Finding Employees For Insurance Industry Jobs

Finding the right employee for any job opening can be a challenge to say the least, and this is no truer than in the insurance industry. With considerations ranging from experience and education to their personal skills, the decisions faced by recruiters and employers can be of critical importance.
When hiring employees for insurance industry jobs it is important to take many factors into account. Summarized, these factors include:
1. Education & Certification
2. Experience
3. Personal Skills
Education & Certification
Obviously one of the first criteria you will be looking for in a candidate will be their education. Whether the employee is applying for a one of your insurance sales jobs, customer service, risk management or some other position you will want to make sure that their education matches the criteria of the job. With this in mind an employer will often find him/herself in a position when multiple candidates are well educated and/or certified. While it may take additional time, looking into the schools themselves may yield significant differences.
A certificate from the "University of Phoenix Online" is worth significantly less than the same certificate from an accredited educational institution but unless you look into the credentials you may be tempted to consider them all equal.
While education cannot be considered the end-all-be-all of hiring any qualified candidate, a solid education from an accredited institution reflects more than a knowledge of the industry - it also reflects the job applicant's ability to write and present ideas clearly and also to stick with something they have started.
And isn't that a key feature in a candidate, whether the education is necessary in their job function or not?
Experience
This is perhaps the most important factor in filling jobs in the insurance industry (or any industry for that matter). What you should be reading into their experience is not simply the number of years they have worked in the same or similar roles however. While experience in a specific field lends itself to a strong understanding of the ins-and-outs of it can also have its downside that must be taken into account.
The value of experience in the insurance industry comes primarily from the reduced training that will be necessary to get the employee functioning. Knowing how to perform a specific function, especially a complex function such as risk management or loss control, can save a company countless dollars in training.
The downside in experience that must be considered is that an employee may not fully understand the processes and procedures unique to your insurance company. No two companies perform all their tasks the same way and an employee who has performed a specific role for one company may assume (incorrectly) that you do or should do it the same way. This can lead to bottlenecks and sometimes even conflict.
An additional drawback to experience that must be addressed when filling insurance jobs is the knowledge that the prospective employee has worked in insurance industry jobs and has chosen to leave an employer. The last thing you want is to fill one of your vacant jobs with an employee who has a history of leaving related positions.
Both of these drawbacks can be addressed with a few simple questions of the employee and to past employers.
Personal Skills
Personal skills are arguably one of the most important criteria when filling insurance industry jobs. While the importance of personal skill is obvious when hiring for insurance agent jobs, these skills are equally important when considering employees for administration and more technical positions as well. While these people may not necessary be dealing with the public on a regular basis they will play a key roll in developing a productive work environment.
Although the primary objective in any businesses is to insure profitability, developing an enjoyable work environment in which the various parties can communicate leads to new ideas, higher productivity due to a willingness of all employees to work together, and perhaps most importantly - a lower employee turnover rate.
For some insurance jobs, personal skills are more important than others however for every position they should be considered. You may even want to consider having the current staff who will be working closely with the new employee meet during the interview process and provide feedback. If your staff work well together their productivity will naturally increase.
Conclusion
While every company and position within that company is different, as long as the above three areas are considered when hiring for any of the various insurance industry jobs available, you as the employer are far more likely to foster a positive, productive and in the end, more profitable company. You will end up with a staff that is properly educated, has good experience if applicable, and works well together. Like any well-oiled machine - this is the recipe for success when filling insurance related jobs.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Jobs in Insurance Companies

