Summary. Claims adjuster candidates should research the company to have a better understanding of the company's mission and values, and so they can include those in their answers to questions. Interviewers should have a clear understanding of who they want as a candidate and what requirements are needed to fill the position.
Claims adjusters play an important role in helping individuals recover after major incidents. Whether you are looking at properties, automobiles, personal injuries, or otherwise, your role as a claims adjuster is to investigate insurance claims and determine an insurance company’s payment responsibility.
There are lots of reasons why you may be interested in claims adjuster work. With great payment possibilities in a sturdy, recession-proof market, this job is incredibly dependable. Further, the position is not highly specialized, and many individuals, including entry-level employees, may be able to land these positions.
However, to get the job, you first need to ace the interview. Interviews are a great opportunity to show a little bit about who you are and to demonstrate what you can offer this organization through this role. Good preparation goes a long way, and one of the best ways to prepare is through researching potential questions and coming up with some mock answers.
In this article, we will take you through some common questions that come up in claims adjuster interviews. We will also give some helpful example answers that you can use to come up with great answers of your own.
Key Takeaways:
Candidates should show their communication and negotiation skills with examples of times they used these.
Interviewers should have a structure to their interview to avoid wasting time talking about unrelated topics.
Looking for a job? These position are hiring now near you:
- Claims Adjuster
- Adjuster
- Senior Claims Adjuster
- Claims Representative
- Auto Claims Adjuster
How to Prepare for a Claims Adjuster Interview
As the Candidate:
Research the company. To prepare for an interview you should research the company and get an understanding of their mission, values, and recent projects. You should also research who will be conducting your interview. This information will allow you to give more thoughtful answers to the questions asked.
Review common interview questions. Reviewing common interview questions will allow you to be more comfortable and confident when it comes time to the interview.
Show your communication skills. It's important for claim adjusters to have strong communication and negotiation skills. Be prepared to discuss your experience communicating complex information in a clear and empathetic manner.
As the Interviewer
Understand what you want from a candidate. Review the job description to help you get an idea of your ideal candidate. The job description will identify responsibilities and qualifications for the position, which will help you know what to look for from candidates.
Structure your interview. Be sure to structure your interview so you are able to maximize the time you have with the candidate. Structured interviews will help avoid any wasted time talking about any unrelated topics.
Be prepared to answer questions. The candidate should have a list of questions to ask you about the position and the company. Be prepared to answer these questions to the best of your ability and to sell your company to the candidate.
15 Common Claims Adjuster Interview Questions and Answers
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
A tried and true opener, this question is your opportunity to introduce yourself. The open-ended nature of this question can make it a bit intimidating at first glance, but remember that the goal at the end of the day is to demonstrate that you are the perfect candidate for this claims adjuster position.
Focus on the experiences and skills that make you a great fit.
What makes you interested in this position?
See AlsoWhat To Do When Disability Insurance Companies Use Surveillance Evidence Against YouWhat to do When You Reach an Impasse with Your Insurance AdjusterHow Mental Health is Affecting Claim Adjusters10 Reasons Why Your Insurance Claim Might Be Mishandled or DeniedWhile not universally true across the board, claims adjuster positions can be difficult, stressful, and, let’s face it, kind of boring jobs sometimes. It is a niche position, and you must be well-prepared for what you are getting yourself into. Use this opportunity to really showcase your past experience and how it relates to the job.
Example Answer:
In my previous position, I was a customer service representative who spoke with clients over the phone about questions and concerns. This job gave me great experience in communicating effectively with clients and in handling conflict. I am excited to step into this role because it utilizes these communication skills while offering me more opportunities for variety and growth.
How do you handle communicating with clients who disagree with or are upset by your adjustments?
In this line of business, you are inevitably going to run into some people who are a bit unhappy about the hand they have been dealt. Insurance companies cannot always cover the cost that clients expect, and unmet expectations can lead to hostility.
Convince the interviewer that you can separate your emotions from this job and that you are well prepared to de-escalate situations where needed.
