What Should I be Doing to Improve My Chances of Getting a Job?

[aahahn]

I graduated with an Actuarial Science degree in December '07. I just passed my fourth exam (Exam C) in May, but I did not do an Internship while I was still in school because I took summer classes both summers that it would have been an option. I have some programming experience, and have been studying VBA in my spare time.

I have submitted my resume to about 70 or 80 companies so far; I have had about 15 first round interviews, and 5 second round interviews with no offers. Most of my interviews were set up through on-campus recruiting, but this is no longer an option.

I have a few questions:
What should I be doing right now to improve my chances of getting an actuarial job?
Does it hurt me any to have so many exams with no experience?
I have been preparing to sit for Exam MFE (my last preliminary exam) in November. Should I hold off on this until I have a job?
Would companies that already interviewed me 7-8 months ago be likely to reconsider, especially since I have passed another exam in the meantime?

[Sar]

Hi!!

Hi...
'''... I'm impressed you've cleared the herculean exams!!
I guess you have all that takes to get a fabulous job, but there's one minus - that is: lack of work experience (an internship). But you should not get discouraged because you have passes all those exams!!

Maybe you should think of another factor: How is your attitude during an interview. Make sure you maintain good eye contact, don't stammer and appear confident... and I'm positive you'll get the job you want.
And go ahead take the exam... it will help!!

(I feel i'm 30 at 19... hehe)

loads of love and luck,
Sar

[Trojan_Horse]

Something else is wrong here. Without knowing more, I'd say you need to work on your communication skills. People who look good on paper but can't get through the interviews usually have communication issues to work on. Go visit the career center at the university you went to (they'll still help you even if you've graduated). Tell them what's happening and that you need some interview coaching.

Good luck.

[JMO Fan]

How are you preparing for interviews? Have you talked to a recruiter? Many recruiters will help coach you for interviews.

Practice answers to questions such as, "Tell me about a time when you faced a difficult problem/situation/project and how you succeeded"? Do you research the company in advance? Have you prepared helpful questions to ask of prospective employers?

Focus on the perspective of the interviewer. Practice questions you can ask, such as, "What could I do in the first six months at this job that would make you say I'm a success?" or "What would be the highest priorities for this position?" Good Luck!

[aahahn]

This is all great advice. I think that I have been preparing correctly for interviews, just not enough. Perhaps I should make a long list of common interview questions and do some mock interviews with a friend. I have been in contact with a recruter and have gone over interviewing with them. Are there fewer open positions right now because it is summer? I expect entry level job openings are highly corelated with graduation dates.