Jobs in insurance companies are lucrative options for all finance professionals in India. With 15-20 percent growth rate per annum and the entry of private companies, Jobs in India have become more demanding. A host of facilities including an attractive salary package, handsome incentives and steady career growth are offered by most of the insurance companies in India. Anyone who wants to go for a good job in the insurance sector can also pursue a course in management that will give him an edge in the job market.
Insurance management courses offered by several renowned institutes across the country cover the nitty-gritty related to the insurance sector so that students can get a clear idea of the sector and grab better positions in any insurance company after the completion of the courses. Anybody can opt for an insurance course after graduation. Some insurance management institutes in India conduct admission test while some other institutes select students for the course through CAT and MAT entrance tests. Working professionals can also opt for insurance management programmes as many institutes also offer correspondence and part-time courses.
As far as jobs in insurance companies are concerned, both national and international insurance companies are ruling the job market. Some of the big names in the insurance sector in India include Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited, Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Limited, HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company Limited, Max New York Life Insurance Company Limited, Tata AIG Life Insurance Company Limited, Aviva Life Insurance Company Limited, SBI Life Insurance Company Limited and many more.
Anyone planning to make his or her career in insurance sector can apply for several positions. Some positions for which insurance companies mainly hire people are as follows:
• Insurance Advisor: Many insurance companies in India hire skilled professionals as insurance advisors. The job of an insurance advisor is to serve all the policyholders of a company. An insurance advisor is responsible for assisting policyholders to choose the best possible plans for them, enabling policyholders to understand various risks and find out the right way to avoid the risk.
• Insurance Associate: A finance professional interested in insurance jobs can also apply for the position of insurance associate. Generally, an insurance associate is responsible for achieving sales target, creating and maintaining relationship with customers, implementing various promotional schemes, just to name a few.
• Back Office Support: Any commerce graduate willing to start his or her career path in the insurance sector can opt for the position of back office support. A professional working as a back office support has to shoulder various responsibilities. He has to attend all the service related queries of customers, send the MIS report to the concerned authority, assist teams at the time of log and many others.
• Sales Development Manager: Sales development manager position in any insurance company is a great reward for finance professionals. The responsibilities attached to the position include identifying insurance agents and recruiting them, reviewing the performance of the team, providing training to his team, setting target, improving the productivity of his team and many more.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Insurance Job Descriptions

In the United States, insurance plays an important role in people's lives since people use it to pay for medical bills, protect their property and to pay for unexpected expenses. This means that there is a big market that insurance companies can fill, using the help of insurance agents. These agents are the frontline personnel who sell the company's insurance policies. The career prospects for insurance agents can be considered to be bright, which means that people who wish to become agents can look forward to a fairly lucrative career. However, before taking the plunge, people still need to be aware of what to expect when they become insurance agents.
General job description
The main responsibility of an insurance agent is to sell insurance policies, which he does by helping individuals and companies select the kind of insurance that fits their needs, including health and property insurance. In addition to this, an insurance agent also prepares reports, maintains records and seeks out new clients. In the event of a loss, an insurance agent is also expected to help a policyholder make a claim on his policy. Insurance agents can choose to work exclusively for an insurance company or he may choose to represent a number of insurance companies.
Specific job description
Just like in other professions, insurance agents can also choose to specialize in a specific field of expertise An agent can choose to specialize in property, casualty, life, health, disability, and long term care insurance policies. For example, an agent who may choose to specialize in property insurance is expected to sell to individuals or businesses various types of insurance that aim to protect properties, such as homes and cars, against fire, accidents, theft, and other events that may cause damage to the property. Another example is the current trend among insurance agents who also offer comprehensive financial planning services in setting up various pension and investment plans.
Given the premium that Americans place on insurance, insurance agents have access to a large market of people who wish to insure their health, their property and their investments. People who may wish to become agents need to be aware of the job descriptions of agents, especially based on the different type of specializations available so that they can be guided on the specific field they would want to focus on when they become agents.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Insurance Jobs a Protective Shield for a Nations Assets

The Insurance sector in India has registered significant growth in the past few years achieving an average annual rate of 20% and total size of around $ 10 Billion. By allowing 26% Foreign Direct Investment the government hoped that through healthy competition peculiar requirements of the customers could be met.
The insurance sector comprises of life and non-life business such as car, marine, accident, medical and fire insurance. The government still holds 78% share of the market with LIC having a formidable advantage whereas in the non-life field, private sector companies both independently as well as joint ventures with foreign insurers account for 20%.
After the government loosened its grip the sector welcomed the participation of both foreign and domestic private players thereby providing an insurance cover to the people and job security too. The entry of private players in the service sector brought with it a big demand for professionals. The job options available to an individual in the insurance sector include agents jobs, advisors jobs, sales jobs for experienced salespeople and financial advice and management to some extent.
The first step for a career in insurance sector is to become an agent or an advisor. Insurance is a matter of solicitation; hence the responsibility of the agent to inform the legalities, process and specific plans to the policy holder is immense. risk management tool, the advisor must always be well equipped to provide best suited solutions to the clients whether individual or corporate. The agent must not forget that he is the authentic source of information and also the face of the company. Therefore, he should try to forge strong ties with the customers following a friendly, confident, enthusiastic and disciplined approach dispelling correct information about the products and services of the company.
The field of non life sector is so vast, one can even specialise in selling health, car and accident policies according to expertise and interest. Here the experience of sales is very helpful and sales jobs are available for those who can avail the opportunity and make a foray in the sector.
provides a cover or protection against any threat to life. An policy is a financial and legal binding between an insurer and insured. The policy holder is always exposed to many risks including the failure of the product to meet its forecast or delay in services etc. To address such grievances the government established Insurance Regulatory Development Authority. It is the nodal agency to regulate Life and General service sector in India. The knowledge of IRDA guidelines and being web savvy is useful for insurance agents jobs.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Insurance Jobs To Meet Professional Needs

