Why pre-screen life insurance advisors before the interview
Persistency tells you more than production. An advisor who writes a lot of business that lapses within two years has sold policies people did not need or could not afford, and the client only discovers the consequence when they try to claim. Advisors worth hiring lead with needs analysis and have talked someone out of cover they were ready to buy. A short screen asks for that.
What actually matters when screening Life Insurance Advisor candidates
- 01
Track record
Ask for annualised first year commission, policy count, and average face amount over the last two years, plus persistency or 13 month lapse rates they can quote.
- 02
Method and qualification
Probe their needs analysis method: DIME or capital retention calculations, term versus indexed universal life positioning, and how they handle rated cases or table shaves during underwriting.
- 03
Relationships and trust
Look for evidence of referral flow, annual policy reviews, beneficiary updates, and how they support families at claim time rather than disappearing after issue.
- 04
Drive and resilience
Test how they rebuild a pipeline after a dry quarter: seminar work, orphan policy lists, centre of influence partnerships with CPAs, and handling of not taken policies.
Pre-screening questions to ask Life Insurance Advisor candidates
12 questions grouped by what they test. Ask the same set in every screen and score answers on a consistent scale, or send them as an async video screen and compare answers side by side.
Business that stayed
3 questions01What is your experience in the life insurance industry?
Listen forVolume stated alongside persistency, with an honest account of how much business stayed in force.
Premium written quoted with no persistency figure, or lapse rates not tracked at all.
02Do you specialise in a particular type of client or situation?
Listen forA defined client type they understand well, with the specific needs of that group described.
All client types claimed, or specialisation described by product rather than by client circumstance.
03What qualifications and licences do you hold for this work?
Listen forCurrent licensing for the jurisdiction stated precisely, with continuing education kept up to date.
Licensing described vaguely, or qualifications that do not cover the products they advise on.
Needs before product
3 questions04How do you determine the amount of cover a client actually needs?
Listen forA structured needs analysis covering dependants, debts and existing cover, done before any product talk.
Cover amounts based on a multiple of income alone, or product discussed before needs are established.
05What is your approach to assessing a client's circumstances and risk profile?
Listen forAffordability tested over the term, with existing cover through employers or elsewhere checked first.
Affordability assessed only at outset, or existing cover never established before recommending more.
06What types of policies do you most often recommend, and why?
Listen forRecommendations that vary by client circumstance, with the reasoning tied to need rather than commission.
The same product recommended to everyone, or higher commission products consistently favoured.
Product knowledge
3 questions07Can you explain the difference between term and whole of life cover?
Listen forA clear, accurate explanation including cost over time and where each is genuinely appropriate.
Explanations that oversimplify or mislead, or investment components presented as straightforward savings.
08How do you explain the full cost of a policy to a client?
Listen forCharges, commission and total cost over the term explained plainly, including how premiums may change.
Costs discussed as a monthly figure only, or reviewable premiums presented as fixed.
09Do you work independently or are you tied to particular providers?
Listen forThe basis of advice stated clearly, with any restriction on the products they can offer disclosed to clients.
Restricted advice presented as whole of market, or the basis of advice not disclosed upfront.
Service after the sale
3 questions10What ongoing service do you provide once a policy is in place?
Listen forRegular reviews as circumstances change, with clients contacted rather than left until they call.
No contact after the sale, or reviews conducted only when there is something new to sell.
11What process do you follow when a client needs to make a claim?
Listen forActive support through the claim, with an understanding of what commonly causes claims to be declined.
Claims treated as the insurer's process, or no involvement once a client needs to claim.
12How do you handle complaints or disputes from clients?
Listen forComplaints taken seriously with the formal process explained, and a case where they got something wrong.
Complaints described as misunderstandings, or no complaint they have ever received or upheld.
How to score responses
Score every candidate on the same four criteria immediately after the screen. At this stage you are shortlisting for panel interviews, not making the final call.
Track record
35%5Quotes concrete APE or FYC figures, case counts, and persistency above 85 percent, with carrier names and product mix.
Method and qualification
25%5Walks through a structured fact find, justifies product choice with numbers, and anticipates underwriting flags before submitting the application.
Relationships and trust
25%5Names clients retained for years, describes claim handling they personally shepherded, and shows referrals as a measurable share of production.
Drive and resilience
15%5Describes a repeatable prospecting routine with weekly activity targets and recovers from declined or lapsed cases without abandoning the pipeline.
An advisor whose business lapses in two years sold cover people could not afford. A one-way video screen asks about persistency.
Try it on HirevireScreening FAQ
Process basics
How long should a pre-screening round for this role take?
Fifteen minutes across eight to ten questions, answered async. Enough to establish business written, test their suitability approach, and check product knowledge and after-sale service.
What must be verified alongside the screen?
Licensing and registration for the jurisdiction, plus any regulatory history, in full. Advice on protection products is regulated and past conduct matters more than production figures.
Evaluating answers
What is the strongest signal when screening this role?
A sale they talked a client out of. Advisors with suitability discipline have done it. Anyone whose every conversation ended in a policy is selling rather than advising.
How do I judge their production quality?
Ask about persistency rather than volume. Advisors who sell suitable cover know what proportion stayed in force. Anyone quoting only premium written is measuring the easier number.
Go deeper on this role
Sanat has been hiring since 2012 and watching the recruitment industry change up close ever since, and turned that screening process into Hirevire's video screening platform. LinkedIn
