The First Thing Employers Look At

At the very top of every good actuarial resume is a listing of all exams passed and the next exam being written.

So exams passed are literally the first thing employers learn about you.

Yes, I know that technically your name and contact info is at the top of your resume too, but employers won’t even look at that info until they’ve decided to interview you. They don’t need to. It makes no difference in their hiring decision.

But exams on the other hand do make a difference.

It’s often one of the key deciding factors in a hiring decision. All else being equal, a hiring manager will usually choose the candidate with more exams.

So passing exams is super important for your career going forward.

That’s why learning to study for exams properly from the beginning can be a huge factor in your actuarial success.

It gives you a competitive edge over other candidates that don’t make that a priority.

Actually, that’s why I offer my Study Strategy Consulting Program now… because when I first started studying, I was doing it all wrong. Now I see that others are making the same mistakes that I once made, without even realizing it.

I wasted tons of time procrastinating. I thought that I knew enough from my classes to pass without much effort. I actually thought the exams wouldn’t be all that difficult. And I studied for my first exam just like I would have for any other exam I had written in the past (which didn’t end so well).

Now in hindsight, I realize that I spent so much time studying the wrong way. I failed, and then kept repeating the same process over and over again. Each time getting a little closer to passing.

I did this primarily because I didn’t know any other way to do it.  I completely understand if you feel this way too.

It resulted in my co-op/internship resume not really standing out in the overcrowded market of candidates.

Especially at University of Waterloo where I studied, where hundreds of candidates are all applying for the few actuarial co-op/internship positions available.

You need to stand out.

So one way of making your self stand out when employers first look at your resume is to have some exams passed.  Typically 2 – 4 is a good number, depending on the position, the employer, the competition and whether it’s an internship or your first job.

Make sure that you’re completely committed and dedicated to passing each exam you write so that you don’t waste time doing it like I did.

Create a study strategy for each exam.  Don’t underestimate the power of it.

Fortunately, you can read lots of the blog posts and other information on my site to support you in creating your own study strategy.

Or find out if the Study Strategy Consulting Program would be a good option for you by taking the “Will this actually work for me” survey.