When you start out as a new Claims Adjuster you have zero knowledge (some of us, anyway) as to what is expected. That's OK, I'm not scared to jump in the deep end as long as I have my trusty pink flamingo floaty secured snuggly around my waist!! Let me just say, the sunglasses on that bird look marvelous! We're in the deep now! We're just lounging back, taking in the sun, and hoping for really really bad weather to hit somewhere in the southern coastal states, because that's when things pick up, and people like me get hired. Claims Adjusters are those wonderful people you know are real, but you may never have seen one of them in action. There are a few really good reasons for that; some of us work from home on the phone, and there are some who drive out to the wind-blown areas and work either on-site or at a designated work space such as an old abandoned storefront or even a retired car lot. If that's the case, you'd have to drive your car to that location to see one of us in action. If you're looking for a property adjuster, you'll either welcome them into your house with open arms or wonder what the devil took them so long to get there. Claims. It was other claims.
When the big storms hit they affect literally thousands, sometimes dozens of thousands of homes, businesses, autos, commercial vehicles, crops, large equipment as well municipal power lines. Claims is a very important industry, and one I am super excited to be a part of. I'm new at it, but I'm catching on as fast as the fire hose can spew the information at me. I'm drinking from Pilot, CNC, Alacrity, Crawford, E.A. Renfroe, Eberls, Pacesetter, Custard, MD Claims, Best Claims, and about a dozen smaller firms who have me either onboarded already, or they have my number and we text at least on a weekly basis. We stay in touch. When the big storms hit, they start calling, texting, reaching out, and trying to woo as many as they can. They put on their best smiles, offer what their carriers are allowing, and they hope to get as many experienced folks as they possibly can; but with that mix comes the newbies!! That's me. I'm a coat-hanger-oner. I don't mind saying it. I will be flushed into the industry with the first big pull.
How can I say that? Well, I pray about it of course! Doesn't everyone ask God to put their name where He wants it to be? I do. I've also gone the extra mile, and I've purchased reciprocal state licenses for property and casualty adjusting in literally 9 other states besides my home state of Oklahoma. I was told by an HR manager at a larger I.A. (Independent Adjuster) firm that State Farm prefers people to have at least six state licenses, and they would really like for a person to have at least 10. Ten has a majestic ring to it I guess because that's the magic number that State Farm has decided is the cut-off for paying an extra $2.00 an hour over and above the standard rate for the deployment; that's a big deal. If the pay is $24/hour, the extra $2.00 is an 8% raise. That's not a bad thing. When you factor in the overtime, it gets even better. Most deployment desk adjusters work 6 or 7 days a week, and either 10 or 12 hours a day. There's going to be overtime. I'll take it.
Some deployments pay more. Some deployments pay for less time. The average is almost guaranteed for 90-120 days, and no less than $24/hr (the $2.00 up pay for those who have 10 states under their belt.) I'll reach out eventually and get more, but for now, the ones I have will be just fine. I'm licensed in: OK, TX, LA, MS, AL, FL, KY, WV, NM, and MI. All in all, I'd say I've spent about $800 in licensees, fees, fingerprints, and filing. Once the $2.00 up fee kicks in that's about 2 maybe 3 weeks of regular pay to make up that money; gotta love that. I'm loving that. I'll pay a little extra to guarantee a lot extra. It only makes sense to do so. Besides, it shows the agencies and the carriers that you give a damn, and you're willing to invest in yourself.
As Hurricane Season continues throughout the summer months, and we're all just standing around waiting, I'm also training online with several agencies to learn the ropes from either their specific point of view, or I watch generalized videos to teach me how to measure a room correctly, what the different roof types are, and how to put a car together piece by piece in my head so I can identify the parts of it that have been damaged by hail or collision. To say it's been interesting is such an understatement. I can't see how anyone can claim to be bored if they don't know how to do these things. If you think you're bored, pull out a notebook and watch a few AdjusterTV podcasts!! Check out the training modules on Alacrity, Pilot, or some State Farm certification modules for either property estimatics or auto parts. No one can remain bored for too long when they set their mind to learning. No one. It's the lazy person maybe, who doesn't see the light at the end of the tunnel before they get hit by Reality's train!
I say I'm licensed in 10 states. There are at least a dozen that you don't need a license to work in, and there are four that you really can't get too excited about because they make it too hard to obtain one. That would be California, Hawaii, New York, and the DC area. I think Puerto Rico may be that way as well. I'll just stick with the ones I have, and slowly add the others. When it's all said and done, I'll be licensed in as many states as I can be; and I'll be really busy. During the "off" season, I can always call up the insurance companies in the other states I'm licensed in and do estimates from my desk at home or wherever I may choose to be. I can work collision, light wind and hail, and/or theft and vandalism. I can do it all from the comfort of my home or like I said, wherever I happen to be. I may have to adjust for the time zones if I'm hanging out in the Scottish Borders, but I'm OK with that; really, I am.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
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