Claims interview prep.

Behavioural questions to expect

1. Walk me through your CV — and where are you on claims designations?
2. Tell me about a difficult claim or judgment call you've owned.
3. Tell me about a weakness, a failure, or feedback you've received and worked on.
4. Why claims — and why insurance?
5. Which claims seat would you want — desk, field, complex / litigation, or SIU — and why?
6. Why the firm?
7. How would you describe the firm's book and claims operation in your own words?
8. How does the claims function actually drive value at a carrier?

Technical concepts to master

• Claims lifecycle + FNOL discipline

  FNOL + statutory acknowledgement · Investigation · Negotiation + settlement · Subrogation + salvage + closure

• Coverage analysis + reservation of rights

  The four-lens coverage read · Reservation of rights (ROR) · Written denial · Coverage counsel

• Reserving + LAE control

  Initial case reserve · Stair-step discipline · ALAE vs ULAE · Reserve adequacy + actuarial roll-forward

• Fraud, litigation, + bad faith

  Fraud red flags + SIU referral · Litigation management + panel counsel · Bad faith / extra-contractual · NAIC Unfair Claims Settlement Practices (Model 900)

Practical drills

• A bodily-injury liability claim opens with the following facts: ER + 3-day inpatient stay (medicals to date $35k); expected future care + PT $20k; lost wages 8 weeks at $1,500 (estimate $12k); pain + suffering exposure assess at 1.5x specials; defense counsel retained, $8k expected through mediation; one expert ($3k). Policy limit $250k. (a) Build the most-likely indemnity reserve. (b) Add ALAE. (c) State the total file reserve + your stair-step plan.
• You're a claims handler at the firm on a line in its book. Walk me through how you'd handle the claim from FNOL to closure. Be ready to be probed on the statutory clock, the coverage read, the reserve, and the recoveries.
• A homeowners claim comes in: water damage to the kitchen floor + cabinets, reported on day 47. The policy excludes 'continuous or repeated seepage of water over 14 or more days' but covers sudden + accidental discharge. The insured says it 'just appeared' on day 45 from under the sink. Photos show some staining + cupping that look gradual. Walk me through the coverage decision.

Smart-question anchors

• Lines + seats - the lines the team handles, the desk / field / complex / SIU split, and what the role would specifically own
• Operating model + systems - claims platform (Guidewire ClaimCenter / Duck Creek / proprietary), digital FNOL, photo / virtual estimating, telematics
• Reserve + LAE discipline - case-reserve standards, supervisor review cadence, LAE / vendor management approach
• Fraud + SIU - SIU structure, AI / analytics fraud tools, anti-fraud partnerships
• Litigation + bad-faith posture - panel counsel use, jurisdictional exposure, recent material verdicts if disclosed

Sourced from

InterviewPrep — Claims Adjuster + Claims Examiner Interview Questions · MockInterviewPro — Claims Adjuster Interview Questions · NAIC — Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act (Model 900) · The Institutes (AICPCU) — claims professional designations + literature · Coalition Against Insurance Fraud — fraud indicators / red flags · CFA Institute / AnalystPrep — Analyzing Insurance Companies (loss + LAE ratios)