Young professionals just entering the insurance industry in the United Kingdom need to consider a number of things in their daily lives. Insurance sales people need to deal with a variety of customers while staying updated on the latest changes in policy offerings. Claims adjusters and actuaries in the insurance field need to be concerned about corporate policy while assessing different aspects of the claims process. Managers, executives, and entry level insurance professionals alike have to consider their competition in terms of other companies and people within the workplace. All in all, working in the insurance profession can be tense for even the most self-collected workers.
Graduates and those just entering the insurance profession should heed these examples of daily stresses before starting their first job. By recognising the various pitfalls and problems that are common in the insurance industry, a young professional can start off on the right foot from day one. Organised, intelligent, and talented insurance professionals are capable of sidestepping stress and handling their competition with grace and style. With these problems out of the way, an insurance worker in the United Kingdom can assess the bigger picture, including where they want to go in the future. In essence, eliminating the small stresses can create a better focus on which path will help best meet a professional's needs in the insurance industry.
Employees who have grown within an insurance company over a matter of years have to consider whether their professional future involves staying working within this environment. Sales people, adjusters, and other professionals need to see how much they have grown within a company and their potential for advancement over the next few years. In addition, insurance professionals who have worked for a while with the same company need to determine the consequences of moving to another organisation. In essence, an insurance professional needs to know exactly where they are heading before leaving a secure position.
Graduate trainees, interns, and part-time employees alike differ considerably from established, full-time workers. These types of employees are not nearly as attached to an insurance company as their full-time colleagues. Graduate trainees in sales, actuarial sciences, or management can either stick it out with their current employer or move on to bigger and better things. Likewise, interns and part-time workers are often set for a certain amount of time with a company before needing to decide their next career move. For these employees, the most important consideration is not only which job secures their financial future but which job helps them fulfil their professional goals.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Insurance Jobs in Qatar

Qatar, an oil and gas rich country is an emirate in the Middle East surrounded by the Persian Gulf. With the diversification of economies in the region, sectors related to real estate, hospitality, finance, marketing and education among others are witnessing an unprecedented boom. The swift expansion of various industries has created millions of jobs in Middle East across all the levels and positions. One of the rapidly developing sectors in the State of Qatar is finance and banking as it shows progress both in terms of manpower employment and monetary investments.
As well known, it is the finance sector that allocates and regulates the funding of all the sectors in an economy. The financial industry is extremely wide, constituted of various branches that perform numerous functions in order to meet the monetary needs of a country. Finance jobs in Qatar have been available in plenty for the well qualified and experienced professionals to support the growth of the country. Just in its nascent stages, the sector could not lead to a progressive path without appropriate support by foreign finance personnel. Thus, Qatar jobs are open to expatriates from all around the world with relevant skills and training at handsome salary packages. The favorable part about employment of foreigners in the country is that both the employers and the professionals are equally interested in working together. If the former needs trained talent, then the latter wants good salaries & luxurious lifestyle.
Some of the components of finance industry are banking, insurance, credit, consumer finance, stocks, investment funds, currency exchange, wire transfers, etc. Of these, insurance segment can be seen as one of the most important components of any finance & banking system. It has attained such huge significance in wake of the increasing risks and complications in modern life both on personal and professional fronts. Insurance is available in diverse areas like accidents & fire, marine & land insurance, health & life insurance, property & vehicle insurance and others. Qatar has 9 insurance companies- 5 national and 4 agencies or branches of other companies besides numerous other financial institutions. Insurance jobs in Qatar are particularly multiplying as this financial division gears up for large scale expansion. The expatriates in the sector are welcomed with open arms as they can prove instrumental in the development of Qatari economy.
Qatar jobs are preferred by many as they offer hefty sums of money coupled with high standards of living. The pay packets include incentives, medical benefits, insurance cover, flight tickets, accommodation, transportation and numerous other attractions.
The country allows freedom of religion, options for recreation, free dressing style, working of women and good eating & drinking avenues to the expatriates. The green surroundings of the place and the open environment makes it a sought after destination for migrant professionals. If jobs in Qatar can proffer so much to an individual without compromises on any level, who would not want to take them up. On top of this, the sponsorship & visa charges payments as well as all the arrangements for the stay are made by employers. Certainly, those who land up with an opportunity to work in such desirable conditions won't let it go.
One can look for jobs in Qatar through newspaper advertisements, job portals or company websites. Employment in Middle East is always easier through personal contacts or reference for which networking is the primary key. One can create network by joining forums and communities online to interact with expats already working in the country in a specific area and industry. Just make sure that work contracts are read and understood carefully before final acceptance of the offer.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Becoming a Trainee Accountant - A Guide to Insurance Jobs

