Every week I send out Intel from the KRU — claims market intel, career advice, and real talk for claims professionals. Here is this week’s edition.
Market Pulse
Property is soft. If you are in that space you already know it. Claim volumes are down, the IA market is quiet, and El Nino is suppressing hurricane activity which means the cat work that usually picks up this time of year is not materializing the way people hoped. That could change with one major storm. But right now the property market is telling adjusters to wait.
So where is the work?
Casualty. Commercial auto. General liability. Transportation. Professional lines. Specialty. These lines are moving and the skill gap is real. There are not enough experienced handlers for the volume of complex claims hitting these desks right now. Social inflation is driving up litigation, more claims involve attorneys from day one, and carriers and TPAs need people who know how to work a complex file.
If you are a property adjuster sitting on the sidelines right now, this is worth paying attention to. Your core skills transfer. Documentation, investigation, coverage analysis, customer communication. The line of business is different but the fundamentals are the same.
The market did not dry up. It shifted. The adjusters who figure that out first are going to have the most options.
Career Intel
This week’s challenge. And I mean it, actually try this.
Get on RISE. That stands for Rising Insurance Star Executives. It is a free platform built specifically for people in the insurance industry and a great resource for anyone trying to break in or level up their network.
Make a free account. Click on members. Find someone with a job title you are interested in. Claims manager, claims supervisor, whatever direction you are headed.
Then send them this exact message:
Hi, my name is [your name] and I am just starting out in the claims industry. I noticed you are on RISE and work as a claims manager. I would love to know if you have any tips for someone looking to break into claims. Appreciate your time.
That is it. You are not asking for a job. You are asking for advice. People love giving advice.
Try it once this week and see what happens. And remember this going forward. Conversations are just as valuable as applications. Do not just spray resumes into the void. Build real connections with real people in the industry.
From the Desk
One of my goals this week is building out new AI systems inside my business. It got me thinking about how much the recruiting toolkit has changed and how I actually use these tools day to day.
AI helps me build candidate sourcing strategies faster, research companies more thoroughly, and target the right candidate demographics with more precision. Things that used to take hours now take minutes.
But here is what it does not do.
It does not replace human judgment. It does not auto-filter or reject candidates. And it does not interfere with genuine human connection. When I am on a call with a candidate or a hiring manager, that is still just two people talking.
The way I see it, there are plenty of great recruiters out there working with a cell phone and an Excel spreadsheet. And I respect that. But I would rather take a great recruiter and empower them with every tool available. That is the edge.
Technology does not make you a better recruiter. But it can make a good recruiter a great one.
Beyond the Desk
I am deep in marathon training right now. Six weeks out from running 26.2 miles on America’s 250th birthday. The work is real and the miles do not lie.
But this is not just about me.
Whatever your goal is this week, I want to challenge you to move your body intentionally. It does not have to be a marathon. It does not have to be a gym. A walk. A bike ride. Something that gets you out of your chair and into your body.
And drink your water. Seriously. Most people are walking around dehydrated and wondering why they feel foggy and sluggish. Start there. It is the simplest thing you can do today that will make everything else run better.
Move with purpose this week. Take care of yourself. And go crush your goals.
See you Tuesday.
Going live every Tuesday at 11AM CST on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. Come hang, ask questions, office hours are open.
🤘 Josh 🤘