Broker plays down importance of exam results

Insurance employers should not overemphasise exam results when recruiting raw talent, according to the chief executive of broker Moorhouse Group.

Commenting on the announcement of this year’s GCSE results, Lyndon Wood said common sense and life experience was far more important than how many GCSE, AS or A level qualifications a candidate had.

He said: “I have no qualifications at all and all I ever wanted to do was to run my own business. This could have been selling trainers or, as it happened for me, insurance.

“Pressure from parents or potential employers to get academic results is unjustified and not good for candidates at such a young and tender age. Insurance industry employers who are selecting on qualifications alone are, in my experience, missing out on some very able stars of the future."

There were lots of potentially first rate employees who were not clear about the career path they wished to take, or who were not enthused by exams at 16 or 18 years of age.

“If academic study doesn’t appeal, I would recommend that young people find a position with a company like Moorhouse that trains and educates the people in the business.

“Personally, the best thing I did was not to get tarnished by a particular way of thinking or doing things by the business world.

"There is nothing better than looking for innovative ways to serve your customers better, delivering solutions and then watching your own business grow.”