Due to the rewarding nature of accounts work in the insurance industry competition for trainee positions can often be quite fierce. However if you have a clear idea what companies are looking for in an accountant candidate, you'll find that much easier to get the perfect job.
Qualifications Are Important - in most trainee positions you'll be working towards an acknowledged accounting qualifications, but that doesn't mean that your previous qualifications are irrelevant. You'll need to display a great level of numeracy, that needn't mean a degree in maths, but if you haven't used figures in any of your previous courses you might find it hard to convince any interviewer you have the skills to become an accountant.
Focus on the Top Five - there are five big accountancy firms Arthur Andersen, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers. Competition for roles within these firms can be tough, so any work experience with these organizations can really make you stand out against other candidates.
Appear Motivated - anyone working in an accountancy role has to have great get up and go and it's vital that comes across when you meet any potential employers. You got to be attentive and responsive to their questions while at the same time giving concrete examples of where your positive attitude has been important in the past.
Show Intelligence - you've got to be adaptable and able to work quickly to be an accountant, if you're able to show you have those skills in abundance you'll be well placed in a career in insurance. Before any interviews, prepare a couple of examples of where you were able to make use of your intellect for the benefit of an employer.
Show Ability to Multitask - accountants, much like any job in the insurance industry, requires the ability to multi-task. Juggling lots of figures, reports and queries is part of the job when dealing with accounts. People, who struggle with dealing with lots of things at once, aren't well suited to this kind of career. Most people work best when focusing on just one thing, but if you can't manage lots of tasks at once you might have to take steps to improve.
Deal Well With Others - accountants more than anyone rely on the team around them, in your interview you will want to demonstrate that you are able to work within a team. If you have management experience, even if not in an office environment, let people know. Managing people effectively is a much valued skill and an edge over many other trainee accountant candidates.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Insurance Jobs in India

This is the sector which is growing rapidly at faster pace in the country. Insurance analysts say India has a huge potential for this sector. This is the reason why India has practically witnessed many private foreign insurance players and many joint ventures between Indian companies and foreign ones in the recent past.
This has happened since the government of India has allowed and restricted the foreign direct investments (FDI) in insurance sector in our country. However the government has put a ceiling limit 60% of foreign investments in this sector in India.
As per the Insurance Regulating Authority of India (IRDA), the one and only insurance regulating body in our country, our country now has a total of 22 private players and only one public player which is LIC of India. Believe it or not, the annual revenue of LIC accounts to 26% of government's total annual revenue. Such huge success was Life Insurance Corporation of India.
There are about 8million agents for LIC. Apart from the insurance companies, emerging now are brokerage firms which aid those firms in increasing their business by increasing their customer strength. These brokerages collect the information from different customers through online and analyze their (customers') situation and suggest a best policy for them and then sell those insurance policies suggested to them. They (brokerages) even sell the policies by providing the customer information to agents and there by gaining the commission from those agents. These brokerages are different from the agents; the agents will be biased to a particular company where as the brokers are unbiased to any (insurance) company and they provide genuine feedback to their customers.
The reason for the brokerages' unbiased nature is that they don't get any benefit out of giving biased information to their customers and they get same commission (per a policy) from every insurance company for selling policies. These companies in India are Bajaj Allianz, Bharti Airtel, IDBI Fortis, Religare insurance, Aviva, ICICI Prudential et al. The main job other than routine jobs (jobs common to all the companies) in these companies would be insurance agent. Not much qualification is required to be an agent.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Claims Adjuster Jobs-Finding the Ideal Insurance Job

