--- title: How to Assess Underwriting Candidates Properly description: Learn how to assess underwriting candidates for technical judgement, portfolio fit and commercial impact in Australia's specialist insurance market roles. image: https://afocirmbqdxnkyescnev.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/featured-images/16de3fe2-4d37-46e8-aaf6-f5b9d790afb6/workflows/2b4b6f5a-f18c-4440-b0ab-29a82865e40d.webp --- [Skip to content](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/assess-underwriting-candidates#main) [![Hooker & Heijden](https://hookerheijden.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/hh-logo-fullcolour-transparent.png?width=148&height=58&name=hh-logo-fullcolour-transparent.png)](https://hookerheijden.com.au/) Menu [Jobs](https://hookerheijden.zohorecruit.com/jobs/Careers) [Insurance](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insurance_broking_jobs_careers) - [Broking](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insurance_broking_jobs_careers) - [Underwriting](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insurance_underwriting_jobs_careers) - [Claims](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insurance_claims_jobs_careers) [Legal](https://hookerheijden.com.au/legal_jobs_and_legal_careers) [Employers](https://hookerheijden.com.au/employers) [About](https://hookerheijden.com.au/about) [News & Insights](https://hookerheijden.com.au/newsinsights) [Contact](https://hookerheijden.com.au/contact) [Register with us](https://hookerheijden.com.au/candidate-registration_australia) - [Register, Australia](https://hookerheijden.com.au/candidate-registration_australia) - [Register, New Zealand](https://hookerheijden.com.au/candidate-registration-new-zealand) [Insights](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights) # How to Assess Underwriting Candidates Properly By David Hooker · 5 November 2026 ![](https://afocirmbqdxnkyescnev.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/featured-images/16de3fe2-4d37-46e8-aaf6-f5b9d790afb6/workflows/2b4b6f5a-f18c-4440-b0ab-29a82865e40d.webp) An underwriting appointment can alter the quality of a portfolio long after the vacancy is closed. The right person will price with discipline, question poor risks, support broker relationships and recognise where appetite needs to change. To assess underwriting candidates properly, employers need to look beyond product familiarity and a polished explanation of their current book. For insurers and [underwriting agencies](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/general-insurance-talent-guide-employers), the most valuable hires combine technical judgement with commercial awareness. The balance required will differ between a high-volume SME portfolio, a specialist liability class and a delegated authority environment, but the assessment principle is consistent: test how the candidate makes decisions when information is incomplete and the consequences sit with the balance sheet. ## Start with the underwriting mandate Before reviewing CVs, define what the role must achieve in its first 12 to 24 months. A request for an experienced underwriter can conceal very different needs. One business may need a technically sound risk selector to stabilise loss performance. Another may require someone who can grow a broker panel, improve turnaround times or build a new product proposition. Clarify the portfolio, class of business, authority limits, distribution model and reporting line. Establish whether the appointee will underwrite within prescribed rules, refer complex decisions, manage a team or hold meaningful delegated authority. These details shape the calibre and profile required. It is also worth separating essential experience from preferences. Prior experience in the same class can shorten the learning curve, particularly in technical lines such as professional indemnity, financial lines, construction or liability. It should not, however, automatically outweigh transferable underwriting capability. A strong casualty underwriter may bring better judgement, broker credibility and portfolio discipline than a candidate whose only advantage is a familiar product label. ## Assess underwriting candidates against real decisions The most revealing interview questions are grounded in actual underwriting work. General questions about strengths, career goals or teamwork have their place, but they do not establish how a person will respond to an unattractive submission from a strategically important broker. Ask candidates to explain a difficult risk they accepted, declined or referred. Probe the information they sought, the rating factors they considered, the coverage terms they changed and the reason for the final decision. A capable underwriter should be able to describe their thinking clearly, including what made the risk uncertain and how they managed that uncertainty. A short case study can be equally useful. Use a sanitised submission that reflects the role's likely work: a distressed manufacturing risk, a professional services firm with adverse claims history, or a property account with catastrophe exposure. Ask the candidate to identify the key exposures, outline missing information, set out preliminary terms and explain whether they would proceed, decline or refer. The objective is not to reward the person who produces the most detailed answer. It is to understand their decision framework. Look for candidates who can distinguish material underwriting issues from background noise, explain pricing rationale and articulate the trade-off between premium growth and risk quality. ### What strong answers tend to show Strong candidates demonstrate practical command of exposure, claims experience, wording, limits, deductibles, accumulation and reinsurance considerations relevant to their class. They know when a risk falls outside appetite and do not disguise uncertainty with jargon. They also recognise that underwriting is not performed in isolation. Their answer should account for broker relationships, service commitments, system capability, referrals and the broader portfolio. Commercial awareness matters, but it should never sound like a willingness to write poor business simply to meet a growth target. ## Test portfolio thinking, not just individual risk selection An underwriter may make sensible decisions on single submissions yet lack visibility over how those decisions aggregate. This is particularly relevant for senior underwriters, portfolio managers and underwriting agency hires with responsibility for capacity, product profitability or a delegated authority. Ask how they monitor a portfolio after bind. Their response should cover the measures that matter for the class, such as written and earned premium, rate movement, loss ratio, frequency and severity trends, exposure concentration, renewal