Advocating for Your Next Career Move
Disclaimer: the opinions expressed by the author of this article don't necessarily represent the opinions of NAWA as an organization.
When is it the right time to consider moving on from your current role and applying to a job posting?
To help answer this question and more, NAWA hosted a panel discussion on ‘Advocating for Your Next Career Move’ providing a thoughtful dialogue on trends in today’s hiring processes, interview and resume tips, and a proactive attitude towards new career opportunities.
According to Alice Lawrence, the right time may be sooner than what feels comfortable – women tend to hold off on applying to a job posting unless they meet 80% of a job description while men will apply when they meet ~45%. The right time to apply to a job position is when you know how or believe you could easily learn ~60% of the responsibilities of a job description and then let the other 40% be the growth opportunity. Job descriptions should resemble what your resume looks after you leave a position – not before starting it. Kristen Long noted that the right time is around when you feel comfortable accomplishing any duty of your current role and desire new challenges.
So… you want a new challenge. Is now a good time to start a new role? Well, you’re in luck! Industry trends are favorable!
Pauline Reimer noted five changes that she has seen in the hiring market in recent years:
1. Salary History Bans
Various jurisdictions have recently started to prohibit requesting prior salary information from candidates. Even better, job postings are increasingly required to include salary ranges for the position. These are small but beneficial changes to help improve salary gaps between two people working in similar positions at the same company.
2. Mainstreaming DE&I in the Workplace
Diverse organizations have demonstrated improved productivity and employee retention – among other benefits – and this has inspired leaders across organizations to further embrace DE&I.
3. Work from Home
Employees have benefited from WFH arrangements by a lack of a commute. Employers have benefited because they no longer need to limit their candidate pool by location. Both benefit by reduced costs in childcare and transit subsidies as well as fewer interruptions and less sick time.
4. Virtual Interviewing
Virtual interviewing has provided companies with travel expense savings for candidates to physically come to office.
5. Great Resignation
Employers are experiencing intense competition for workers and are responding to inflationary pressures.
You’re reviewing current job postings… should you just apply to any where you meet enough of the description (with a nice salary jump too)?
Our panelists have noticed a “boomerang effect” play out more often – where employees leave a company and come back after a short while. Solely chasing salary jumps tends to leave candidates not as happy and fulfilled in roles and thus leave positions more quickly. The panelists encourage being intentional about what you’re seeking in your next role; it will be more fulfilling if it aligns with what’s important: skills you want to develop, a company culture that fits with your values, rewarding work, etc.
Ah-ha! You see an amazing job posting that aligns with the broad skills that you enjoy doing and want to develop further in your career. Now what? How do you land this opportunity?
1. Update Your Resume
It is important to tailor your resume for a job posting. If it’s not obvious why your resume is a good fit for a position, you can add some bullet points to the top to highlight why you should be considered.
2. To Cover Letter or Not to Cover Letter?
Alice noted that she is neutral when cover letters are not included. However, if a cover letter is provided, she will read it; so, it better be tailored to the position. A cover letter may also be a good place to provide context for why you should be considered for a position when it’s less obvious from your resume. Pauline provided an example of a resume in a preferred format for experienced candidates. Tip: if you’ve had multiple roles at a company, include the total amount of time you’ve worked at the company as well as the time within each role.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Work with a Recruiter
Maybe I should have mentioned this sooner. A recruiter (like Pauline) has their nose to the state of actuarial job postings. They can help you anything that this blog post discusses: finding positions that fit your career goals, reviewing your resume, preparing for interviews, providing information on what is and isn’t a good offer, and more.
4. Interview Tips
Be prepared!
Gather info about the company through its website and about your interviewers through their LinkedIn profiles. Further, you should review your resume beforehand so that each bullet is fresh.
Be enthusiastic!
Pauline shared an anecdote that someone she guided to a new position was selected from finalists for a position because their enthusiasm stood apart (and then they shared that advice with their family and friends)
Prepare 20+ questions
An interview can be sunk in the Q&A section if you don’t have questions for the interviewers (it can come off as being not that interested in the position). Prepare more questions than you think you’ll need. If you do manage to ask every question, it’s okay to repeat questions when talking to multiple interviewers. To get you started with preparing questions, you should ask about culture, work expectations, and exam support. These are very important; better to find out whether you’ll be happy at the company in the interview than months into a role!
How to dress
With virtual interviews, the general recommendation is to wear suits when interviewing for higher roles or with company executives and a blouse or a button-down shirt otherwise. It is okay to ask the hiring manager about attire recommendations.
Congratulations! You have started a new fulling role! Since you just started, you’re not fully comfortable yet. But there are things you can do to position yourself well in the future.
Kristen said one of the best things you can do is networking. Growing your network allows you to know the organization better and advertise your work product (managers can’t put you on projects if they don’t know you or your work!). And if you’re an introvert who feels intimidated at the thought of networking, try networking with an extroverted friend that loves it. A good networking goal is to aim to establish a new connection with one person a month.
Want to learn more? Watch the full discussion here!
Special thanks to Ari Moskowitz for moderating this conversation!
Meet the Speakers!
Meet Alice Lawrence, Talent Acquisition Manager at Brighthouse Financial
I am the Manager of Talent Acquisition at Brighthouse Financial and have been with our company since our first day as a Publicly Traded company in August of 2017. Prior to that I worked on the agency recruiting side, where Brighthouse/MetLife were a top client of mine. I requested to join BHF internally in 2017 after falling in love with the culture and company vision. I have been intimately close to all things Talent (acquisition, mobility, retention) for around 8 years now. However, prior to this career I worked in general Accounting and Accounts Payable! I graduated from NC State (with a teaching degree) in 2009 during one of the worst financial crisis’ in history and have seen many highs and lows in our market since. Safe to say, I know a thing or two about “Advocating for Your Next Career Move” in both strong and weak economies. I live in Charlotte, NC with my husband and 2 young daughters and we love all things food, fitness, family & travel.
Meet Pauline Reimer, ASA, MAAA, Managing Director at Pryor Associates
Named a top recruiting firm by Dun & Bradstreet, Pryor Associates has 50 years of insurance placement experience. Pauline Reimer directs the Actuarial, Modeling & Risk Division since 1986, after working as an actuary herself. She is an ASA/MAAA, affiliate member of CAS and IFOA, and member of the International Society of Catastrophe Managers. She has been appointed to SoA E&I Section Council; Executive Board of ASNY (Actuarial Society of Greater New York) as VP of Public Relations; and Advisory Boards of Columbia University’s MS in Actuarial Science & New York University’s BS in Actuarial Science programs. Quoted in periodicals & television, Pauline handles each step of every assignment personally. Her impressive placement records of 99% retention rate & retained search success ratio confirm her status as one of the most successful recruiters of actuaries worldwide. Pryor’s motto “It Takes One To Know One … An Actuary Placing Actuaries (and Related Professionals)” describes this best.
Kristen Long, ASA, MAAA, Managing Director at UNUM
I am a Director, Actuary at Unum and SOA and NAWA Volunteer. During my time with Unum, I've held positions in Group Pricing (current), Corporate Actuarial, and Voluntary Benefits Valuation and recently earned my FSA. I also serve as a mentor to many of my peers and lead initiatives for our development program associates based out of Unum's Chattanooga office. I love that my actuarial career has offered me an accelerated path to leadership roles as my long-term goal is to move up into senior management positions. I also hope to become a board member of the SOA and leverage my experience to help promote the Actuarial Profession to others who love problem solving. When I am not working or volunteering, I enjoy exercising, reading, shopping, and spending time with friends and family. I hold a degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Western Ontario.