Katelyn Swartz and Brett Jaros

CNA Actuarial Analysts

Making the Most of Your College Career

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

How to Make the Most of Your College Years

Study Hard

Gain Life Experiences

Get Involved

Market Yourself

What do you do to make your studying most productive?

What experiences have you gained that you believe will help you in the future?

What organizations are you involved in that help you build soft skills?

How do your resume and interviews reflect your unique personality and skill set?

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial AnalystsTakeaways From Game

• Completing a project with people whose work you cannot see is difficult

– Giving and receiving instruction when one person has a deeper understanding than another

• This situation often happens in the course of projects at work

– As a leader, it’s important to convey the long-term goals

– As a team member, it’s important to ask questions and for constant feedback to make sure the task is getting done

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

What are Soft Skills?

• In college, the primary emphasis of your education is on technical skills- mathematical principles, actuarial exams, coding, and general knowledge

• Your career isn’t just about work- it’s about people and your interactions with them

• Soft Skills are what differentiate an actuary from a robot

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

Soft Skills- Some Examples

• Participate in a team

• Lead a team

• Unite a team amidst cultural differences

• Teach others

• Coach others

• Motivate others

• Provide services

• Negotiate

• Decision making

• Problem solving

• Observe forms of etiquette

• Active Listening

• Maintain meaningless conversation (small talk)

• Maintain meaningful conversation (discussion/debate)

• Defuse arguments with timing, instructions and polite, concise language

(from Wikipedia)

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

Why “Soft Skills” Should be Important to YOU

• They can help you succeed in your personal and professional life

• Can you think of an example where your soft skills have helped you?

• Interviewers are always looking

to evaluate your soft skills in

addition to your technical skills

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

Which Soft Skills do you need?

• Everyone needs soft skills, but not necessarily the same ones

– As an intern or new hire at a company, you probably don’t need strong teaching skills

– A consultant may need more experience with making small talk than someone who works with the same people every day.

– Management roles require decision making and leadership skills, while Executives also need motivation and conflict resolution skills

• How to determine which soft skills you need

– Consider your personality, what kind of student you are now, and what kind of career you want in the future

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

What Kind of Student Are You?

• Technical – focusing on GPA and exams

• Worker – balancing a demanding part-time job with schoolwork

• Social – spending as much time as possible with friends

• Club/Sport Enthusiast – focusing on being active in your sport team or club activities

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

Student Types- Strengths and Weaknesses

Type Strengths Weaknesses

Technical -Often has a strong resume

-Will pass exams quickly

-May not be able to vocalize successes and talents in interviews

-Lacking a large pool of experiences for “tell me about a time when…” questions

Worker -Many opportunities for teamwork and problem solving situations

-Often very organized

-May not have strong GPA/exam record

-Need to be careful about work/life balance

Social -Tend to have excellent soft skills

-Easier time at face-to-face recruiting situations

-Resume may seem sparse

-May not seem “serious” about college career in interviews

Club/Sport - Great opportunities for leadership

- Can pick activities to become more well-rounded

-Overinvolved- too many activities with too little participation

-May seem too dedicated to a non-major activity

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

Future Career Paths

• Technical – Complex, innovative mathematics, economic modeling, not interested in management

– Active Listening, Working in a team, Provide services, etiquette (communication)

• Consultant – collaborate and translate between business partners

– Negotiation, Provide services, Cultural differences

• Management – balance between technical work and managing others

– Motivating others, Teaching/Coaching, Personable/Uniting a Team

• Executive – high-level decision making and management

– Communication/Presentation to large audiences, etiquette, small talk

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

Resources for Developing Soft Skills

• Etiquette: The Career Center has a 3-part Professional Etiquette Series starting March 31st

– http://www.careercenter.uiuc.edu/services/workshops/wsmain.asp

• Look for websites or blogs on college leadership, communication, or any variety of other soft skills.

– http://www.petemockaitis.com/

– http://apathymyth.blogspot.com/

– http://learnthis.ca/

• Job/Internship feedback: Don’t wait for review time; schedule a meeting with your manager or boss and discuss ways you can improve your professionalism or other soft skills.

• Classes/Clubs/Volunteering

– The more people you work with, the better your soft skills will be.

– Pick smaller clubs to avoid hierarchy before receiving responsibility.

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

Market Yourself

• No matter how impressive your skills are, if you can’t sell them, it’s not helping your career goals

• Resume

– Does not have to be an absolutely comprehensive list of everything: highlight skills and activities you are particularly proud of

• Keep two versions: one with everything and one to distribute– Blank page? Now is the time to volunteer, get a part-time job,

start a new hobby, or join a club (rather than 2 weeks before Meet the Firms!)

• In Person

– Eye contact, sincerity, a little etiquette, and passion go a long way. Use resume examples for brief meetings; expand later when you have interviews

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

Increase your “Marketability”

• Think about ways you can show your personality

• Idea: Start with your student type, and then add a twist, i.e.:

– Technical: Tutored Calculus III students and started a volunteer carpool to the local Humane Society

– Worker: Organized field day for students on your floor as an RA and ran in a half-marathon in the fall

– Social: Social coordinator for your fraternity/sorority and started a class study group that meets once a week

– Club/Sports Enthusiast: Vice President of Rock Climbing Club and volunteer at local grade school to tutor math

• Focus on quality, not quantity, and balancing activities appropriately.

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

Now What?

• Freshmen/Sophomores: This is the perfect time to take a hard look at your college career and get it on the track you want it to be

– No internship this summer? Volunteer, get a part-time job, or study abroad to expand your experiences

– Quad Day isn’t just for incoming freshmen

• Juniors: Focus on marketing, not revamping

– Get selective about clubs you participate in next year and take leadership roles

– Internships are a great opportunity to develop soft skills- think about them actively and get feedback from your manager throughout the summer

Making the Most of Your College CareerKatelyn Swartz and Brett

JarosCNA Actuarial Analysts

Self-Evaluation

Soft Skills

- What are your strongest? Weakest?

- How will you emphasize your best skills on your resume and in interviews?

- How will you strengthen your weak skills so they don’t hold you back?

Student Type

- What type best describes you?

- Are the strengths and weaknesses accurate for you?

- What are some personal strengths and weaknesses?

- How will you make your college career a better, more meaningful experience?