When starting a new role with no direct work experience there is no better way to get to grips with it than by learning on the job. Working alongside seasoned practitioners day in, day out delivers a level of insight that no other approach can reach.
At Crawford, we have always known that the best way for those new to adjusting to find their feet is by standing alongside one of our experienced adjusters. And that approach has certainly paid dividends in the case of David Montgomery.
Currently, in the final stages of achieving his General Adjuster status, David can trace his career progress right back to working alongside his then Manager at Crawford, Mike Bottan in Ontario, Canada.
“I joined Crawford with no actual insurance experience – I was completely green,” he explains. “But from the start, Mike took me under his wing. In those initial months, I would attend site inspections with him and take notes. As we were based in a remote location, that often meant travelling for up to five hours to and from a claim site. But that time was never wasted, as Mike would take the opportunity to test my claims knowledge and always encouraged me to ask questions.”
What also helped him get up to adjusting speed was the fact that they were handling such a diverse array of claims each day.
“On any one day I could be working on a load transfer with a tractor-trailer in a ditch in the morning,” he says, “inspecting a slip-and-trip claim in the afternoon, and reviewing a total loss barn fire that evening – it really is something different every day. Mike also allowed me to attend major Cat losses, which gave me first-hand experience early on of these high-pressure situations.”
Alongside his on-the-job development, David also began the process of securing the qualifications essential to furthering his career.
“During that time, I undertook the Chartered Insurance Professional program – and once again Mike was on-hand to assist me as I got to grips with the course. I successfully completed the program in 2018”
David’s career path saw him leave rural Ontario in 2018 and move to Toronto, where he had the opportunity to further develop his adjusting knowledge by working with Crawford Global Technical Services (Crawford GTS). The move saw him join the company’s mentor program, working alongside Crawford GTS Executive General Adjuster Mark Hale.
“The mentor program has been a very important part of my career progression,” he believes.
“The time I’ve spent with Mark has been extremely valuable in giving me exposure to large and complex claims that I might not have otherwise got. As part of the program, we also meet with managers on a monthly basis and I have a series of mentor goals that I am working to and my progress is monitored regularly.”
But it’s not just through the program that David has tapped into the extensive adjusting experience across Crawford, as advice from colleagues is always on hand, David says.
“There have been many colleagues throughout my career who have made themselves readily available if I have any questions. It’s really important to recognize just how willing people are at Crawford to let you learn from their experience. In fact, I can say that I have never had a colleague tell me that they were too busy to discuss a claim during my time at Crawford.”
And as David closes in on securing his General Adjuster status it’s clear that the openness of Crawford colleagues and their willingness to share their experience has played a part in getting him to where he is today.