If you intend to get a job as a insurance claims adjuster, then you will need a sense of diligence, good investigative skills, and a great sense of humour. People from all over make some of the most amazing claims and it is your job to read the forms, laugh a little, and then seek out the truth of the matter. People sometimes write in a manner that they think is perfectly clear, but which are slightly more humorous than originally intended.
There are, of course, less amusing and more amusing variations of the insurance claims adjuster job. Life insurance claims are rarely funny, and things like flood and fire insurance don't seem terribly amusing either. Car insurance, however, is full of hilarious claims about accidents and their causes that might have a claims adjuster falling off their chair.
Imagine a normal work day, where you are reading claims from people claiming accidents from a variety of causes, ranging from "I lost control when my girlfriend grabbed my testicles" to "a submarine hit my car". (Both of these, by the way, are real claims that were made.)
Of course, there is always the typical claim of that deals with mundane issues such as collisions in heavy traffic, but the phrasing used by many customers is more than enough to start you on your first chuckle of the day. This is including things like: "In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole." And don't forget the people who blame their car troubles on unknown forces or Voodoo.
The job requires that sense of humour, if you feel that you can handle the thought of people driving off a cliff to avoid a squirrel or into a building as they check the gas prices, or even going through businesses when they forget to put the car in reverse, then this might just be the ideal job for you.
As for the technical aspects of the job, the insurance claims adjuster is the person who investigates the claims that are made, ridiculous and otherwise, negotiate settlements, and authorize payments. Your job is to determine whether the policy that the claimant holds covers the accident or other loss, and how much of the loss should be paid to the claimant. Once you have read the claims form, you will have to conduct interviews with witnesses, police, and hospital staff where applicable, and consult the relevant records held by them regarding the loss.
You will consult with many professional people if you think that someone in the profession can help with your investigation. This might mean talking to a wide range of lawyers, doctors, engineers, construction workers, and more. The information you gather, including video and audio components, is then presented in a report to help evaluate the claim.
If the claim is found to be legitimate, then it becomes your job to negotiate the settlement with the claimant. If it is contested, then it is your job to work within the legal system to protect your company's position. No matter what you find, though, you are sure to find plenty of laughs along the way.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Insurance Jobs Market Comment

2009 has been another puzzling year in the general insurance market. Whilst it has largely been spared the turbulence which has affected financial services and banking, there are still many troubling issues affecting both insurers and brokers which have had an inevitable knock-on effect for insurance recruitment.
Insurers keep complaining about rates being too low, but the actions of new entrants and other market share-hungry underwriters means that the soft market seems here to stay for a while yet. In addition, with a weak commercial property market, interest rates likely to stay low for the foreseeable future and stock market returns still looking unpredictable, insurers are finding that investment returns are also under pressure. All the more reason then to focus upon underwriting profit - but claims ratios traditionally come under pressure during a recession. Times for insurers are tough!
One battle which they are starting to get to grips with is reducing distribution costs. The days of broker consolidators earning 40% commission look numbered but there is still much work to be done. Axa and Aviva appear to be spear-heading this fightback but the likes of Towergate and Giles hold a strong position and will not give up their much-needed income easily.
As a result of this, underwriting jobs have been harder to come by than in recent years. However, new entrants to the market such as Arista are creating roles, whilst other forward-focused insurers are seeing this as a great time to strengthen their teams for the inevitable upturn which they hope will be arriving early next year. Good quality commercial underwriters are in still in great demand, particularly those with the ability to trade with brokers, and salary levels are still rising for those who keep an open mind for fresh opportunities.
Brokers have also had a tough year. The soft market has kept their income down and competition remains fierce. However, the concerns of good quality local brokers are nothing compared to those issues facing the consolidators who have borrowed heavily to grow their businesses over the past 5 years. The credit crunch has had a huge effect on these organisations, many of whom are unable to raise fresh funds to continue their expansion, and the re-negotiation of terms for their existing borrowings mean that their debts have become a huge millstone. If they also see their incomes hit by insurers squeezing their commissions then there could be some big names in trouble during 2010.
The good news for brokers looking for alternative career options is that this turbulence has led to many high calibre individuals setting up their own businesses, many of which are proving highly successful as they set themselves up as an attractive alternative to the big boys. Exchange Street is currently acting on behalf of a number of new insurance brokers who have seen initial success lead to a necessity to quickly put together a team and create jobs for experienced commercial account handlers, managers, account executives and technicians.
Insurers and brokers are being even more selective about who they take on, but rest assured that general insurance career opportunities are still out there for good quality insurance professionals!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Insurance Jobs - Career Opportunities

