Actuarial recruitment specialists

Back to basics: CV writing for actuarial professionals

Curriculum vitae translates literally as ‘the story of your life’. It is a personal advertisement that will assist your next step up the career ladder to a better position, more money, and new challenges. It must represent the best you have to offer. Your CV can continue to work favourably even after it has obtained you an interview. It can help you at an interview by carefully focusing the interviewer’s mind on your good points and achievements. After the interview it will continue working for you, as the interviewer will probably reread it before making a decision. When it comes to salary negotiations a well-written CV can pay dividends do not take shortcuts! That being said, putting your CV together or updating your current one can often be a daunting task, particularly for senior actuarial professionals who may been out of the job market for a longer period of time. It is for this reason you should think carefully about putting together the relevant information for a winning CV. 1.Get the basics right When starting off your CV, it is easy to jump ahead and rush to the other sections, however, it is imperative to put a good plan to together to structure the document appropriately. Contact details are obviously a good place to start, with a mobile number, an evening number and email address. Try to also include the link to your LinkedIn profile to ensure whoever is interviewing can easily find it. This is a great way of giving them more information without clogging up your CV and making it longer than it needs to be. Other sections you should incorporate include; education, employment history, professional qualifications, specialist skills and software skills to name just a few. 2.Be authentic It is important to sell yourself and your skillset on your CV, but be sure not to exaggerate or twist the truth about your experience. Highlight your achievements and what makes you stand out in a competitive job market, but ensure you can always articulately back up your claims on paper with your expertise if you get to the interview stage. 3.Personal statement Include a short section at the top of your CV with a personal statement, detailing your key motivators, why you are looking to leave your current position and why you are interested in the role you are applying for alongside your relevant skills. Ensure this is concise and engaging to capture the attention of the hiring manager. 4.Numbers speak a thousand words Whilst it may take a bit of calculating, it is always worthwhile to incorporate numbers and statistics to sell your achievements. Telling a prospective employer that the models you built increased profitability by 28 percent has a much greater impact than just saying you helped increase profit. Solid statistics such as this can really impress potential hiring managers. 5.Tailor it every time Ensure you tailor your CV for every application to reflect the required skills, experience and culture of the organisation. Try to avoid slipping into the habit of just sending out a standard CV for every role. By tailoring your CV to a specific role, you instantly show you have gone out of your way to research the company and the role, making you stand out from the crowd even further. 6.Proof read it Your CV exists to demonstrate your expertise and professionalism to potential employers and simple mistakes or a lack of attention to detail is not the best first impression – and could even cost you from progressing further in the hiring process. Ensure you proof read it yourself, checking for minor spelling or grammatical errors. Then get someone else to do it too; casting a fresh eye on the document could pinpoint further errors that can be corrected before you send it off. Following these simple steps can really add value to the content of you CV and allow you to gain a winning edge with hiring managers. By continuously updating and refining your CV, you’re ensuring that you make a stellar first impression to recruiters and hiring managers, positioning yourself as the strongest candidate for the role. For more advice on securing your next Actuarial role contact me directly by emailing austin.brislen@sellickpartnership.co.uk.

Actuarial contracting - a risk worth taking?

Over the last 12 months Sellick Partnership’s Actuarial Team have seen a healthy and steady increase in the volume of permanent positions across the market, with internal MI indicating no real change in hiring requirements, from the beginning of the year to now. This is an extremely healthy sign, post-Brexit. On the permanent side, some General Insurers Pricing & Underwriting teams have opted to open up Pricing vacancies to non-Actuarial candidates as well as Actuaries. Although this is not necessarily a new trend, there seems to have been a much greater success rate this year, with companies sourcing highly skilled Pricing professionals to fill what may have traditionally been seen as roles exclusive to Actuaries. However, over the last year our Actuarial Team have experienced a significant growth in the volume of daily rate contract roles we have been receiving from clients. We have seen a substantial increase across both the Life and General Insurance markets. In part some of the increase has been due to organisations taking a more pragmatic view to the use of contractors, to fill short term resource gaps. Whereas some of the growth has come from, long term projects, which may have been the result of an acquisition or system transformation. The increase in contracting opportunities has also impacted the permanent market, as many candidates we have placed in assignments this year have left permanent roles to enter the contracting market. Whilst some may consider taking the jump from permanent to contract slightly daunting, those on the fence seem to have had their concerns quelled by the visible buoyancy of the market and availability of contract roles. With the financial rewards on offer for contracting in the Actuarial market, it is understandable to have seen the increase in the numbers of candidates willing to undertake roles. This is particularly the case when taking into account the potential differences in net take-home after tax, for some contractors versus permanent staff. Feedback from candidates also reflects, that they are finding it very straightforward to practically set themselves up for contracting. As well as the information we can provide candidates about the basics of contracting. There are also a lot of umbrella companies and accountancy firms who are more than happy to offer free consultations to advise on the most efficient tax set up for your individual circumstances. These firms will even set up a Limited company for you and register your company for VAT, for a fee. Over the last 15 years our business has been built of the provision of high quality contractor resource to clients. So Sellick Partnership make life for contractors very straight forward, we have online portals for you to process your timesheets and offer frequent and fast payment terms. Given we have hundreds of contractors on assignment at any one time, we have a dedicated support team who are on hand to answer any queries. If you are thinking of entering the Actuarial contract market, why not drop Sellick Partnership’s Actuarial Team a line on 0151 224 1480 and one of our experienced consultants will be happy to discuss our current assignments.

Actuarial Analyst	Chief Actuary	Senior Pricing Analyst
Chief Risk Officer	Actuarial Manager	Pricing Manager
Actuarial Student	Actuarial Contractor	Head of Pricing
Head of Actuarial	Pricing Consultant	Pricing Director

Actuarial