Let’s be honest for a second. Have you ever tried to explain what you do to a recent college grad? You see that little flicker in their eyes. It’s not excitement. It’s not curiosity. It’s that polite, glazed-over look that says, “Oh, insurance. That sounds… stable.”
And then the conversation moves on.
We’ve got a massive talent gap looming, and we all know it. We’re looking at a generation—Gen Z—that we desperately need to bring into the fold. But for some reason, the connection just isn't happening. We’re waving a flag for stability and good benefits, and they’re just walking right on by.
So, what are we doing wrong? Is the talent not out there?
According to Josh Levine, the CEO of UX design agency Cake & Arrow, the talent is absolutely out there. The problem isn’t them. It’s us. It’s the story we’re telling—or rather, the story we’re not telling.
They Know We’re Stable, But They Still Don’t Want to Work for Us
Cake & Arrow recently did a study that really hits this home. They found that a staggering 79% of Gen Z have never even considered a career in insurance.
Let that sink in. Nearly 8 out of 10 young people haven’t given our industry a single thought.
Even more telling, almost half of them said they just weren’t interested, and 14% were so sure about it they said nothing could ever change their minds. Ouch.
Here’s the kicker, though. It’s not because they don’t see the value. The same study found that 55% of them actually have a pretty positive view of what insurance does. They get that it’s about protection and security. And when asked what’s most appealing about a potential career with us, what do you think they said? Stability. The very thing we’ve been trying to sell them on.
So, if they want stability and they know we have it, why is there such a huge disconnect?
It all comes down to perception. They think they know what a job in insurance looks like, and frankly, they’re not impressed.
It’s Not Just "Boring" Anymore—It's a Trust Issue
For years, our biggest reputational hurdle was the “boring” label. And yeah, that’s still a thing. The study found 67% of Gen Zers see us as boring or outdated. No huge surprise there.
But something more serious has crept into the picture. A growing number of young people see the insurance industry as fundamentally untrustworthy.
Think about the world they grew up in. They see everything play out online. When a friend has a terrible claims experience after a car accident or a burst pipe, they don't just complain to their family. They post it on TikTok. They share it on Instagram. They see news stories and viral threads about insurance companies that didn’t come through when people needed them most.
As Levine puts it, "they’ve seen or heard way too many stories to really trust it."
This isn’t just a PR problem. This hits at the very core of their values. If they don’t believe we’ll do right by people, why on earth would they want to dedicate their careers to being a part of it?
Until we can start rebuilding that trust—by being more transparent, more fair, and a lot more human—our recruitment message is just going to be noise.
Here’s the Twist: Our Biggest Weakness is Our Best Selling Point
Okay, so this all sounds a bit bleak. They think we’re outdated and we can’t be trusted. How do we possibly work with that?
Well, what if we stopped trying to hide it? What if we owned it?
This is where Levine’s perspective gets really interesting. He sees this perception challenge as our single greatest opportunity. Gen Z is a generation that wants to make an impact. They want purpose. They want to fix things.
So, what if our pitch wasn’t, “Come work for our perfect, stable industry”?
What if, instead, it was: “Hey, you think this industry is broken? You think it can be better? Good. Come help us fix it.”
Think about it. Which is more exciting to an ambitious, passionate young person? A career in an industry that has it all figured out, or one where there’s a massive opportunity to drive real, meaningful change?
To me, that’s a powerful selling point. We can tell them, “Let’s go where we can provide value and make a difference. There’s a lot of ground to make up here, and we need your help to do it.”
Let’s Stop Selling Jobs and Start Offering a Mission
This means we have to completely reframe what a career in insurance looks like.
We need to shift the narrative from "salespeople" to "guides." We’re not just selling policies; we’re helping people understand their coverage, make smart decisions, and build financial peace of mind. We’re consultants, advocates, and problem-solvers.
That’s a mission people can get behind.
But here’s the most important part: this can’t just be a slick new recruitment campaign. If we bring these bright, motivated people in the door with promises of changing the world, and then stick them in a rigid, old-fashioned system where they have no voice, they’ll be gone in a year.
This is about more than just recruitment; it’s about retention.
We have to "flip the script," as Levine says. We need to actually create a culture where they have the flexibility and the openness to contribute to a better customer experience. We need to empower them to be the change we’re telling them they can be.
The talent is there. The desire for stable, meaningful careers is there. The ball is officially in our court. The question is no longer whether we can find the right people, but whether we’re willing to evolve our story—and our industry—to be worthy of them.
