The insurance industry places a premium on technical or so-called 'hard' skills when it comes to hiring new talent. But 'soft' skills -- communication, adaptability, problem-solving, time management, and so on -- are arguably more important for an employee's long-term success.
These are also skills you can learn off the job. Nan Fine knows this well, having left and returned to insurance twice.
'I started in the insurance industry in the late 80s in New York City,' said Fine, who was born and raised in Atlanta. 'I left the first time to become a mom and to raise my kids, then re-entered the industry in 2004, basically restarting my career over.
'I left again in 2017 to pursue an entrepreneurial opportunity, flipping houses for about four years. But the market changed, so I came back to the insurance industry.'
Fine, now senior director of casualty underwriting & healthcare risk solutions at Markel Specialty, said she's able to leverage negotiation, conflict management, and communication skills she picked up during her career breaks in her current role.
