In this post, I’ve included an insurance claims cover letter sample (see below).
I have a few words of caution before you proceed: it’s important that you don’t use the below content as is, rather write a great cover letter that’s ideal for you and your career situation.
Job Duties For Claims Professionals
When writing your letter, there are a number of job tasks to mention. For example, the job responsibilities of Insurance Claims Representatives varies slightly, yet most often, includes injury and property damage claims that include tasks like these:
- Investigate Claims & Verify Claims Paperwork
- Interview Insured & Other Claimants
- Determine Cause of Damage (e.g., Accident, Natural Disaster)
- Verify Coverage & Policy Restrictions
- Inspect Assets (e.g., Vehicles and Homes)
- Adjust Claims/Losses
- Manage & Deter Further Risks
The more specialized the insurance claims professional is, the more customized their job roles become.
For example, Workers’ Compensation Claims Adjusters coordinate and approve claims between medical providers and employer/HR reps. They may also be involved with litigation settlements and claim resolution.
Field Claims Specialists, on the other hand, manage cases and conduct in-person meetings with claimants.
[Related Resource: Here’s a list of resume keywords for Insurance Claims Managers]
Outlook For Professionals in Insurance Claims
The average salary for claims specialist is between $40,000 and $50,000, according to Indeed’s salary tool. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics *(BLS) states the median salary is more like $65,670 for adjusters, appraisers, and so on.
Unlike other career fields, the job outlook for claims adjusters is expected to show little change over the coming years.
The insurance industry is facing some challenges as natural disasters are on the rise. Of course, let’s not overlook manmade disasters too.
When writing your cover letter, it’s worth noting the natural and manmade disasters you’ve worked through as a Claims Adjuster. This could boost your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) in your cover letter as well as your resume.
Alternative Job Roles to Claims
For those who just aren’t sure a claims specialist job is for them, there are similar job roles that could be a good fit.
For example, estimators, inspectors, and assessors could be ideal jobs for you.
Estimators generally work inhouse and don’t go in the field often, or at all. Those who estimate claims are the number crunchers who give estimates for restoring assets. Estimates could include replacement, or outline the time, resources, manpower, and materials needed to restore the asset back to a usable state.
Inspectors are more on the investigations side of the industry, determining the cause of damage. Damages could be caused by weather anomolies, owner negligence, fraud, and so on. Inspectors focus more on the validity and facts about the incident behind the claim.
Assessors and appraisers determine the value of a particular assets, which could include a home, vehicle, and jewelry. The value of an asset is determined in part by it’s importance, exclusivity, cost to replace, market value, and so on.
There are “related” job roles to consider as well, such as:
- Safety/Risk Specialists
- Workers’ Comp Examiners
- Litigation Consultants
- Liability Claims Examiners/Managers
Q&As About Cover Letter Writing
What cover letter format is best?
Cover letters follow a business letter format. So, keep your letter to one page, use approximately four paragraphs, and follow the best writing practices, from the opening to the closing paragraph.
I write more about using a business format with cover letters in this post (see about a third down the post). I outline what to do with the first paragraph, second paragraph, and subsequent sections of your cover letter.
What if you don’t have any tranferrable skills relevant to claims?
Writing a cover letter does get tricky when you don’t have job-specific skills; however, it’s still doable.
For example, be sure to highlight any experience you have in insurance.
Tranferrable skills could include customer service, client account resolution, intake coordination, administrative and team support.
Do you need to submit a cover letter?
Hiring managers and recruiters are mixed about cover letters. Some want a cover letter, while some do not.
Doing a quick Indeed search, I found 120,000+ employers requesting a cover letters to their job openings. This means, cover letters aren’t dead just yet.
What core elements should my cover letter have?
List the job you are applying for. This seems obvious, however, many jobseekers forget this important detail.
Personalize your letter by writing about what you know about the company. Ideally, you won’t want to use the below letter “as is” because it’s not personalized to any specific employer.
Introduce yourself and reiterate your skills from the resume.
But, write key points that are important to the employer too. Remember, it’s not just about you.
Regurgitate skills from the job description that match your skills and abilities. Utilize a conversational writing style and add some personal touch to your content.
Invite hiring managers and recruiters to call you. Or, email works too … although less successful.
Avoid using the typical “dear sir or madam” or “to whom it may concern” when humanly possible.
The best approach is to have a person’s name to address your letter of application. If you don’t have a name, search LinkedIn for the potential employer.
Then, do an advanced search for the HR Manager or Department Manager.
How do you get noticed over other candidates?
Over the years, jobseekers have used different techniques:
- Handwritten Letters
- Used Novelty Letter Medium (e.g., Jean Patch)
- Added Graphics
- Introduced Emojis
- Unusual Font / Font Size
- Unique Layout (e.g., Infographic Style)
These techniques could work for the right industry and/or audience.
Yet, strategies like these could backfire too, so be careful.
Example Cover Letter For Insurance Claims Representatives
Victoria A. Claims
33 Woolery Lane, Dayton, OH 45415
(937) 542-3987 | [email protected]
Copyright 2020 Resume to Referral, Professional, Executive Resume Service
Date
Hiring Manager
Employer
Address
City, State Zip
RE: Insurance Claims Representative [Job Opening on Monster.com]
Dear Mr(s).______________:
As a 5-year veteran of the insurance industry, I’ve been an Insurance Claims Representative with the best insurance carriers within the industry. I understand industry concepts, practices, and procedures.
Within claims, I’ve worked with those involved in claims management and overseeing the complete claims lifecycle, including adjusters, investigators, and medical personnel. My focus has been on verifying claims, line item by line item, before authoring payment calculations.
More recently, I’ve slipped into more advanced responsibilities. For example, I’m currently part of an internal team that’s tasked with training staff on mediation skills in order to alleviate those “sticky” situations that can sever business-to-claimant (B2C) relationships. I’ve also been involved with the development of a new claims delivery system to boost our claims processing from 750,000 to more than 1.5 million claims annually.
If you are seeking a person with extensive experience, in-depth knowledge of claims processing functions, while utilizing a company’s policies and procedures, then I am the right person for this job.
Let’s connect over the next few days. This enables me to answer any follow-up interview questions you might have. And, will give me a chance to learn more about the needs of your claims department.
You can contact me at (937) 542-3987 to schedule an interview. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Victoria A. Claims