--- title: How to Assess Underwriting Candidates Well description: Learn how to assess underwriting candidates for technical judgement, portfolio fit, delegated authority and commercial impact in insurance hiring teams. image: https://afocirmbqdxnkyescnev.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/featured-images/16de3fe2-4d37-46e8-aaf6-f5b9d790afb6/workflows/fe87de34-c699-4015-b2b0-f1c5983e2287.webp --- [Skip to content](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/how-to-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) [Client Talent Portal](https://portal.hookerheijden.com.au/desk) [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 Well By David Hooker · 1 September 2026 ![](https://afocirmbqdxnkyescnev.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/featured-images/16de3fe2-4d37-46e8-aaf6-f5b9d790afb6/workflows/fe87de34-c699-4015-b2b0-f1c5983e2287.webp) An underwriting appointment can alter a book’s profitability, broker confidence and capacity relationships well beyond the first 90 days. Knowing **how to assess underwriting candidates** means looking past product familiarity and a credible insurer or agency name on a CV. The strongest appointment is usually the person whose judgement, authority and commercial approach match the portfolio you are asking them to protect or grow. ## Start with the mandate, not the CV Underwriting is not one capability. A technically capable [property underwriter](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insurance_underwriting_jobs) may not be the right appointment for a casualty-led portfolio, a complex SME book or a start-up underwriting agency building broker distribution. Before interviewing, define what the role must achieve in commercial terms. Is the priority to improve loss ratio discipline, establish a new product line, retain key broker relationships, write more profitable premium, or manage a delegated authority? Each outcome changes the profile required. A role with a mature, high-volume portfolio may call for process discipline and referral management. A growth role may require a market-facing underwriter who can articulate appetite clearly, win broker support and still hold a pricing line. Be equally clear about the candidate’s decision-making remit. There is a material difference between an underwriter who gathers information and refers risks, and one who holds meaningful authority, negotiates terms and takes ownership of outcomes. Job titles alone do not establish that distinction. ## How to assess underwriting candidates beyond technical knowledge Technical knowledge is the entry point, not the complete assessment. Candidates should be able to discuss exposures, policy wordings, endorsements, rating factors, aggregation and claims trends relevant to the class of business. But employers should test how that knowledge translates into a real decision when information is incomplete and commercial pressure is present. A useful interview is built around a risk scenario drawn from the actual portfolio. Provide enough detail to make the scenario realistic: the insured’s operations, turnover, location, claims history, broker relationship, target premium and requested terms. Ask the candidate to explain what they would seek before quoting, what they would decline or refer, and how they would position their response with the broker. Listen for the reasoning, rather than a single “correct” answer. A capable underwriter identifies the material exposures, distinguishes between an issue that can be managed through terms and one that falls outside appetite, and can explain the price required for the risk. They should also recognise when a risk needs further [specialist input from claims](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insurance_claims_jobs), actuarial, reinsurance or legal colleagues. The assessment should reflect the role’s class-specific demands. For example, a financial lines underwriter needs sound judgement around financial strength, governance and contractual exposure. A liability underwriter should be able to interrogate operations, controls and loss causation. In property, natural catastrophe exposure, construction and business interruption values may be central. Generic questions about “risk appetite” rarely provide enough evidence. ### Test pricing judgement and portfolio thinking Strong individual-risk analysis matters, but underwriting candidates should also demonstrate an understanding of the book. Ask how they monitor rate movement, renewal retention, loss ratio, exposure concentration, new business conversion and referral patterns. The answer should show that they understand the trade-off between top-line growth and underwriting margin. Not every role requires an underwriter to build pricing models or own portfolio analytics. In larger insurers, these responsibilities may sit across specialist teams. Even so, the underwriter should know which data signals a deteriorating book and when to act. Candidates who speak only about winning business, without addressing rate adequacy or accumulation, warrant closer examination. It is also worth asking for an example of a risk they declined, restricted or repriced despite broker pressure. This reveals whether the candidate can preserve a relationship while making a disciplined underwriting decision. In specialist markets, the ability to say no clearly and constructively is as commercially valuable as the ability to quote quickly. ## Establish the reality of their authority Authority is frequently overstated or misunderstood in recruitment conversations. A candidate may have managed a substantial premium volume while holding limited signing authority, or may have had broad authority within tightly prescribed underwriting rules. Neither situation is inherently negative, but they represent different experience. Ask candidates to describe their personal authority by product, limit, territory and referral threshold. Clarify whether authority was formalised, how often exceptions were approved, and whether they contributed to referrals above their limit. For delegated authority roles, explore their understanding of binder terms, bordereaux, audit requirements, claims protocols, capacity reporting and compliance obligations. Australian general insurance employers should also assess the candidate’s awareness of the regulated environment relevant to the position. Depending on the business model, that