Actuary Resume: Samples and Actuarial Job Description

Writing a good actuary resume is the most important thing you’ll do this year. Think of it—the hiring manager at Liberty Mutual lies awake at night worrying. If she hires the wrong actuary, she sinks her multi-billion-dollar firm overnight. She’s got to know you’re skilled.

You prove things all the time with numbers. This is no different. Pick a clean resume format, then load it like a cohort life table with quantified work achievements. Boost your present value.

You’re about to see an actuary resume example you can change to fit any actuarial role. You’ll also get simple steps to write a resume for actuary jobs that’ll land 10x more interviews than any other.

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Need a different twist on an actuarial resume? See these guides:

• Accounting Resume Sample
• Accounting Assistant Resume Sample
• Accounting Manager Resume Sample
• Business Analyst Resume Sample
• Business Intelligence Resume Sample
• Credit Analyst Resume Sample
• Financial Analyst Resume Sample
• Investment Banking Resume Sample
• Private Equity Resume Sample
• Best Resume Examples

Sample Actuary Resume (Text Version)

Here’s how to write an actuary resume step-by-step.

1. Start With the Right Format for an Actuary Resume

You’d never deliver a payout schedule in an MS Notepad doc. Why not? Because your boss would think you don’t know the difference between indemnity and exposure. The same goes for hiring managers. If your actuarial resume isn’t properly formatted, you’ll look like a Geico woodchuck.

Don’t worry. We’ve got the steps below.

Here’s how to format a clean resume template:

• Format: choose the reverse-chronological resume format It lists your most Hartford-worthy accomplishments first.
• Fonts: use resume fonts like Georgia or Lato for a clean look.
• Font size: 11–12 points, with 13–14 point resume headings.
• Line spacing: 1 to 1.15.
• White space: add it between sections so your actuarial resume doesn’t look like a pivot table.
• Resume margins: 1 inch.
• File type: send PDF resumes to each job listing—unless it says not to.

Include these parts of a resume:

• Header: show the proper contact information.
• Summary: deliver the short version of your resume in a paragraph up top.
• Experience: include your best actuarial achievements.
• Education: show fitting classes and achievements.
• Skills: highlight the ones the company is hunting for—see how below.
• Other sections: an SOA membership or volunteering.

Think the chronological resume format is too risky? See our guide: How to Pick the Best Resume Format

2. Add Experience to Your Actuary Resume

Here’s the fastest way to kill your job search—make a cookie-cutter work history. What does that mean? If you paint a generic picture of past jobs, your phone will stay as silent as the grave. An actuary resume needs to show big wins that saved the company Scrooge-McDuck-sized piles of cash.

To target your resume:

• Add your latest job title first.
• Write the firm’s name and your working years and months.
• Create a short actuary job description.
• Make 3–6 bullet points.
• Stuff each bullet with achievements.
• Build your achievements with the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) formula to make the phone ring.
• Add a “key achievement” at the end of each job in your actuarial resume.

See these actuary resume samples:

Actuary Job Description for a Resume

Astounding. The second actuarial resume example says what you handled and were responsible for. But did you pass or fail? Who knows from those bullet points? But that first one is high-confidence. We know the job you did, and that you trained 8 hires. You did 5+ filings and cut analysis time by 50%. That’s gold!

Writing an entry-level actuary resume? Work the same trick. No—you don’t have actuarial experience. But you have some kind of experience. Pack your bullets with the closest tasks and successes you can think of that fit actuarial job duties. Even a car wash attendant can show interpersonal skills.

See these entry-level actuary resume examples:

Entry-Level Actuary Resume Samples [Experience]

That first actuarial resume example is zero-risk. We know you haven’t worked as an actuary yet. But you were within estimating distance. You showed transferable skills. Plus—you packed them with numbers that make your case like a longevity illustrator.

Pro Tip: Use more bullet points in your more recent jobs. Use fewer in older ones. The hiring team doesn’t really care what you did five years ago. They care about today.

