In this blog post, we will look at how listening to customers can be a competitive advantage in insurance sales.
Growing up
“Live your life by sharing your talents”
My father studied medicine and worked as a doctor for many years. My mother studied nursing and worked as a nurse from an early age, and now runs a hospital with my father. With a father who was a doctor and a mother who was a nurse, I always knew where to turn when I was sick or in pain. Even if I was only slightly ill, I could get help from my parents, who had a lot of medical knowledge. My parents saw their medical knowledge and skills as a talent and often donated their talents to others.
In other words, they often participated in medical volunteer work. When I wanted to do medical volunteer work in Korea, there were many people in various fields who needed medical care. This is because not only elderly people living in mountainous areas, but also foreign workers who belong to socially marginalized groups often live far away from medical services. For people who cannot go to the hospital even if they have chronic illnesses, my mother and father opened a clinic every week to provide medical services and worked together. I also participated in this volunteer work and performed the most basic tasks. I was in charge of receiving visitors, guiding them to the waiting area, and managing supplies.
While performing these basic tasks, I was moved by the fact that my small efforts, even though they were not personal talents, were helping others. Doing these small tasks made me realize how wonderful it was for my mother and father to share their medical knowledge. So I decided that I would become an expert in a specific field and use my talents to help others. It could be related to my work or a hobby, but whatever it was, if I had even one area of expertise, I wanted to use it to help others who needed it, rather than just living a good life for myself.
College life
“Studying insurance mathematics as a statistics major.”
I was very good at math in high school. I was excellent at basic calculations, but I also had a talent for devising mathematical strategies and solving problems. Because I was good at math, many of my friends asked me math questions, and I was personally proud of my math skills. When I entered university, I was able to major in statistics because I received a grade of 1 in math. The statistics major required not only good math skills but also excellent information processing and data collection skills, which I was well suited for.
However, I did not think about getting a job in the field of statistics. I had no complaints about my major and thought it suited me very well, but I felt that a job that utilized my major was not for me. Based on this decision, I started studying something else while continuing my major. The field I started studying was insurance mathematics. Insurance mathematics was included in the financial mathematics and mathematical statistics curriculum, so I took classes in other majors to study it. As I explored the field of insurance mathematics, I supplemented my knowledge through online lectures to fill in the gaps.
Internal and external activities
“Experience as a youth camp leader”
Since I was a child, I have been a believer in God and a member of a church. While attending church, I read the Bible, which contains the words of God, and when I became a university student, I taught Bible reading classes to younger teenagers. The teenagers understood my lessons well, but they also wanted to do activities that would help them bond with each other. So, I accepted my friends’ suggestions and planned a camp that the teenagers would organize themselves. The church offered many group camp programs, but there weren’t many camps organized by the youth themselves.
I trusted my friends with whom I had been studying and discussing these issues. Although they were young, they were mature and understood God’s word well. So, I just gave them advice and helped them come up with a general plan as they planned the youth camp on their own. We created the program by continuously discussing what kind of lectures to plan for the camp and what kind of concerts and performances to hold. We included discussions, quiet time to share good words, and a program to sing hymns together to bring everyone together.
The youth were entirely responsible for creating and planning the program. I served as an advisor and guide. After the program planning was finalized, I worked with the youth to promote the camp and distribute promotional materials. On the day of the camp, I participated as a leader to ensure that the program ran smoothly, and I also acted as a moderator to keep the atmosphere lively. I found this leadership role very rewarding, and I realized that regardless of age or experience, communication requires sincerity.
Hobbies and special skills
“I am talented at using design tools.”
I am good at using design tools. When I was in college, I happened to take a liberal arts class on design programs, and that’s when I realized I had a knack for design. My professor advised me to take an interest in design and practice it as a hobby. So I discovered a new talent, practiced design tools, and now I have the skills to produce a webzine. I don’t have a job that requires this talent, but I can design products that I can copyright.
So, I am using my talent in this area to create lifestyle products that incorporate my designs, and I sell these products to other people or give them as gifts. Even when I sell the products I make, I don’t use the profits for myself, but rather donate them to good causes. When I give gifts, I try to help those who need my talents. It is very rewarding to do work that helps society rather than pursuing my own gain through work. Utilizing my hobbies and special skills in this way has had a huge impact on my mental health, and I plan to continue doing so in the future.
Aspirations after joining the company
“An insurance salesperson who listens to customers”
When applying for a position as an insurance salesperson at your company, I spent a lot of time preparing for the interview. This was because I learned that KDB Life Insurance places more emphasis on interviews than on documents when hiring new insurance salespeople. In that regard, I thought I could show myself better in an interview than on paper. Through my application documents, I would appear to be a new graduate with no work experience, whose entire life has been spent in college. I am motivated to become a life planner and have studied enough to have a sufficient understanding of the insurance field, but I am still worried because I do not have much practical experience.
However, those concerns will disappear the moment you meet me at the interview. First of all, I have leadership skills, as I have taken the initiative in organizing a camp and an event. I have a very outgoing personality and have no difficulty interacting with people. I would describe myself as tough, gutsy, talented, and cool. Thanks to my personality, I have many friends and I believe I have great potential in insurance sales. I want to be a successful employee in this field, so I will develop my ability to listen to customers and gradually become a talented person who is closer to success.