Example Answer:
I understand that people may be upset by my assessments, and I will do my best to answer any questions they may have and explain why I have made certain decisions. I do not take the anger of clients personally, and I hold firm in my decisions, but I always do my best to have open channels of communication for any concerns.
How do you ensure accuracy in your work before submitting it?
One of the most important aspects of your work as a claims adjuster is ensuring that every piece of information is accurate and thoroughly investigated.
Your work needs to leave no room for error, as this can cause massive headaches for all involved parties. The interviewer asking this question wants to ensure that they can count on you to double-check your work and pay close attention to detail.
Example Answer:
Before submitting work, I proofread to make sure there are no inaccuracies or mistypes. It is very important to me that I handle all claims accurately as this builds trust with clients.
How do you manage the stress of claims adjuster work?
As we have touched on before, claims adjuster work can be stressful. You will have to deal with some angry people, often heavy workloads, and unpredictable hours.
The interviewer asking this question wants to know that you have considered that the job may be especially stressful and have laid out some plans for minimizing the harmful effects of this stress.
Example Answer:
I never get personally involved in any workplace arguments. When dealing with clients, I am there to do my job, assess damages, and cover damages per rules and policies. I also make sure to prioritize my work-life balance and offset the stress of work with golfing, gardening, and relaxing outside of work.
How do you ensure that you are thorough in collecting and assessing information for appraisals of damage?
Making sure you do not miss crucial information in an appraisal is a critical part of this job. You make your assessments based on this information, and without proper consideration of all the facts, you cannot do your job correctly. Answer this question by emphasizing attention to detail and mentioning the different ways you collect information.
Example Answer:
I know that I need all of the facts to be able to make appraisals, so I make sure to go over all the details carefully. In deciding what pieces of information to collect, I typically refer to the company manual and training. In collecting this information, I examine the scene thoroughly, and I interview witnesses, police officers, and other involved parties for firsthand information.
How would you describe your communication skills?
You will have to deal with a lot of different people as a function of this job, so your interviewer wants to know that you have advanced communication skills. For this job, some of the most important communication traits to emphasize are clarity and conflict de-escalation.
Example Answer:
I would say that I have advanced written and verbal communication abilities. Writing clear reports, coordinating with many individuals, and explaining assessments to customers were daily occurrences at my previous position, and I have had a lot of practice in communicating effectively in these ways.
How do you manage heavy workloads?
If the interviewer asks you this question, make sure you read between the lines. They are telling you that this job will involve a lot of work, and they want to know that you are ready for this and have a plan of action. You can talk about your methods of organizing and prioritizing work tasks and perhaps even mention ways you manage stress.
Example Answer:
Whenever I have multiple tasks and deadlines to keep track of, I write the responsibilities in my work agenda along with their due dates and whether I need to contact someone to complete them. I then prioritize work based on importance, urgency, and deadline, and I plan my schedule for the day according to these priorities.
If need be, would you be available to work nights, weekends, or holidays?
For claims adjuster positions, you may be required to work at non-standard times. This is because many central aspects of claims adjuster work happen at unpredictable times, and your services might be required at any hour of the day. Being unavailable for “on-call” type work may affect your chances of landing the job.
However, be honest in your answer, as you never want to be in a situation where you are expected to be available, but you are truly not capable. If you have other obligations, mention them, but make a genuine effort to offer up the time needed for this position.
Example Answer:
Knowing that this job often requires sudden changes in my schedule, I have made sure to allow for flexible work hours within my life. I prefer getting my paperwork done as close to the time of an incident as I can to ensure that the process can move quickly, so I am prepared to go out on an occasional night, weekend, or holiday or to work remotely.
If a customer gets into an auto accident and you assess that they will need a repair on part of their car, but they want the part to be replaced entirely, how do you handle this situation?
As we have touched on previously, in this line of work, you will run into customers who are displeased with your assessments. Many different aspects may be disputed, and this question represents a common but specific instance. Be sure to balance customer service with dedication to workplace policy in your answer.
