Financial-services hiring is weighted towards experienced, higher-qualified people rather than entry-level intake. In the financial services sector, recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than RQF 3 to 5 roles, according to the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report (2026).
That matters for underwriting. RQF 6+ sits at degree level and above, which tells us the demand is for people who can hold regulatory knowledge and apply it, not just recite it. When the shortage is concentrated at that end of the ladder, the interview carries more weight, because there are fewer easy substitutes for proven judgement.
The underwriter's day is split between the model and the call. Automated triage, pricing engines and AI assistants now handle the first pass on routine risks, so the human role moves towards the cases that do not fit the pattern: unusual exposures, borderline files and the moments where a rule needs interpreting. The demand for RQF 6+ roles in financial services, as set out in the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report (2026), fits that picture, because exception handling and regulatory interpretation are hard to delegate to a tool.
So the interview has to test something different. It is less about whether someone can process a clean submission and more about whether they can challenge an AI-generated recommendation, spot where the data is thin, and explain their reasoning to a broker, a regulator or a line manager.
Start by separating what a tool can screen from what only a conversation can reveal. Qualifications, licences and basic experience are a filter you can apply before anyone sits down. With the shortage concentrated at RQF 6+ in financial services, as reported by the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report (2026), you want your interview time spent on judgement, not on confirming a CV.
Use structured, scenario-based questions and score them against a clear rubric, so two interviewers rate the same answer the same way. Bring a real, anonymised case into the room. Ask candidates to work with an AI-generated recommendation rather than pretend it doesn't exist, because that's the job now. And move quickly: strong, higher-qualified people in a tight market don't stay available for long, so a slow process loses them.
This is where we help. We search a database of 15 million candidates to build a ranked shortlist, so your interviewers spend their time on risk judgement rather than first-pass screening. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. If you're hiring underwriters this quarter, start a role with Reed.ai today and see your shortlist.
