The first step: Familiarize yourself with your resume.
- The interviewer will learn about you from your resume before speaking to you directly.
- It is also likely that the interviewer will pull questions from your resume to ask you.
- Familiarize yourself with the projects you have listed and be ready to talk about them in detail.
The second step: Go through the job description of the role.
- Look at the bullet points and see what you have done that pertains to that specific position.
- Draw similarities between Products/Projects that you worked on that are listed in the job description – emphasize the successes you’ve had.
- Have examples and stories ready.
- No notes in front of you during video call, try to memorize your notes and be personable.
- Set the tone and show excitement for the position.
- Make sure to give examples of how you have used your technical skills.
The third step: Do your research on the company.
- Get to know their website.
- Look for any recent press releases, news articles, etc.
- Familiarize yourself with the products they work on, etc.
- Put together some questions for your interviewer (3-4 questions).
- 1-2 questions should be generated from your research.
Do your homework. Clients have turned down qualified candidates because of lack of interest and knowledge about their company.
The fourth step: Do not get hung up on Salary especially for Entry level positions.
- Entry level salary should correlate with market value and the level of experience & number of exams completed.
- Entry level positions are highly competitive.
- Frame yourself as being more interested in the opportunity then the money.
The fifth step: Practice your communication skills.
- Remember, you want to explain your experience in the best way possible, thus communication skills are very important.
- Refrain from rambling and instead develop your thoughts, be specific and communicate in a clear and concise manner.
- Don’t be afraid to practice speaking beforehand. Conduct a mock interview with a friend or partner or simply practice in front of a mirror.
- Preparation equals confidence and will help eliminate awkward silences.
- You want to make sure this a conversational interview and not one sided.
The ability to explain technical findings to a non-technical audience is a highly desired actuarial skill.
The fifth step: Be able to explain what an Actuary is!
- Actuaries do many things, and you should be able to elaborate on them.
By Marilyn Simpson and Chip Searles
Look out for our next video and blog where we will conduct a Mock Interview for HR.
Visit our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DWSimpson/videos