how about current actuarial job market? Is it better?

[sunflower]

how about current actuarial job market? Is it better?

[Irish Blues]

If you're really an FSA [as your profile suggests], you already know the answer to that question.

[StatGuy3]

If you're really an FSA [as your profile suggests], you already know the answer to that question.

The OP asked a very good question - I myself would like to know too.

[hamsterofdark]

From the perspective of an EL candidate who has yet to find a job in 2 years despite of exams and technological aptitude, I will argue that the market is still bleak. If you want to disagree with me, then do so - nothing would make me happier.

[Irish Blues]

Part of the problem with the current EL market is that it's utterly saturated with people who've decided to change careers [whether by choice or by force as a result of losing their last job] and with people coming straight out of college. That means "2 exams and a pulse" is no longer sufficient to get hired; you're now competing with people who have just as many exams, maybe just as much knowledge about technology, and maybe more work experience in other areas.

Prime example: I continually say "know how to write a good resume" and "know how to interview" because those are the two things that get you moved up the list of consideration. My company hired 6 interns this summer; without advertising the position beyond a handful of campus visits and a general "if you know someone who might be interested, have them send their resume in" comment we got over 200 resumes in less than 3 weeks. We were able to very quickly eliminate about half of those solely on the basis of the resume [lacked basic information like address/phone number, education info, and exam experience; cluttered appearance; used fancy fonts that made reading it difficult, etc.] and whacked about 30-40 more in a second pass [poor GPA, unrealistic expectations, self-imposed time constraints, etc.] We ended up with about 30 resumes that got initial calls; of those, 13 got consideration for moving on solely based on their comments in a phone interview [or better stated, what they didn't do to talk themselves out of further consideration]. That's 187 people that killed their chances through poor preparation - things that could have [should have] easily been fixed before they ever made contact with us.

That's not saying "fix everything, and you're a lock to get hired" - it's still going to be competitive once you get through, and even then it's sometimes a matter of luck. [I didn't get one position I interviewed for that came down to me and another candidate, literally because of a coin flip.] However, if you don't know how to present a solid resume and can't interview worth a lick, your chances of getting hired right now are near zero. It took me 15 months from the time I graduated to the time I landed my first EL job ... and I had to learn a few of the lessons described above. It's why I highly recommend going to a career center at your current university [if you're in school] or nearest university [if you're not] - because as much as you may think "yeah, I'm doing all of that, it's not my fault I'm not getting hired" you'll be surprised how much you can still learn [and how much you can improve your chances of getting hired as a result].