Resume and Cover
Letter Workshop
The Pennsylvania State University
Actuarial Science Club
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Purpose of the Resume
• A resume is for getting an interview
• An interview is for getting a job
• Give highlights and relevant details, but don’t
get bogged down – you can elaborate in the
interview
• You have 30-60 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?
• Objective/Personal Profile – Who? What?
•
Unless yours is unique, this can be optional
• 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)
• Exams –
Passed and/or future sittings
• Highlight this in its own section
• Highlight VEEs underneath if you like
• Work Experience –
Internships and previous jobs
• Don’t use bullet points to just list what you did – focus on communicating value to
the employer
• Leadership/ Service /Activities –
other interests
Clubs, intramurals, and/or
• Demonstrates initiative, time management skills and personality
Resume Gap Analysis
• How can you become a stronger candidate?
• Identify gaps in your resume early in college
• Find opportunities at Penn State to fill them
• Ex: Find a club that interests you and pursue a
leadership role
• Fill white space
FAQs
• 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
• 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
• 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 10 and
really want to put it on, you don’t need to)
• For most/all 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.
• If I am an international student with permanent
residence, should I mention that on my resume?
• Yes, if you are a permanent resident, put that near the
top of your resume. If you are not, don’t put it on your
resume but inform the employer honestly about your
visa status if asked.
Tips
• Eliminate all spelling and grammatical errors
• Focus on transferrable intangible skills learned
from non-actuarial jobs more than technical
skills
• Use strong wording
• Keep it organized
• 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
Cover Letter Content
• A cover letter allows you to expand on your resume
• Pick about two things off your resume that make you
stand out
• Examples: previous internship, job, leadership position in
an extracurricular activity, study abroad, volunteer
experience
• Explain what you did, what skills it helped you
developed, and how those skills would relate to the
job/internship you’re applying for
• Don’t spend more than a paragraph on one
activity…show that you have broad/diverse experiences
Cover Letter Content
• Check the internship job/posting for the
qualifications they are looking for and mention
those in your cover letter
• Examples: Good oral/written communication
skills, ability to work on a team and on your own
• Explain how you have these skills and give
example(s)
• You don’t have to hit on every qualification, but
try to mention a few
Cover Letter Content
• Show that you did your research by mentioning a
reason or two why you want to work for that
specific company
• Could be about the company in general, about a
specific aspect of the internship program/job, or
both
• This works well as part of your conclusion
• In addition to showing passion for the company, try
to show passion about being an actuary as well
(that may work well in your intro)
Cover Letter Length
• Usually a page, can be two pages
• Making it two pages won’t give you an advantage
just because it’s longer; usually conciseness is
preferred, but if you have a lot of very important
things to say, two pages is okay
• If you go onto the second page, use up a bare
minimum of 1/3 of the page; it won’t look good
if you just have a few sentences on the second
page
Cover Letter Tips
• Don’t start with “My name is ___ and I’m a junior
majoring in actuarial science…”
• They can see this from your resume and it is a
boring way to start
• Recruiters will be reading hundreds of these…try
to make your opening stand out; be creative if
you can
• Your resume is just the nitty-gritty of what you’ve
done; your cover letter should bring your resume to
life
• Show some of your personality in your writing so
that the reader feels like they now know you
Cover Letter Tips
• You’ll find that you’ll probably be able to reuse the
majority of your cover letter for other companies
• However, if you can simply switch out the name
of the company and the name of the position you
are applying for, your cover letter is probably too
generic
• Triple check to make sure that you changed the
company name every time it’s in your cover letter
Cover Letter Tips
• Proofread carefully; read it to yourself to make sure
it flows nicely
• Try to find out who reads the actuarial cover letters
at the company and address it to them
• This may involve calling HR but is worth the
effort if you’re able to find out (adds a nice
personalized touch)
• See sample cover letter on club’s website for help
with formatting
References
• http://www.sa.psu.edu/career/assist.shtml
• http://www.events.psu.edu/cgibin/cal/webevent.cgi?cmd=opencal&cal=cal13
• See this site for numerous events hosted by Career
Services
• http://www.clubs.psu.edu/up/actsci/Tips.html
• See our Resume page for sample resumes and
templates