And how do you think it will change, if at all within the next few years or so? Have you personally had or heard of many setbacks/rejections from companies due to the current situation? For an average ranked company how many other candidates will one be competing against in interviews for a graduate job vacancy? What about a Big Four company? Any advice to strengthen my application - I already have CT1 under my belt (as a non-member). However I am not doing a Maths related degree. Many thanks！
Personally speaking my company has gone from two actuaries based in the uk to a team of 4 and still looking to recruit a 5th member. Although I was hired over a year ago now I joined with no actuarial experience and two years experience in technology consultancy. If you show yourself to be a strong candidate and fullfil the membership requirements set by the Institute and Faculty you should be fine.
Just wait until the austerity measures kick in and the debt liquidation starts again - there will be insurance companies and pension schemes joining the banks at the liquidators.
Weird... Instinctively (without any actual knowledge!!) i;d have thought that be we'd be at a bit of a peak in Life Actuarial recruitment what with Solvency II and that it's all downhill from here as further consolidation takes place and life comapnies become more and more irrelevant.
Orien - Have you tried going through a recruitment agent rather than applying directly? If no response you are either applying at the wrong level (over / underqualified, incorrect type of experience etc). Recruitment agents are quite useful as they speak to the companies hiring and match you to the right job for your skills and exeprience, and will do some "selling" at the company before you are invited for an interview. IMHO I believe that if you are experienced the recruitment agents are the way to go, unless you have a direct contact at the company you're applying to who can hand you CV to the AFH/ other senior actuary & bypass HR.
Actually most of the applications were made through recruiter. It may be an issue that I'm an international candidate (even though got work visa).
You might want to change your recruiter - clearly the one you're using is sending your CV to companies without testing the water first. A good recruiter will try to find out (on a no names basis) if your knowledge / skills are appropriate for the job before handing over your CV? Also spend some time thinking about what kind of roles you want to go for (assume you've been applying to anything available with 15 applications ). Include a "mission statement" on first page of CV stating your goal - e.g. 5 years aim to be at review actuay level, or progress into middle managment, anything to show the recruiting company exactly what you are aiming for. Makes it a bit easier for them to judge if you're suitable for a role, or explain why you're not. Good luck - hope you find what you're looking for!
Where are you based? I know that in the Bristol region they're desperate for nearly/newlys to help out on their Solvency II projects. Just approach the big ones directly would be my best advice if you're interested.
