The Top 12 Protective Life Interview Questions and How to Ace Them

Interviewing at Protective Life can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking experience. As one of the leading providers of insurance and financial solutions in the United States, Protective Life is selective in its hiring process You want to be as prepared as possible so you can land the job.

In this article, I’ll share the top 12 most common Protective Life interview questions based on research of actual interviews candidates have gone through. I’ll provide tips on how to best answer each question so you can highlight your skills and experience.

Overview of Protective Life

Let’s start with some background on Protective Life. Protective Life Insurance Company has been around since 1907 and helps people and businesses with their finances and insurance. Protective Life is based in Birmingham, Alabama, and has grown to serve more than 15 million customers and take care of more than $130 billion in assets.

Protective Life is known for its commitment to integrity, stability and providing quality products and services to its clients. It offers a range of solutions including life insurance, annuities, disability income insurance and more The company employs over 2,800 people across the United States.

The Protective Life Interview Process

The interview process at Protective Life typically involves:

• An initial phone screening with HR
• One or more in-person interviews, often starting with hiring manager then progressing to senior leadership
• For some roles, multiple rounds of interviews may be required

Interviews are casual conversations that test your technical skills, ability to solve problems, communication style, and fit with the company’s culture. You might be asked about your behavior in relation to both real and imagined situations. Technical roles will also include skills assessments.

Come prepared to talk about your qualifications for the role, examples of overcoming challenges, and your alignment with Protective Life’s values.

Now let’s look at 12 of the most frequently asked Protective Life interview questions and how to prepare winning answers:

1. Why do you want to work for Protective Life?

This question gauges your interest in and knowledge of the company. The interviewer wants to know that you have done your research and are genuinely excited about the opportunity.

Tips:

• Review Protective Life’s website, mission, values, and news to understand their goals and culture
• Note specific things that appeal to you – products, growth, values, community involvement, etc.
• Share why you’re drawn to their mission of providing financial security
• Avoid generic answers – tailor your response to Protective Life specifically

Example: “I’m excited to work for Protective Life because I really connect with your mission of providing financial security to customers across their lifetimes. I’m drawn to the wide range of insurance and financial products you provide, from life insurance to retirement solutions. I’m also impressed by Protective Life’s growth and continued innovation in the industry after over 100 years. This shows me that you truly value developing new solutions for customers. If I were to join Protective Life, I would look forward to being part of a forward-thinking company that helps people prepare for the future.”

2. What do you know about our products and services?

The company wants to make sure you have taken the time to understand what they offer. Take a deep dive into their solutions before the interview.

Tips:

• Thoroughly study their products/services on their site
• Know the different insurance policies, financial accounts, employer/group solutions
• Review any product info sheets or videos on the site
• Mention 1-2 specific products and how they meet customer needs

Example: “I understand that Protective Life offers a range of insurance and financial solutions for individuals and businesses. For individuals, you provide term and whole life insurance, guaranteed issue life insurance, annuities including fixed, indexed, and variable options. For businesses, you offer an array of employer/group policies such as dental, life, disability, and vision insurance. One service that stood out to me is your student loan protection program helping borrowers pay back loans if they suffer a disability. This demonstrates how Protective Life develops innovative products to address customers’ changing needs.”

3. How does this role align with your skills and experience?

This question allows you to connect the dots between the responsibilities of the job and your background. Be prepared to highlight your qualifications.

Tips:

• Review the job description closely
• Identify your most relevant hard and soft skills
• Provide examples of how you’ve used these skills previously
• Draw connections between your accomplishments and abilities to the role

Example: “The responsibilities of this customer service role strongly align with both my customer service and insurance experience. In my current position, I handle inbound calls and emails resolving a high volume of customer inquiries every day. I’ve become adept at diagnosing issues, troubleshooting problems, and providing solutions to satisfy customers. Previously, I gained experience with medical insurance policies which taught me key fundamentals of the insurance industry that I can apply in this role. Combined, I have the right mix of customer service skills and insurance knowledge to meet the objectives of this position.”

4. How do you handle an unhappy customer?

This behavioral question tests your approach to customer service. They want to see how you respond in difficult situations.

Tips:

• Share a real example if possible
• Demonstrate empathy, understanding, and patience
• Outline your step-by-step approach to resolve the issue
• Highlight follow-up and prevention of future issues

Example: “When handling an upset customer, I make sure to firstly listen attentively to understand the root of their frustration. I ask thoughtful questions if needed to get all the details. I empathize and apologize for any inconvenience or issue they faced. I remain calm and focus on finding a solution or providing options to resolve their problem. If I need help or approval on a solution, I will consult with a supervisor while keeping the customer informed. After resolving, I thank them for their patience and follow up to ensure they are satisfied with the solution and document the interaction in our CRM system. This helps prevent recurring issues in the future.”

5. How do you stay motivated in this customer service role?

Since customer service can be challenging, interviewers want to know what motivates you. Share what truly drives you in this career.

Tips:

• Discuss your passion for helping people
• Share how you find reward in solving issues and delighting customers
• Give examples of how you maintain positivity through difficult interactions
• Mention internal motivators vs only external motivators like rewards

Example: “What motivates me in customer service is being able to help people in need. I find great fulfillment in listening to customers, diagnosing issues, and guiding them to solutions. Whether it’s helping them understand a complicated policy or file a claim, I enjoy simplifying complex processes and making customers’ lives easier. Even on tough calls, focusing on making each customer satisfied keeps me motivated. I also take pride in representing the company well through my customer interactions. Rather than being driven by external rewards and recognition, I’m motivated by this internal sense of satisfaction in serving customers.”

6. How do you stay up-to-date on insurance regulations?

The ability to comprehend regulatory changes is key in insurance. Share how you actively learn about legal/regulatory updates.

Tips:

• Demonstrate you make continuous learning a priority
• Discuss reading industry publications, legal resources, and news sites
• Share how you leverage trainings and seminars
• Explain how you apply updates to your day-to-day work

Example: “I make a concerted effort to stay current on insurance regulations as I understand their importance in this industry. I maintain a subscription to Insurance Journal where I read updates almost daily. I also regularly review the Department of Insurance website and read quarterly legal bulletins published by associations like ACLI. Whenever regulatory changes are announced, I add them to my calendar for review to fully comprehend the details and implications. I actively seek out webcasts and trainings to enhance my knowledge as well. Within my role, I maintain up-to-date procedure documentation and checklists that I revise any time regulations change so I can ensure compliance.”

7. Tell me about a time you struggled to meet a deadline. What was your approach?

This question tests your time management abilities in high-pressure situations. Be prepared to walk through an example situation.

Tips:

• Choose an example that concluded successfully
• Explain the competing priorities that made the deadline difficult
• Walk through how you prioritized and managed your time
• Share specific actions you took to ensure on-time completion

Example: “When I was managing two major projects simultaneously last year, I began to struggle with meeting deadlines due to the competing priorities. With limited time, I decided to focus first on completing project tasks with the closest deadlines and highest impact. To stay organized, I created a master checklist with milestones and deadlines for both projects color coded by urgency. I also had open communication with both project managers to discuss dependencies and adjust timelines if needed. By working some longer days and being extremely diligent with my schedule, I was able to deliver both projects on-time for our client launch date. This experience taught me how to effectively prioritize under pressure.”