retention, referral patterns and broker mix. The exact reporting suite will vary, but a candidate should understand the relationship between leading indicators and deteriorating results. Explore an example of a portfolio that underperformed. What did they identify first? Did they tighten terms, alter pricing, reduce capacity, adjust appetite, change broker engagement or escalate the issue to capacity providers? The best candidates can explain both the corrective action and the evidence that supported it. Be cautious of answers focused solely on loss ratio. Loss data is fundamental, but it is often delayed and can be distorted by large losses, case reserve development or immature accident years. Experienced underwriters use claims intelligence alongside exposure data, rate adequacy and qualitative market feedback. ## Evaluate commercial credibility with brokers and capacity providers In Australian and New Zealand insurance markets, underwriting capability is closely tied to distribution. A technically excellent underwriter who cannot build confidence with brokers may struggle to access quality opportunities. Equally, a highly connected market-facing candidate who cannot maintain underwriting discipline creates a different risk. Ask how the candidate has developed broker relationships and what they expect from a productive trading partnership. Good answers refer to clarity of appetite, reliable service, candid feedback on submissions and consistency in decisions. They should be able to describe how they handle a broker who challenges a decline or seeks an exception. For roles involving delegated authority or agency management, assess the candidate's understanding of capacity relationships as well. They should appreciate the importance of operating within agreed parameters, maintaining transparent reporting and escalating material issues early. Capacity is not simply a source of paper. It is a relationship sustained by confidence in governance, data and underwriting execution. ## Check for operational discipline and regulatory awareness Technical judgement loses value if an underwriter cannot document decisions, follow authority protocols or work effectively with claims, actuarial, compliance and operations teams. This is especially relevant in lean underwriting agencies, where senior staff may carry responsibility across product, distribution and governance. Discuss their approach to referrals, file notes, exceptions and audit requirements. Ask what they do when a broker requests an urgent indication but information is incomplete. The answer should show a sensible balance between responsiveness and control. Regulatory knowledge should be appropriate to the role. Candidates do not need to recite legislation, but experienced professionals should understand the practical importance of fair treatment, product governance, disclosure obligations, sanctions screening, privacy and managing conflicts. For managers, probe how they ensure others operate within delegated authority and documented underwriting guidelines. ## Use references to validate judgement and impact References should do more than confirm employment dates and personal style. Seek specific evidence of underwriting authority, portfolio outcomes, broker reputation and conduct under pressure. A referee may not disclose every commercial detail, but they can often provide a clear view of whether the candidate was trusted with difficult decisions and why. Useful reference questions include how the candidate handled referral decisions, whether they improved portfolio quality, how they responded to adverse claims development and whether brokers viewed them as credible and consistent. For leadership appointments, ask about their willingness to challenge growth assumptions and maintain controls when commercial pressure increased. A reference is also a useful check on scope. Job titles vary widely across insurers and agencies. A candidate described as a senior underwriter may have held broad authority in one business and a largely transactional role in another. Confirm the scale of the book, decision rights and the practical nature of their contribution. ## Make the final assessment role-specific The strongest appointment is not always the candidate with the longest list of products on their CV. It is the person whose judgement, authority level and market relationships match the underwriting mandate in front of you. A technical specialist may be ideal for a complex portfolio remediation exercise, while a commercially minded relationship underwriter may be better suited to a growth role with an established broker network. Where the role combines both demands, assess each dimension deliberately rather than assuming one will follow the other. A [specialist recruitment process](https://hookerheijden.com.au/employers) brings useful market context to this decision: which candidates have genuine authority, who is regarded well by brokers and capacity providers, and where a stated track record has been tested in challenging conditions. Hooker & Heijden works with employers who need that level of informed assessment in specialist insurance hiring. The right underwriting hire should leave the business with more than a filled seat. They should bring better decisions, [clearer appetite](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/best-ways-to-recruit-underwriters) and the confidence to grow the right risks. ## Talk to a specialist Looking for your next role? Register once and a consultant will call you. Hiring? Send us a brief. [Register with us](https://hookerheijden.com.au/candidate-registration_australia)[Brief us on a role](https://hookerheijden.com.au/employers#brief) ## More insights ### [In House Counsel vs Law Firm: Which Career Fits?](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/in-house-counsel-vs-law-firm) In house counsel vs law firm: assess workload, commercial exposure, progression and pay to make a considered legal career move in Australia with ... [Read article](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/in-house-counsel-vs-law-firm) ### [Guide to Underwriting Agency Acquisitions](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/guide-to-underwriting-agency-acquisitions) Guide to underwriting agency acquisitions covering portfolio quality, people, delegated authority, systems, value and deal risk before you commit ... [Read article](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/guide-to-underwriting-agency-acquisitions) Claims ### [Is Moving From Claims to Underwriting Right for You?](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/moving-from-claims-to-underwriting) Moving from claims to underwriting can build on your judgement. Learn where experience transfers, gaps to close, and how to position your move ... 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