1. Resume Workshop

2. Actuarial Career Fair October 4 from 3-6pm at Michigan League
21 Employers
Internships, Full-Time Jobs
ALL STUDENTS are strongly encouraged to attend, regardless of class standing

3. 6 Sections of Resume 1 2 3 Personal Information Education
Actuarial Exams 3

4. Work/ Leadership Experience
6 Sections of Resume
Work/ Leadership Experience 4

5. 6 Sections of Resume
Technical Skills 5
Additional 6

6. Personal Information Technical Skills Additional Information
Education
Actuarial Exams
Work/ Leadership Experience
Technical Skills
Additional Information

7. Section 1: Personal Information
Use full name with preferred name in parenthesis
International students may elect to use “American name” in parenthesis
Street address, city, STATE ABBREV., Zip code
Use permanent address, NOT University of Michigan address
Use cell phone (or skype, if out of country)
is also an acceptable format
Umich OR professional
Ex: Don’t use

8. Education Technical Skills Additional Information Personal Information
Actuarial Exams
Work/ Leadership Experience
Technical Skills
Additional Information

9. Section 2: Education Part 1
First line same for everyone except class
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Spell out major next to it
Minors/ other majors listed below
No degree granted for minor so don’t include “Bachelor of...”

10. Section 2: Education Part 2
Include GPA if over 3.00
Rounding to 2 decimal places is fine just be consistent
DON’T write 3.80/4
DO write 3.80/4.00
Include any awards
Include club involvement in education section if not heavily involved/ don’t hold leadership positions

11. Actuarial Exams Technical Skills Additional Information
Personal Information
Education
Work/ Leadership Experience
Technical Skills
Additional Information

12. Section 3: Actuarial Exams
Format: Exam name (month and year of pass)
Don’t need to list grades on exams
Include VEEs
If you have applied for all VEEs and received credit, write “obtained” (as shown above)
If haven’t applied for all VEEs and/or have credit for 1 or 2, write “eligible for”
Ex: Eligible for VEE credit in Economics and Corporate Finance
Include course preparation for next actuarial exam and planned sitting date
Illustrates to recruiter that you are still pursuing exams while in college
Same goes for VEEs

13. Work/ Leadership Experience
Personal Information
Education
Actuarial Exams
Technical Skills
Additional Information

14. Section 4: Experience Section Overview
Most important section
Experiences: internships, jobs, leadership positions in clubs, heavy involvement in clubs, etc.
Focus on American experiences for International students
Structure: Reverse chronological order, allocating more bullet points (2-3) to most significant experiences
Format: ACR format, each bullet point fills 2-3 lines with final line filling 50%
Focus: Include skills utilized/learned/developed that translate well to the actuarial profession and then explain how those skills made an impact on the company, community, etc.

15. Section 4: ACR Format Stands for Action, Context, Result Action
Start with an action verb
Use past tense unless it is a current task
Avoid result verbs, such as improved, until the end of the bullet
Recommended Verbs:
Administered, Advised, Analyzed, Assessed, Calculated, Collaborated, Composed, Coordinated, Created, Demonstrated, Designed, Developed, Evaluated, Identified, Implemented, Instructed, Interpreted, Led, Managed, Organized, Planned, Prepared, Presented, Programmed, Projected, Researched, Solved, Standardized, Streamlined, Summarized, Trained, Verified

16. Section 4: ACR Format Stands for Action, Context, Result Context
What was the situation?
Recruiters need some background knowledge

17. Section 4: ACR Format Stands for Action, Context, Result Result
Show impact
Either quantitative or qualitative
Make sure results are accurate
May include expected results if activity is still occurring
Be prepared to support your claims (recruiter may question it)

18. Section 4: Actuarial Work Experience Example
Structure:
Bullet was 2-3 lines and last line filled 50%
Use numbers whenever possible
Include title, company, location, and time of employment
First bullet point ACR:
Action: Utilized Excel
Context: to prepare feasibility studies for 50 profit sharing plan sponsors
Result: identifying appropriateness of adding defined benefit pension plans for 15 prospects
Second bullet point ACR:
Exercise!

19. Section 4: Non-Actuarial Work Experience Example
IMPORTANT!!!!
YOU DO NOT NECESSARILY NEED TO HAVE AN ACTUARIAL INTERNSHIP! RECRUITERS LOOK FOR SKILLS
First bullet point skill: ability to communicate effectively with customers
transfers well to consulting with clients
Second bullet point skill: shows ability to handle conflict
Both follow ACR format
Source: Ross School of Business

20. Section 4: Club Leadership Example
Follows ACR format
Don’t necessarily need to be in a leadership position to include in experience section

21. Section 4: “Beginner Job” Example
Follows ACR format
Identify transferable skills
First bullet point illustrates responsibility
Second bullet point highlights organization skills

22. Section 4: Are high school experiences okay?
For freshmen, absolutely!
You are not expected to have significant experiences within your first week on campus
For everyone else, try to avoid unless significant
Ex: If you started a business in high school, include it
Ex: If you were just a member of the debate team, try and avoid
Remember, you can always include high school experiences in your additional section

23. Technical Skills Personal Information Education Actuarial Exams
Work/Leadership Experience
Additional Information

24. Section 5: Technical Skills
Can divide into software and languages if you’d like
Proficient indicates you are an expert. Safer choice is writing “Working knowledge in ____”
Shouldn’t you list projects completed rather than listing skills?
YES….but each resume is different
In this example, John Doe identified Excel and Alteryx in his experience section so further information is not needed
On the other hand, a computer science major will definitely want to elaborate
Excel: Utilized several features (pivot tables, index-match, charts etc) to complete projects such as Project A and Project B at Company C

25. Additional Information
Personal Information
Education
Actuarial Exams
Work/Leadership Experience
Technical Skills

26. Section 6: Additional Information
Additionals should highlight specific, unique skills/interests that make you stand out
Provides opportunity to share information outside of school, professional development, etc.
Provides opportunity to connect with recruiter
Can include high school information
DON’T just list hobbies, elaborate!
Include 2-5 additionals, it’s okay if they are only one line long

27. Additional Resume Tips
Must-Haves
Information must be ACCURATE
Be prepared to explain/elaborate every single bullet point
No grammar errors/misspellings - have friends, faculty, family proofread
Be clear, concise yet easy to read
Avoid personal pronouns (I, my, we)
Resume should fill 2/3 - 1 page
Limit white space
Avoid periods at the end of bullets
Nitpicky
Avoid articles (a, the)
Avoid subjective words, such as “effectively” and “successfully”
Show you did it effectively, don’t say it

28. Sample Resumes
Freshman:
Sophomore:
Junior:
Senior:

29. Questions?