Actuary CV examples

Whether you’re forecasting financial trends or pricing complex insurance portfolios, your job relies on precision – and your CV should reflect that same level of sharpness. It’s not about listing every dataset you’ve ever dissected; it’s about showcasing the judgement and value you bring to a business.

This guide will walk you through the formatting and content needed to write a CV like a data-backed argument for hiring you.

If your structure is as logical as your calculations, you’re already halfway to the shortlist. Your work depends on methodologies and clear documentation, so your CV should be no different. If a recruiter can’t follow your qualifications or quickly understand your skill set, you’ve already lost them.

Here’s the layout to follow:

• Name and contact details – Start with your name and personal details – make it simple for recruiters to reach you. Including a photo is a personal choice.
• Profile – Use this section to summarise your experience, strengths, and what makes you a standout candidate.
• Core skills – Outline your primary competencies to give recruiters a snapshot of your strengths.
• Work experience – Walk through your professional experience, beginning with your latest position and moving backwards. 
• Education – Outline your education and certifications, focusing on those most relevant to the role.
• Additional info – You can add hobbies or activities here that reflect your enthusiasm for the industry.
  

Keep formatting clear and efficient: use bullet points to make dense text nice and readable, and divide your CV with clean section headings. Stick to a professional font and layout that makes your document easy to scan. Aim for a two-page maximum length – and make every line count. The more accessible your CV is, the more likely it is that your application will be seriously considered.

Your CV profile is your short elevator pitch at the top of your CV – and for actuaries, it should strike a balance between technical competence and business insight. It’s where you tell the recruiter what kind of actuary you are, what sectors you’ve worked in, and what you bring to the table in terms of strategic value.

Here’s some tips on what your CV profile should include:

• Where you worked – State the type of organisations you’ve worked with, whether that’s insurers, consultancies, pension providers, or corporate finance teams.
• Your top qualifications – Mention if you’re a Fellow of the IFoA, part-qualified, or currently completing actuarial exams.
• Essential skills – Summarise your key strengths – but focus on what matters to hiring managers, such as pricing, reserving, modelling, or risk analysis.
• Sectors or clients supported – Mention if you’ve worked in general insurance, life insurance, pensions, reinsurance, or investment – and what sort of clients or portfolios you’ve advised on.
• Value delivered – Demonstrate how your actuarial work has helped reduce risk, improve forecasting, or support major financial decisions.
  

This section offers a snapshot of your capabilities – and in a highly technical field like actuarial science, it should be carefully aligned with the job you’re applying for. Avoid generic statements and instead focus on demonstrating that you have the precise analytical, regulatory, and financial skills required.

Don’t just list every tool or technique you’ve touched – prioritise those that match the role’s responsibilities. This section is all about matching recruiter expectations with your CV skills.

Your work experience section is where your numbers speak. Whether you’ve worked in-house, as part of a consultancy, or within an insurance firm, this is where you prove that your work makes a measurable difference – through modelling accuracy, compliance, or client value.

List your roles in reverse chronological order. For each, begin with a short paragraph describing the employer and your position, followed by bullet points that highlight your responsibilities and achievements. Be clear about the tools you used, the scale of your impact, and the types of clients or portfolios you supported.

• Outline – Give context about your employer and the scope of your actuarial responsibilities – were you in a technical modelling role, advising clients, or providing risk oversight?
• Responsibilities – Use action words like “modelled” and “forecasted.” For example: “modelled risk exposure for large pension fund portfolios” or “forecasted claims costs using internal tools and external datasets.”
• Achievements – Focus on quantifiable outcomes: reducing loss ratios, enhancing reporting accuracy, or helping clients make more informed financial decisions.

Your academic background carries real weight in actuarial hiring, particularly when paired with exam progress. This section should clearly show the depth of your mathematical and analytical education, as well as your progress toward full actuarial qualification.

List your highest qualifications first – typically a degree in mathematics, actuarial science, statistics or economics – along with your university, degree classification, and year of graduation. Also include your actuarial exam progress: state if you’re part-qualified or a full Fellow of the IFoA.