Making a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide, use ready-made content tailored to your job and have a resume ready in minutes.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our ATS resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

Do gaps matter in an actuary resume? See our guide: How to Show Experience on a Resume

3. Make Your Education Section Count

How should you show education in an actuarial resume? Here’s the thing—if you’ve been a working actuary for the past five years, your schooling doesn’t carry as much weight. But you should still use it to your advantage. With the right actuarial successes in your education section, you can get more interviews.

See these actuary resume examples:

Actuary Resume Example [Education]

That’s risk-free. It shows you’ve got the degree—but it pins the hiring teams eyes to the page with real-world skills proof.

Pro Tip: In an entry-level actuary resume, your education section can take up half the page or more. Show your projects, classes, groups, clubs, and other wins.

Should you put education first in an actuarial resume with no experience? See our guide: How to Put Your Education on a Resume

4. Put the Right Skills in Your Actuary Resume

What’s more deadly than smoking and car accidents to your career? Putting the wrong skills in an actuary resume. Let’s say you prove your chops beyond a shadow of a doubt, but the hiring manager—Pete—yawns and says, “Who cares?” You need to target your skills like a period life table to get hired.

So—

Start with this list of skills for actuarial resumes:

Actuary Resume Skills (Hard Skills)

• Microsoft Office Skills
• SAS
• Project Management
• Data Analysis
• Oracle
• Finance
• Business Knowledge
• Corporate Governance
• Requirements Gathering
• Regulatory Compliance
• Statistics
• Accounting

Actuarial Resume Skills (Soft Skills)

• Interpersonal Skills
• Teamwork
• Critical Thinking
• Written and Verbal Communication
• Attention to Detail
• Problem Solving
• Time Management
• Organizational Skills
• Networking

But which ones will make the offers roll in?

Here’s how to pick the best actuary skills:

1. List the actuary skills in the job posting.
2. List your actuarial skills.
3. See where the lists agree. Those are the resume keywords you should use.
4. Make sure to use both soft skills and hard skills.
5. Add them to your resume skills section.
6. Prove them with actuary achievements in your bullet points.

See this actuarial resume example:

Say the firm wants policy development, process design, and training.

Actuary Resume Examples [Skills]

Pow. Done. Sold. Actuary skills on a resume like that will leave them standing. Notice we used resume power words to get attention like The Travelers. Plus you said $220M, $2B, 75%, and 5. Those numbers make it sizzle!

Can’t zero in on the right skills in the job ad? Some postings don’t list skills clearly. So, do informational interviews with actuaries and managers in the firm.

What’s better in an actuarial resume? Active listening or leadership? See our guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume

5. Add Other Sections to Your Actuary Resume

You’re on the home stretch, but let’s not set the limit yet. If you really want the job (hint: you do) then you need a couple other sections. Why? Because hiring managers in big insurance firms want to know you won’t flake out in a few months. They don’t have an actuarial table for that, but you can give them one.

Do add achievements to your resume like:

1. Resume Licenses & Certifications

What certifications look great on an actuary resume? Well—you don’t actually need any of them. But if you’re as green as fresh-minted currency, they’ll give you a head start. Consider:

• Microsoft Office
• SAS
• Project Management
• Data Analysis
• Oracle

2. Resume Volunteer Work

Have you done some finance work for your local homeless shelter? Run food drives? Delivered meals to the disadvantaged? Those things show you’ve got so much energy a mere job is not enough. List ‘em if you’ve got ‘em.

3. Professional Associations

Show you dig into your career with affiliations in SOA or IAAI. This works even better if you’re active in volunteering, mentoring, or teaching.

4. Conferences

Did you go to RAA last year or do you think about attending the SOA Refocus Conference? That’s a great way to show you’ve got boundless energy and enthusiasm for your work.

5. Awards and Honors

Did you get the nod from the SOA in a research competition? How about a kudo from your company or boss? Spotlight those in your actuarial resume.