may include the practical implications of AFSL obligations, product governance, conduct expectations, complaints processes and distribution controls. An underwriter does not need to be a compliance officer, but they must recognise that profitable underwriting cannot be separated from appropriate governance. ## Assess broker and stakeholder credibility Underwriters operate through relationships. A candidate’s broker network can be useful, particularly in specialist classes or regional markets, but network claims should never be the sole reason for an appointment. The more useful question is why brokers use that person. Ask for examples of how they have won a broker’s confidence, repaired a difficult trading relationship or explained an adverse decision. High-quality candidates tend to be responsive without becoming indiscriminate. They set expectations, provide clear rationale and look for practical alternatives where the original submission does not fit appetite. Internal stakeholder management deserves the same attention. An underwriter may need to work with claims teams on emerging loss patterns, negotiate capacity requirements with reinsurers, brief leaders on portfolio performance and support product or distribution colleagues. Candidates should be able to explain how they use those relationships to improve underwriting decisions, rather than treating them as administrative hurdles. ### Look for evidence of ownership The best evidence comes from specific examples with measurable outcomes. During interview and reference checking, test for five areas: - a pricing or terms decision that improved risk quality or profitability - a referral or decline handled without damaging a key broker relationship - action taken after a claims trend, audit finding or portfolio concern emerged - contribution to a product, wording, process or appetite change - accountability for results, including a decision that did not perform as expected Candidates need not have a perfect record. In fact, a thoughtful account of a poor underwriting outcome can be more persuasive than polished claims of uninterrupted success. Look for people who can identify what they missed, how they corrected the issue and what control or habit changed afterwards. ## Use references to verify judgement, not just employment Reference checks are particularly valuable for underwriting appointments because they can clarify the gap between a candidate’s stated scope and their practical impact. Structure references around the mandate rather than asking only whether the individual was reliable or well regarded. Ask referees about the candidate’s risk judgement, appetite discipline, broker communication, referral behaviour and response to claims or performance issues. Confirm their authority level and the degree of independence they exercised. For leadership appointments, explore whether they lifted consistency across the team, developed junior underwriters and contributed to a clearer underwriting culture. Discretion is essential where candidates are employed and operate within close insurance market networks. A [specialist recruitment process](https://hookerheijden.com.au/newsinsights) should protect confidentiality while still obtaining credible, role-relevant market insight at the appropriate stage. ## Avoid the common hiring shortcuts The most common mistake is hiring solely on class experience. Relevant product knowledge shortens the learning curve, but it does not prove commercial judgement, stakeholder influence or suitability for a particular underwriting model. A technically excellent insurer underwriter may need support when moving into an entrepreneurial agency environment, where distribution and capacity management are more immediate. Conversely, an agency underwriter may bring valuable speed and broker engagement but need to adapt to a more structured insurer setting. Another shortcut is treating an existing broker following as guaranteed premium. Broker relationships belong to the market, not to one individual. Test the depth, relevance and quality of those relationships, and ensure expectations are realistic around restrictive covenants, client ownership and the time required to earn new trust. Salary should be considered in the context of the candidate’s likely impact, not just their previous package. An underwriter who can improve risk selection, retain critical broker support or establish a viable new portfolio may warrant a different investment from someone joining a tightly controlled renewal function. The mandate should make that value equation clear before negotiations begin. A well-run assessment process does more than identify capable underwriters. It gives the successful candidate a precise view of the portfolio, authority and expectations they are accepting - the foundation for sound decisions from their first day. ## 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 ### [The Future of Broker Distribution in ANZ](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/future-of-broker-distribution-anz) How the future of broker distribution will reshape advice, underwriting access and talent demand across Australia’s and New Zealand’s insurance ... [Read article](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/future-of-broker-distribution-anz) ### [How to Become an Insurance Broker in Australia](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/how-to-become-insurance-broker-australia) Learn how to become an insurance broker in Australia, from entry pathways and ASIC requirements to the skills that build a real commercial broking ... [Read article](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/how-to-become-insurance-broker-australia) ### [Legal Hiring Strategy for Specialist Teams](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/legal-hiring-strategy-specialist-teams) Build a legal hiring strategy that identifies sector-ready lawyers, protects team capacity and supports commercial outcomes for firms at national ... [Read article](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/legal-hiring-strategy-specialist-teams) ### [How to Assess Underwriting Candidates Properly](https://hookerheijden.com.au/insights/assess-underwriting-candidates) Learn how to assess underwriting candidates for technical judgement, portfolio fit and commercial impact in Australia's specialist insurance market ... 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