Underwriter CV example and writing guide for 2026

Choose a clear structure

Use a single-column CV with standard headings, a plain font and generous spacing. Avoid graphics, text boxes, columns and decorative tables in the CV itself. A reverse-chronological format puts your latest role first and lets recruiters see how your judgement, authority and commercial responsibility have developed. One or two pages is a sensible target for a mid-level underwriter; less experienced candidates should not pad the document, while senior candidates can use a second page when their portfolio scope and leadership evidence justify it.

Arrange the sections in this order:

Keep the personal statement focused. In three or four lines, identify your level, type of underwriting work and strongest evidence. If you have portfolio or delegated authority experience, make its scale easy to spot. An entry-level applicant can instead draw on numerical study, insurance administration, accurate record keeping or trusted handling of confidential information. Avoid broad claims such as "excellent communicator" unless the experience section proves them.

Treat experience as the centre of the underwriter CV. Describe decisions, referrals and results rather than copying a list of duties. Where disclosure permits, give context through book size, case volume, retention, hit ratio or loss ratio. State the line of business and underwriting authority when they help a recruiter understand your level. Use only accurate, non-confidential figures.

Build the skills section after reading the vacancy. Include hard and soft skills that genuinely match its essential criteria. Mirror exact terms such as "commercial lines" or "specialty" only when they describe your background. If relevant, name systems and data sources you have actually used, including Guidewire, Duck Creek, Verisk or LexisNexis. A short, credible list is better than a crowded block of keywords.

Keep education compact once your recent work provides stronger evidence. Give each awarded qualification, subject, institution and completion year. Mark current study accurately rather than making it look completed. Extras should earn their space: include a language, professional membership, course or volunteering activity when it adds something relevant to the application.

Before submitting, check that dates, job titles and formatting are consistent. Read every bullet aloud and remove repeated openings, vague adjectives and unsupported claims. Save the final version in the file format requested by the employer and use a straightforward filename containing your name and the role.

Write about decisions and outcomes

An underwriter experience section should show what changed because of your work. Use a simple pattern: action + scope + method + result. Scope tells the reader how substantial the work was; the result shows whether it mattered. Depending on your genuine experience, scope could cover portfolio value, case volume, delegated authority or a line of business. Results could include retention, hit ratio, loss ratio, turnaround time or quality-assurance performance.

Begin with a precise verb. Useful choices include assessed, analysed, approved, declined, referred, priced, negotiated, reviewed, renewed, escalated and documented. Openings such as "helped with" or "responsible for" leave the reader guessing about your contribution.

The revised bullets answer the questions left by the originals: how much work was involved, what the candidate did and what happened afterwards. They also reveal seniority. An assistant underwriter might show assessment of client risk, contributions to accept-or-decline and premium decisions, and appropriate referral of cases beyond approved financial authority. A more experienced candidate can give greater weight to authority, premium volume, lines of business and ownership of portfolio results.

Numbers need context. "Improved retention by 5%" says less than "raised renewal retention from 82% to 87% across a £6.2m commercial book" because the first version hides the starting point and scope. Do not invent a number or disclose restricted information. If exact commercial figures cannot be shared, use an employer-approved range or a safe operational measure such as monthly case volume, turnaround time or audit performance.

Show the process when it proves judgement. A strong bullet might explain that you gathered information from several sources, analysed it, recorded a recommendation and referred the case when appropriate. Mention liaison with colleagues, specialists or external stakeholders when that work brought a case to a successful conclusion. Record keeping deserves evidence too: an improvement in file completeness, processing accuracy or backlog size is more persuasive than "maintained system records".

Keep each bullet to one or two lines. Put the most relevant result near the beginning and remove background that the job title already explains. Use past tense for completed achievements. Present tense can describe continuing work in a current position, although a finished result still takes the past tense.

List education in reverse-chronological order, giving the awarded qualification, subject, institution and completion year. Once you have several years of relevant work, keep this section brief so recent underwriting decisions and portfolio results receive more space. Earlier-career candidates can add selected modules, projects or assessed outcomes when those details demonstrate useful numerical, analytical or communication work. Describe the evidence, rather than pasting a course synopsis.

The UK Insurance Practitioner apprenticeship is one route that can lead to underwriting. On that specific route, the supporting qualification is either the Certificate in Insurance (Cert CII) or the Certificate in Claims Handling (Cert CILA). This is conditional guidance for that apprenticeship, not a universal entry requirement for every underwriting vacancy. Candidates following its qualification-credit route must complete the mandatory modules specified by the awarding body. Record the exact qualification and the modules you completed instead of relying on a vague label.

The apprenticeship is also described as a first step on the route towards the Advanced Diploma in Insurance (ACII). Do not imply that later study has been completed merely because you have started the apprenticeship route. Record professional membership only if it was actually awarded through your particular route, and use the exact membership description and organisation shown in your own documents. This avoids implying that every candidate receives the same membership outcome.

Distinguish carefully between awarded, in-progress and planned learning. Give a completion year for an awarded qualification. For current study, state "In progress" and add an honest expected completion date if known. Leave planned study off the CV until you have enrolled, unless an application specifically asks about future development.

Spell out an unfamiliar qualification on first mention, followed by its accepted abbreviation in brackets. Check every title against the original certificate or membership record. Remove abandoned or unrelated training unless it helps explain a career change. The section should let a recruiter see, without interpretation, what you have completed, what you are studying now and what remains only an intention.