Example Answer:
First, I would be sure to hear out the questions and concerns of the customer. If they are concerned about the safety of their vehicle, I will assure them of the measures we have in place to ensure that the vehicle is completely safe after repairs have been made. Finally, I would explain the policies we have in place that necessitate a repair rather than a replacement in this instance.
An auto shop disputes your estimate of their labor hours. How do you handle this situation?
As a claims adjuster, you will not only have to work and communicate with customers but with many other individuals as well. In your work, you will likely have to interact with people such as engineers and auto mechanics and coordinate services.
Occasionally, there are disagreements, and the interviewer wants to know that you are prepared for this.
Example Answer:
In this situation, I would ask the mechanic the number of hours they believe will be required for this job. If their time estimate is similar, I would adjust to their estimate, but if there is a significant difference, I would re-assess.
Why do you want to be a claims adjuster?
This is a common interview question. The interviewer is asking to get an understanding of your history and what brought you to them. Be sure to use examples from your past and specific reasons that made you want to be a claims adjuster.
When I was working in a previous position as a customer service representative in the industry, I saw firsthand the impact that a well-handled claim could have on the policyholders life. It could provide financial and emotional support during a challenging time.
Can you provide an example of a time when you had to deny a claim?
Denying claims will happen from time to time when you are a claims adjuster. Pull a specific example from your past and use the STAR (situation, task, action, and result) method to help you in your answer.
It's never easy to deny a claim. One example that I had to deny a claim involved a policyholder who had files a claim for water damage to their home. Upon investigation, it became clear that the policyholder did not taken steps to prevent the damage and had failed to address a pre-existing leak in the roof that caused the water damage.
Since they had failed to address the pre-existing leak and did not take the steps to prevent damage, I had to deny the claim. During the process, I had open and transparent communication with the policyholder and I explained the reason behind the decision and offered guidance on steps to prevent similar issues in the future.
What do you think are the most important skills and qualities for success in this role?
This is a common interview question that is typically asked to get an understanding of what you believe is important. Your answer can determine if you will be a good fit. It's important to do you research on the company to help relate your answer to what is important to the company.
The most important skills and qualities that are essential to success are strong analytical and problem solving abilities. I also think strong communication and negotiation skills and having a deep understanding of insurance policies and regulations are important.
How do you approach negotiating settlements with policyholders, and what factors do you consider when determining the appropriate amount to offer?
This question will allow the interviewer to get a better understanding of your process. Negotiations are going to happen in this field of work so it's important to do them well.
When approaching negotiation settlements, I believe it's important to be both fair and firm. My goal is to find a settlement tat meets the needs of the policyholders needs while also ensuring the insurer is not overpaying.
To determine the appropriate settlement amount, I try to consider the policyholder's coverage, the severity and extent of the damage or injury, any applicable deductibles, and any relevant legal or regulatory requirements.
10 Additional Claims Adjuster Interview Questions for Employers
What is your experience with interpreting insurance policies and coverage for clients? Can you provide an example of a complex policy interpretation you have made in the past?
Describe a time when you had to investigate a complex claim. How did you gather information, and what steps did you take to resolve the claim?
What is your process for evaluating the damages of a property claim, and how do you determine the appropriate settlement amount?
Can you provide an example of a time when you had to negotiate with a difficult claimant or their representative? How did you handle the situation, and what was the outcome?
Have you ever had to file an insurance claim? What was that experience like? What did the representative do through the process that was particularly helpful?
What are some common types of fraud that you look for when evaluating claims? Can you provide an example of a claim where you suspected fraud and how you investigated it?
What techniques do you use to determine the cause of a loss or damage?
How do you handle claims involving multiple parties or stakeholders, such as a liability claim?
What methods do you use to stay up-to-date with changes in regulations and industry trends related to claims adjusting?
Describe a time when you had to manage a high volume of claims simultaneously. How did you prioritize your workload and manage your time effectively?
