Brenda McDermott, CPCU, CLP, SCLA, CIIP, SCLA, ARM, AIDA, AIC
Dan Roth, Editor-in-Chief of LinkedIn when he appeared on the Today Show on February 8 indicated that more and more employers and corporations are looking at the skills a job candidate has to offer over their educational degree. He feels this is a trend that will continue to grow. He presented LinkedIn’s top 10 skills that employers are looking for.
- Communication
- Customer service
- Leadership
- Project management
- Management
- Analytic skills
- Teamwork
- Problem solving
- Research skills
- Adaptability
Communication is the number one skill because it is necessary, regardless of your job, to foster relationships, give, and receive feedback, and ask questions. Data is becoming king in business for customer service and decision making. The ability to analyze the data and make sense of what it is telling you, and to apply it to improve results is becoming more and more valuable. As is adaptability. In today’s everchanging work environment, the ability to adapt to changing roles and responsibilities—as the use of AI and technology creates a fluid job description—will become more and more important.
So how can you get those skills? Roth recommended having a growth mindset—looking for opportunities to learn new skills and knowledge; taking on stretch assignments, classes and certifications, and getting a coach or mentor.
IAIP offers our members opportunities to develop new skills through leadership roles. Through participation in Mastermind, Special Interest Groups, and task forces you will be encouraged to gain new skills and confidence. By networking with members from all parts of the insurance and risk management industry you will find coaches and mentors to assist and guide your development. And through the ever growing virtual, on demand, and in person educational and designation courses of CLP (Certified Leadership Professional), CLP-A (Advanced Certified Leadership Professional) and the new ACR (Associate in Client Relations) designation you will develop those top 10 skills and others.
Members of IAIP have a definite advantage over the competition by having endless opportunities to develop and perfect the skills that employers are looking for, giving them a treasure chest of the new job currency.
Brenda McDermott, CPCU, CLP, SCLA, CIIP, SCLA, ARM, AIDA, AIC is a workers’ compensation claims specialist in The Hartford’s Major Case Unit. She is a past International Rookie, Claims Professional of the Year, Risk Management Professional of the Year and International CWC Speak-Off winner. She was the 2022 Region V Insurance Professional of the Year. She has been a long-term member of IAIP and served in multiple offices at the local, state, and regional levels. A past Region V RVP she is currently serving as the Region V Marketing Director and Assistant to the RVP. She is co-chair of the International Marketing and Today’s Insurance Professional committee. She is an MAL in Region V from Missouri.