As a newly qualified professional looking for insurance jobs in Ireland, you are sure to be gripped with both excitement and anticipation- excitement at starting a new career in a new industry and anticipation at being able to make the right choices at the right time.
Career Choices
As you are no doubt aware, there are a number of avenues now open to you. You have been trained and equipped to take on one of the many insurance jobs Ireland, but as yet, you may not be cent percent sure about exactly what kind of role you want to take on. There are many choices to be made in this aspect and no doubt you don't want to take a wrong turn at the very start of your career. For instance, you may be divided in your opinion on whether to take the plunge and take up a permanent job or whether to take up temporary positions to find out for yourself which is the ideal position for you.
Expert Guidance
What you need right now is expert guidance. You need the advice of someone who is not only experienced in the field of insurance, but is also aware of the market trends in the industry and the scope of each job role within it. You need the unbiased opinion of someone who has no vested interest in which of the many insurance jobs Ireland you choose for yourself.
Ireland Executive Search
Have you considered approaching one of well establish and well reputed Ireland executive search firms in your quest for making the right choices for yourself. In your position, they would be the best people to seek guidance from. Not only will the experts at these firms be able to give you unbiased opinion and in depth perspective on the various job options you have, they will also be able to find you a suitable position in the job role you finally decide on. These experts are known to guide and counsel a number of freshly qualified professionals throughout their careers and approaching them may well be the best decision you make.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Insurance Job Interview Advice - Ten Foolproof Tips for Getting Insurance Jobs

Insurance job interviews are never easy. It's difficult to make a good impression & even harder to impress your interviewer. We've come up with ten top tips to help you get the insurance job you'd been hoping for.
1. Learn About the Company - you can never be over-prepared for a job interview. Spend some time browsing the insurance company's website. Learn about their products & services as well as their competitors. It will make you seem much more knowledgeable and show that you are taking the interview seriously.
2. Think About The Questions - No matter how the interview is conducted there are a number of questions that you are likely to be asked. "Tell us about your experience?" or "What attracted you to apply for the job?" while the wording might change what they are to trying to find out will not. You don't need to script a response that will sound artificial. Though for questions you are likely to be asked, think in advance about how you will answer.
3. Look at your CV - It's easy to forget what you've put in your CV or covering letter. It's likely all your interviewer will know about you is contained in those documents, so it's likely to prompt a number of their questions. Refresh yourself with their content in advance so you're primed for the questions.
4. Dress Appropriately - It's not always sensible to wear a suit to a job interview but it is important to dress approriately smart. Try and find out about the dress code of the company and then dress a little smarter. It's important to make a good first impression but you have to be comfortable.
5. Answer Concisely - There's one thing worse than a bad answer in a job interview. A long answer. Try to answer the question with out getting carried away in the detail. It's important not to seem abrupt but it important not to get carried away with your answers either. It makes you seem unsure of your answer & can waste valuable interview time when you could be impressing your potential employer.
6. Use Good Body Language - Shrugging & using "closed" body language can ruin a perfectly good interview. Try your best to be relaxed & open. Use your hands expressively & think about mirroring the body language of your interviewer.
7. Ask Questions - try and prepare some questions for your interview. It can make you seem interested in the role & shows you are keen on the job. However don't ask obvious questions or those which could be easily answered if you had done some prior research.
8. Be On Time - People get delayed all the time so leave some extra leeway in your travelling time. If you turn up late you are fighting a battle to impress your potential bosses so much they forget about your poor punctuality.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Graduate Insurance Jobs-Getting a Career in Insurance

