Want to become an actuary but not sure how? Here are a few key tips and tricks to landing the perfect actuarial job for you…
How to get a job as an actuary
To be an actuary, not only do you have top notch maths skills and work hard to pass tough examinations, you also have to develop your people skills, learn to network effectively and develop your business sense.
The rewards may be big, but actuaries are certainly no strangers to hard work. Still think it could be the career for you? We’ve compiled the best advice from all of our professional actuaries’ profiles to bring you these top five tips on how to make it in the industry:
- Be enthusiastic. Recruiters want positive candidates who’ll fit in well with the office dynamic, and when balancing your work, study and outside commitments gets tough, it’s your reserves of energy and enthusiasm that will see you through to success.
- Practice your communication skills. You might think being an actuary is all crunching numbers, but being an actuary means working in business. Developing professional relationships, as well as writing reports and being able to explain complex concepts to laymen, is vital.
- Network. Right from the start, talking to as many people in the industry as you can will help you gain insights into the industry and may lead to that all-important interview…
- Get some work experience. As well as giving you valuable experience and proving your commitment to the profession, it can often lead to fast-tracking through the graduate recruitment process.
- Make sure you choose a company that suits you – think about the effect of different sizes of company, specialisms and office cultures and where you would best fit in. Take a look at our articles in Areas of Work to get a better idea of what each might involve. Profiles in the Employer Directory will tell you a little about what working for each company might be like. As always, plenty of research is the key to landing on your feet.
Now take a look at what professional actuaries have to say themselves here…
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