Penn State Actuarial Science Club
September 12, 2012
Agenda
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The Career Fair is coming…
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What goes in a resume?
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FAQs about actuarial student resumes
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Sample Resumes
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Where to go for more help
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Resume Reviewing
ActSci Club Career Fair
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Thursday, September 20 (5pm to 8pm)
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Business Building Atrium
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More than 30 companies are coming!!
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Dress is business professional
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Bring plenty of copies of your resume
Purpose of the Resume
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A resume is for getting an interview
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An interview is for getting a job
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Give highlights and relevant details, but don’t
get bogged down – you can elaborate in the
interview
You have 15-30 seconds to make an
impression
Show value to the employer: put yourself
in their shoes and ask yourself, “why do
they care?”
What’s in a resume?
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Objective/Personal Profile –
looking for?
Who are you? What are you
◦ Unless yours is unique, this can be optional
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Education –
School, Major, GPA, Accomplishments
◦ If your GPA is <3.0, strongly consider also listing your major GPA if it is higher
◦ Do not round your GPA (a 3.46 is not a 3.5)
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Exams –
Passed and future sittings
◦ Highlight this in its own section
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Work Experience –
Internships and Previous Jobs
◦ Don’t use bullet points to just list what you did – focus on communicating value to
the employer
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Leadership/ Service /Activities –
Other Interests
Clubs, Intramurals, and/or
◦ Demonstrates initiative, time management skills, and personality
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Mention what you did, how you did it, and what
skills you used/developed to get there.
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Should have at least 1-2 for every activity.
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Use numbers when you can.
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Good bullet point: Used networking and
communication skills to increase membership
by 20%
Bad bullet point: Recruited new members.
Resume Gap Analysis
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How can you become a stronger candidate?
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Identify gaps in your resume early in college
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Find opportunities at Penn State to fill them
◦ Ex: Find a club that interests you and pursue a
leadership role
FAQs
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If I passed an exam, where should I put that on
my resume?
◦ Make it stand out
◦ In its own section or under “Education” with your
anticipated Penn State degree, often the first section of
your resume
◦ Don’t forget to mention VEE credit too
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If I have taken all of the courses required for VEE
credit but have not yet applied to the SOA/CAS
for credit how can I show that on my resume?
◦ Use can the terms “met course requirements” or
“completing course requirements”
FAQs
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If I have passed an actuarial exam, should I list
my score?
◦ Your score is not necessary and is usually considered
private information (therefore unless you got a 9 or 10
and really want to put it on, you don’t need to)
◦ For most situations, the term “passed” will suffice

If I have registered for but have not yet taken an
actuarial exam, how can I put that on my
resume?
◦ List the exam, then the term “sitting” and the
date/month for which you are registered
FAQs

If I failed an exam, should I still put the
attempt on my resume?
◦ If you are registered to take the exam again, we
recommend that you mark on your resume that you
are sitting for the upcoming exam.
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Can I round up my GPA if I drop the last
decimal (i.e. 3.46 to 3.5 or 2.96 to 3.0)?
◦ No, this is a violation of the Smeal Honor Code.
Even recruiters outside of Penn State do not see this
as an acceptable practice.
Tips
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Eliminate all spelling and grammatical errors
Focus on transferrable intangible skills learned from
non-actuarial jobs more than technical skills
Stress interpersonal skills such as communication
and networking
Use strong wording
Be consistent in the formatting
Make it easy to read – make sure your
accomplishments stand out
Every line should demonstrate value to the employer
Have several trusted sources look over your resume
for constructive criticism
http://ugstudents.smeal.psu.edu/careers/documents/resume-rm-actuarial
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To be included in the Resume Book, upload
your resume to SmealConnect and click
“Include in Resume Books” in the Privacy tab.
https://smeal-psucsm.symplicity.com/students/index.php
For the Career Fair, your resume must be
uploaded by 9/17
Need more help?

For questions about resume building
in general, consult Penn State Career
Services resume building guide
available at:
http://www.sa.psu.edu/career/assist.shtml
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Smeal resume reviews:
http://ugstudents.smeal.psu.edu/careers/careerdevelopment/schedule-an-appointment
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Search “Smeal Career Connections” on
ANGEL
Resume Reviewing