See these actuary resume samples:

Actuary Resume Examples [Other Sections]

The right example shows how you write an eye-catching resume.

Pro Tip: How long is a resume for actuary jobs? Write a 1-page resume unless you’re more accomplished than David Long. Cut the fat to make it lean and mean.

Making a resume in MS Word? It’s time-consuming if you don’t know the right steps! See our guide: How to Make a Resume in Word: Step-by-Step Guide

6. Write an Actuary Resume Objective or Resume Summary

You already know most managers can’t be bothered to read more than a paragraph. That’s why you take care to summarize your findings. It’s the same with an actuary resume. Sum up the highlights of your resume in a short statement at the top. It needs info like years of experience and key skills.

Here’s how to write a career summary:

1. Start with an adjective like professional or exacting.
2. List your title (actuary).
3. Add years of experience. (2, 2+, 6)
4. State your goal for the job. (improve data accuracy)
5. Use the firm’s name.
6. Spotlight key achievements (40% decrease in loss ratio).

These actuarial resume career summary examples show how:

Actuary Resume Summary

What just happened? The first candidate ate the second one for brunch, that’s what. But they’ve got identical skill sets, and either would make a great new hire. The key? Detail like 3+, 40%, and using the company’s name. We suspect that applicant puts her money where her mouth is.

Write a career objective in an entry-level actuary resume. That sounds fancy, but it’s the same thing with a different slant. Namely, you can’t list 3+ years of actuarial achievements. So—add achievements from the jobs you did have. Just make sure they’re as finance-related as possible.

See these actuarial resume examples:

Entry-Level Actuary Resume Objective

Something’s rotten in Denmark. We know neither of those two actuarial job applicants has experience. But we also know candidate #1 has the skills. The second one is “entry-level”, but somehow also skilled in everything finance-related. That’s magical thinking.

Pro Tip: Ugh, they want a video resume. That’s terrifying, but you can do it. The key? Don’t DIY it. Hire a professional with a track record of making successful video resumes.

Just getting into actuarial work? See our guide: First Resume with No Work Experience

7. What About an Actuary Cover Letter?

Let’s set the record straight. Actuary resumes do need cover letters. Skip it, and you’ll halve the probability of getting hired. That’s according to our HR statistics report. But you can’t just say, “Here’s my actuarial resume, thanks.” You’ve got to show your personality fits the job like an SQL query.

To write a cover letter:

1. Format the cover letter first.
2. Begin with the name of the hiring manager.
3. Write a cover letter first sentence worthy of CNA Financial.
4. Use the middle paragraph to show you understand the actuary job on offer.
5. Add your key job successes that show you’ve got the right requirements.
6. End your cover letter with a call to action.

Pro Tip: Writing a cover letter is soooo much easier with a template. Cover letter templates save time and help you complete all the right steps, fast.

Your middle paragraph is everything. See our guides: How To Write A Cover Letter in 8 Steps and How to Make a Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Here’s a recap of how to write an actuary resume:

• Format your actuary resume template in reverse-chronological order.
• Pull the right actuary skills from the job posting online.
• Create your work history section first. Tailor it like a Kiton with the right actuarial successes.
• Use the PAR formula to tell a story in your bullets. Add numbers.
• Put skills-proving achievements in your education section.
• Add “extra” resume sections that prove your competence—like an SOA membership or conference attendance.
• Write an actuary cover letter that shows passion and interest.

That’s it! Now, we’d love to hear from you: 

• What’s the most daunting part of writing an actuarial resume? 
• Do your achievements all seem too skimpy?
• Does writing a cover letter scare you more than hang gliding?

Let’s chat below in the comments, and thanks for reading!

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Sources

• http://www.longevityillustrator.org/
• https://www.soa.org/
• https://www.actuaries.org//iaa
• https://www.reinsurance.org/CatModeling/
• https://www.soa.org/prof-dev/events/2023-refocus/