APR Attends Recruitment Events

Wednesday 25 October was a busy day for those involved in graduate recruitment at APR, with staff and partners racking up at not one but three recruitment events on the same day.

Heriot-Watt Actuarial Careers fair

APR partner Roger Austin spent the afternoon at the Heriot-Watt Actuarial Careers fair.  An alumnus of Heriot-Watt himself, and also having tutored actuarial students there in the past, Roger is always keen to take the opportunity to return to meet current undergraduates and help them as they prepare to embark on their actuarial careers.

It was a lively afternoon with a steady stream of people visiting the APR stand, some  of whom have already now applied for the 2018 intake for the Graduate Associate Scheme.

Summing up the event, Roger said: "I'm always impressed by the enthusiasm and knowledge shown at this event by those studying actuarial degrees.  We're very keen to increase the numbers joining us in our Edinburgh office, so I strongly encourage those interested in a varied role within a high-quality team to apply for the APR scheme."

Cambridge Careers for Mathematicians event

Meanwhile, south of the border, APR associates James Robinson and Kate Gerhard returned to their former alma mater to attend the Cambridge Careers for Mathematicians event.  Aimed at those interested in careers with a high mathematical content, and with recruiters encouraged to have actual practitioners on the stand, this was the perfect opportunity for us to showcase the calibre of people who join us at APR.

To encourage students to visit the APR stand, James and Kate challenged attendees to estimate (or calculate!) the average amount UK car insurers pay out in claims each day – with a prize at stake there were some excellent (and some creative) answers!

A veteran of university careers fairs, James said of the event: "It was great to meet so many students at the Cambridge careers fair.  Numbers were much higher than in previous years, amongst both graduates and undergraduates.  It's clear that APR is gaining a reputation as an excellent place to start an actuarial career."

IFoA Actuarial Careers Reception

Finally, in the evening, Gary Heslop, another of APR’s partners, joined experts from the industry and the profession at the IFoA’s annual Actuarial Careers Reception.  The event is aimed at giving information and the opportunity to network to anyone considering actuarial work as a career, whether at school, university or looking into changing from another career.

To accompany the overview provided by the IFoA Education and Careers Marketing areas, and round-table sessions on the different key sectors within actuarial work, Gary led a session focusing on graduate recruitment, giving more than 100 attendees advice on how to impress across the whole recruitment process, and insights into the sorts of characteristics actuarial employers are likely to be looking for in what is a hugely competitive market.

After the reception Gary said: “It was my first year at the event and it was good to meet a wide range of people who, all being well, will make up the next generation of actuarial talent in the UK.  I’d recommend anyone interested in the future of the profession to get involved in these events as they play an important part in attracting the brightest minds to an actuarial career.”

Tim Nash

November 2017