With a job as an insurance agency's account handler, you become responsible for managing client accounts. It is your job to advise on how to manage risks and you will offer insurance solutions to their risk problems. You will learn to work with clients and underwriters, hopefully maintaining good relations with both. You will put together risk submissions for presentation to the underwriters, negotiate terms with them, and present those terms to your clients. Your duties will have you checking over policies to make sure that they will perform, and handling mid-term alterations to your clients' policies as well as processing any claims that they have.
From this position, you have the chance to move upward to account executive, with more duties and responsibilities as well as the pay to go with it. You would have the duty to visit the clients personally, as well as paying visits to prospective clients. You would be assessing the risks that the clients are exposed to and providing them with the best advice in dealing with those risks. You would do surveying as well as designing the insurance portfolios, negotiating with the underwriters, and issuing presentations and reports. You will also be working above account handlers, who will help you with your work load and perform the tasks that you assign.
If you are good with numbers, then there is an insurance job waiting for you, some of which even require a mathematics degree of all applicants. If you are better with people, then look for a job on the contact end of things at a major insurance company to expand your skills and move up the corporate ladder.
There are dozens of jobs available in the insurance sector from account handlers to actuaries to estimators and underwriters. You can search for a job as a loss adjuster or policy typist if that is what interests you. Some companies will even let graduates start as account executives if they have the proper degree.
When it comes time to search for your job after graduation, the list of insurance jobs is a hard one to beat. You are sure to find something (from sales to marketing to number crunching) that will suit your personal skill set and give you a jump start on your career.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Insurance Industry is Going to Generate Millions of Insurance Jobs

Insurance sector in India is quite large in size, which not only offers protective coverage to people and materials, but also offers attractive insurance jobs. Numerous national and international players competing and growing at rapid rates in the Indian insurance sector attract the best talents to work and earn a livelihood. Various reforms and the easing of policy regulations have brought in tremendous positive changes in the insurance sector.
More education about the importance of insurance coverage to people will only enhance the sector. According to some media reports the period from 2010 - 2015 projected to be the 'Golden Age' for the Indian insurance industry is going to generate millions of insurance jobs in India as a broad understanding says that people in India have started to see that a basic necessity to control the present eventuality and simultaneously secure the old age is insurance.
One major attribute a person interested to work in insurance sector is that he must understand the specific insurance requirement of the customer and depending upon that should offer solutions such as term life policies, endowment policies, joint life policies, whole life policies, loan coverage term assurance policies, unit-linked insurance plans, group insurance policies, pension plans, and annuities amongst others.
The primary job in insurance that comes in sight is one of insurance agent. These professional called insurance agents are expected to introduce the policies to the people and business entities. The position can be got through joining any insurance company. The entry level insurance job requires that a person must be a graduate. Selling the insurance products and related policies, an insurance sales executive should be a subject matter expert as he is expected to answer millions of question of customers.
An insurance job, particularly actuary requires a person to have predict the risk of writing insurance policies on property, businesses and people's lives and health, etc. Candidates with graduation in Mathematics or Statistics or Econometrics or Computer Science or have degree of MBA in finance can have plenty of choices in the sector. Then there are agents and brokers who advise people and organizations on how to protect things they value by selling customers insurance contracts.
Another position in insurance jobs is of Claims Adjuster who determines the extent of damage when an accident occurs and whether the damages are covered by the insurance policy signed with the customers or not. Moreover, he is destined with a duty to arrange for repairs and is responsible for reaching settlements that are fair to both customers and the insurance company. The position of service representatives in insurance job is attractive as they are a link in the field between agents who sell policies and insurance companies who write the policies.
Whereas Customer Service Agent listen to the grievances of customers, Loss Control Specialist helps to keep accidents and losses to a minimum by taking care of work areas or looking over machinery and recommending safety procedures amongst others. Then there are Risk Manager whose job is help identify the risks that it faces and to make recommendations for dealing with these risks. Underwriter
On the other hand, underwriter decides whether to provide insurance to applicants seeking coverage amongst others.