Insurance & Claims Interview Guide
What to expect interviewing with an insurance company, an independent adjusting firm, or a restoration contractor, where your state licensing status usually gets asked before almost anything else.
Interviews in this category are usually run by insurance companies, independent adjusting firms, or restoration contractors rather than general contractors, a meaningfully different hiring culture than the rest of construction. Licensing status is typically the very first substantive question, before background or experience, so know exactly where you stand (active license, reciprocity-eligible, or which exam you still need) before you walk in. If the role involves catastrophe (CAT) deployment, expect direct questions about your real willingness and ability to travel on short notice for extended stretches; this is treated as a genuine logistical filter, not small talk.
Because Insurance Adjusters and Public Adjusters do similar work from opposite sides of the same claim, be clear in your own head about which side you're interviewing for, and let that show in how you talk about the role; an interviewer for a public adjusting firm will notice if you keep describing the job from the insurer's perspective, and vice versa.
Questions to expect
What's your current state adjuster licensing status, and which states are you licensed or eligible for reciprocity in?
What they're really asking: Whether you can legally do the job in the territory they need covered; this is often a hard screening question asked immediately, not a formality later in the process.
Tip: Know your exact status going in. If you're not yet licensed, say so plainly and describe your concrete plan and timeline to get there rather than being vague about it.
Are you willing and able to travel on short notice for catastrophe (CAT) deployment?
What they're really asking: A real logistical commitment, not a formality: CAT deployment can mean weeks away from home on short notice, and this question is screening for whether that's actually workable for you.
Tip: Answer honestly. If your circumstances make extended travel difficult, say so directly rather than agreeing and then struggling with it once deployed; it costs the employer far more to find that out later.
How do you handle a situation where a client or policyholder is upset or aggressive?
What they're really asking: Composure under a genuinely stressful interaction: you're often meeting people on one of the worst days they've had (their home or business just got damaged), and that shapes how they show up.
Tip: Use a real example and focus on how you stayed professional and moved the conversation toward a resolution, not just how you "de-escalated" in the abstract.
Walk me through how you'd write a scope of loss for storm damage you're seeing for the first time.
What they're really asking: (Insurance Adjuster) Whether you have a real, repeatable process for documenting damage thoroughly and accurately under time pressure.
Tip: Describe your actual inspection and documentation process, such as systematic room-by-room or area-by-area review, photos, and measurements, rather than a general "I'm thorough."
How do you reconcile your estimate when it comes in noticeably different from the insurer's own adjuster's number?
What they're really asking: (Insurance Restoration Estimator) Negotiation and documentation skill: discrepancies between estimates are routine, and how you handle them affects whether the repair actually gets funded properly.
Tip: Walk through how you'd identify the actual source of the discrepancy (missed scope, different unit pricing) and defend your number with documentation rather than just splitting the difference.
How do you find covered damage that an insurer's own adjuster might have missed?
What they're really asking: (Public Adjuster) Thoroughness and policy knowledge: the entire value proposition of this role is finding what a less-motivated initial inspection didn't.
Tip: Talk through your actual inspection process and how you cross-check it against the policy language itself, not just a visual walkthrough.
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