By Roger Lear
With over 20 years of experience in resume writing and recruiting within the insurance industry, AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude can certainly help job seekers craft more effective resumes. I’ve seen thousands of resumes from adjusters, underwriters, producers, account managers, and claims leaders, and yes, AI can definitely make your writing cleaner and more professional.
But here’s the question that matters. Will an AI-generated resume actually help you get hired in the insurance industry?
THE PROBLEM: AI Resumes Look Shiny- But…
If you’ve ever seen a resume written by ChatGPT, you’ve seen the vibe:
“Results-driven insurance professional with a proven passion for excellence in highly regulated environments.” Sounds impressive. Except… thousands of other candidates are pasting that exact sentence into resumes for GEICO, Travelers, Progressive, Allstate, Sedgwick, and every regional carrier in America.
Insurance recruiters now instantly recognize AI-generated wording, especially when the entire resume sounds like a conference brochure rather than a genuine person.
And it gets worse.
Many job seekers drop AI text into Canva-based resume templates full of columns, graphics, and “premium” layouts. They look amazing to humans, but insurance employers still use older ATS systems, and those systems dislike fancy formatting. You don’t just get a low score. You disappear.
Real-Life Risks in the Insurance Hiring World
Here’s what really happens when you let AI do the work and don’t customize:
- Generic output = zero differentiation. If your resume could belong to any claims adjuster or underwriter, you won’t stand out.
- Vague bullets get ignored. “Collaborated with cross-functional claims teams” tells a hiring manager nothing. Closed 142 property claims at 94% customer satisfaction.
- Formatting still kills resumes. Columns, logos, charts, and icons are not good in ATS.
- Recruiters now screen for AI tone. Insurance hiring is still relationship-driven. “Robot resumes “signals a lack of effort.
- AI hallucination risk is real. I’ve seen ChatGPT randomly invent CPCU certifications, carrier names, and information that never existed. Ouch.
Yes, Use AI – But Use It This Way
- Use AI for ideas, not copy-paste resumes.
- Add real insurance-specific wins: loss ratios, book size, closing rate, claim volume, retention %, premium growth, catastrophe deployments, etc.
- Keep layout ATS safe- 1 column, no graphics, no icons. Boring is great.
- Save as .docx or clean PDF — not Canva PDF or Apple Pages
- Run it through an ATS checker before applying (Jobscan, ResumeWorded).
- Final check: Does this sound like you or like a robot that reads an AM Best report?
AI is amassive advantage for insurance job seekers when used as a drafting assistant, not a replacement for your voice, metrics, and story. In this industry, candidates who win jobs are still those who can prove impact, not just describe responsibility.