Insurance Adjuster Interview by Ruth Paget
When I started high school, I attended a private Friends School in Detroit (Michigan) to learn about my Quaker ancestors from New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The Friends School taught standard high school subjects as well as electives such as non-violence workshop where we read the works of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, non-violent games that promoted happiness for all such as caring for an egg for a week, meditation and journaling for conflict resolution, and the World of Work for vocational training.
For World of Work, we began our studies by reading Working by Chicago writer Studs Terkel, who interviewed people from all sorts of jobs about job satisfaction and the skills needed to perform them.
We all took the Myers-Briggs Interest Inventory which tests on which kinds of jobs that are suited for you based on skills and interest. I wanted to be a writer, but my quantitative skills came out first and writing came out second. The best job for me was listed as accountant. I was mortified. However, my Quaker teacher told me, “Just use math when you write.”
After the Myers-Briggs Interest Inventory, I set up informational interviews. The first one I did was with an insurance adjuster: Mr. H. acts as a liaison between the insurance company and its claimants. He works for xxx, which is an independent insurance adjusting company. Mr. H. settles insurance losses for the company.
He wishes he made more money, but what he receives is fine with him. Mr. H. does not think he would go into another field of work.
He feels his job is interesting. It is not a get rich scheme. To Mr. H. work should be challenging, rewarding, and something you can get a lot of satisfaction and pride out of. He could have a better paying job, but does not want to sacrifice time with his family. He enjoys working. He likes meeting people everyday, the competition, and the satisfaction of helping people.
An insurance adjuster position requires a college degree, but most of the training is done on the job. He suggests taking courses in economics and business.
In his free time, he spends time with friends. He will talk about work, if he is with friends from the office. Aside from that, he talks about sports. Mr. H. likes his boss and thinks that he has his best interest at heart.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
