What Does the SOA Do to Support Re-employment of Actuaries?
By Meg Weber
Financial crisis, economic downturn, recession, underemployment … whatever you call it, it is affecting all of us. Most of us know someone who has been touched, and some of us have felt the impact. While there is still a very strong demand for actuaries, as companies “cut to the bone”, what resources are there to help you?
The Society of Actuaries is an education and research organization by its mission. It does not provide placement services for its members. But the education aspect takes on many forms, from the exam system through Continuing Professional Development. There are some resources the SOA provides that can assist actuaries who have been immediately impacted by financial events.
Job Search The Careers tab on SOA.org has actuarial job postings as well as information on conducting your job search, creating a resume and writing a cover letter. You can also sign up to create an alert when new jobs are posted.
Networking Some of the best jobs are found through networking. If you are reading this, you are a member of a section. Do you take advantage of the opportunities it offers to network? Also, SOA.org has information on local actuarial clubs you can contact.
The SOA now has a presence on LinkedIn. Join the group. And finally, volunteering for your section or other activities in the SOA help build your network and increase the number of people familiar with your capabilities.
Skill Development There are several ways the SOA supports keeping your skills current. A great way to combine networking with professional development is to attend an SOA event. However, if this isn’t feasible, keep yourself current by attending webcasts. The SOA reduced the cost of these events in 2009.
You can also sharpen your business skills by reading the articles available on Imageoftheactuary.org, as well as past issues of the Actuary of the Future newsletter online at SOA.org.
In addition to these resources, members of the Actuary of the Future Section are looking at further steps that can be taken to support actuaries in need of re-employment. Stay tuned for more information regarding these efforts.
Keep abreast of what is happening in your own company and your job market. Keep yourself current and relevant. And most importantly, keep and project a positive attitude in all that you do.