How to hire insurance sales agents
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Call on policyholders to deliver and explain policy, to analyze insurance program and suggest additions or changes, or to change beneficiaries. • Confer with clients to obtain and provide information when claims are made on a policy. • Customize insurance programs to suit individual customers, often covering a variety of risks. • Explain features, advantages, and disadvantages of various policies to promote sale of insurance plans. • Interview prospective clients to obtain data about their financial resources and needs, the physical condition of the person or property to be insured, and to discuss any existing coverage. • Perform administrative tasks, such as maintaining records and handling policy renewals. • Seek out new clients and develop clientele by networking to find new customers and generate lists of prospective clients. • Sell various types of insurance policies to businesses and individuals on behalf of insurance companies, including automobile, fire, life, property, medical and dental insurance, or specialized policies, such as marine, farm/crop, and medical malpractice. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong reading comprehension, active listening, speaking, critical thinking, writing and active learning skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, sales and marketing, English Language and mathematics • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $29.94 an hour ($62,280 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for insurance sales agents
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to call on policyholders to deliver and explain policy, to analyze insurance program and suggest additions or changes, or to change beneficiaries. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to confer with clients to obtain and provide information when claims are made on a policy. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to customize insurance programs to suit individual customers, often covering a variety of risks. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to explain features, advantages, and disadvantages of various policies to promote sale of insurance plans. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What insurance sales agents do
- Call on policyholders to deliver and explain policy, to analyze insurance program and suggest additions or changes, or to change beneficiaries.
- Confer with clients to obtain and provide information when claims are made on a policy.
- Customize insurance programs to suit individual customers, often covering a variety of risks.
- Explain features, advantages, and disadvantages of various policies to promote sale of insurance plans.
- Interview prospective clients to obtain data about their financial resources and needs, the physical condition of the person or property to be insured, and to discuss any existing coverage.
- Perform administrative tasks, such as maintaining records and handling policy renewals.
- Seek out new clients and develop clientele by networking to find new customers and generate lists of prospective clients.
- Sell various types of insurance policies to businesses and individuals on behalf of insurance companies, including automobile, fire, life, property, medical and dental insurance, or specialized policies, such as marine, farm/crop, and medical malpractice.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for insurance sales agents
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: Up to 1 month (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +3.3% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 43,100 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay insurance sales agents
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | $81,640 |
| Rhode Island | $79,930 |
| Wisconsin | $79,450 |
| Massachusetts | $79,300 |
| Minnesota | $78,640 |
| Delaware | $46,710 |
| West Virginia | $45,480 |
| New Mexico | $45,180 |
See insurance sales agents pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Advertising Sales Agents
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
- Travel Agents
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
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Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.