The insurance agency: How to apply and what to expect
Many Americans, whether they have health insurance or not, worry about the cost of medical bills in case of an accident or emergency.
Because of this, it’s no surprise that many are considering adding an emergency insurance plan to their policies to help alleviate the financial burden in such situations. If you’re interested in applying for an insurance agency, you’ll need to know how to proceed and what to expect from the application process first.
This guide will help you learn how to apply for the insurance agency as well as what you can expect after your application has been processed by the company.
An introduction
The insurance industry is not easy. There’s a lot of paperwork, regulations, red tape. If you have any fear of that or just don’t want to deal with it, then maybe you don’t have what it takes to become an agent. But if those roadblocks won’t stop you in your tracks, here are some basics on how to get started.
Apply online
The easiest way to apply for an insurance agency is online. These applications will ask you for personal information (address, email, social security number),
employment information (current employer, past employers) and your education background. The application should also ask about your driving history and criminal history.
When applying online there are a few things you can do to make sure that all of your information is correct; Before you start typing in any information type insurance agency into Google. This will allow you to view a basic outline of what each application asks before completing it.
This step allows you to know exactly where certain fields are located on each application so you don’t have any issues filling out applications while standing in line or at home during non-peak hours.
Prepare your documents
Before you go ahead and apply for life insurance, have your documents ready. Start with a list of all your assets, including bank accounts, investments, bonds, retirement accounts and real estate—basically anything that could be considered an asset. Then add up their total value.
You should also obtain your credit report in advance of applying for a policy. (Many companies will pull it for free or for a nominal fee.) Not only does seeing what’s on your credit report help you understand how it might impact life-insurance rates but those reports often include other personal information like age or occupation that can affect rates too.
Sit in front of your computer
This may sound silly, but sitting down with your computer in front of you makes it a lot easier to work.
If you have an office job, don’t let yourself get distracted by your coworkers and friends—if they want to chat or play darts in some conference room, take 5 minutes away from your desk (or cubicle!) if possible.
You can lose track of time easily at work—and you don’t want that dragging down your productivity. Even if you can’t step away for a few minutes, do whatever it takes so that when you sit back down at your desk, all distractions are out of sight! Your work will thank you for it.
Answer questions in front of your screen
Our top question is What if I have some questions during my interview? Please feel free to ask questions.
After all, it’s your money. So don’t be afraid of looking stupid or ignorant—there are no dumb questions. Having said that, we recommend that you not ask us a lot of personal-type financial questions unless they are asked in return.
Questions such as How much do you make? or Are you married? aren’t really relevant, especially because we will probably find out about those details before hiring you anyway. You might want to save those for your first FIDI meeting!
Send documents through snail mail
I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t asked by friends or family if I could recommend an auto, home, health or other type of insurance.
It makes sense since we all buy them, but there are some situations where finding an agent through friends doesn’t make sense (and might not be allowed by your insurer). For example, if you want to switch carriers—or start shopping around after a big move—you may need to find a new agent directly.
While some companies are fine with you using friends as long as they act only as referrals, others will require you find an independent agent rather than one who works for a company that directly competes with them.
Call them back again
Sometimes you’ll do everything right and still get rejected by a potential employer. When that happens, call them back again;
tell them you were extremely interested in working for them, but that you could not find a job at their location due to an unforeseen life event (like an illness or car accident). You might be surprised by how receptive they are if it looks like they could use your skills.
If nothing else, calling tells them you are serious about working for them—it won’t hurt your chances of getting hired down the road if you have other options. However, don’t try this on more than one employer per application cycle.
Wait for response
Although there are no hard-and-fast rules about how long it will take for you to hear back from an insurance agent, most wait a week or two.
If you haven’t heard anything after two weeks, check in with your agent just in case he needs something from you; sometimes applicants send everything needed along with their paperwork,
but forget to include a copy of their driver’s license. Most companies have checklists of documents they need from job candidates; make sure that you follow those lists carefully so that your application is complete.