Format
Spacing. Feel free to play around with spacing. If you feel like you do not have enough room on your resume (it should be no longer than a page), even after changing the font size to 9 and changing the margins, try to change the spacing between each section. Maybe you want a bigger space between the main sections (work experience, education, etc.) and a smaller space between the other sections (jobs, clubs/activities, etc.).
Bold/Italicize. Use bolded or italicized text to help break down your resume further and draw attention to specific areas within your resume.
Indentations. Play around with indentations to help differentiate titles from text. Bullet points for text also helps!
Order. Order your resume in a way that will help employers find what they are looking for. The order will change throughout your career, but when you are starting off and looking for your first job out of school, I would make sure education is at the top, followed by actuarial exams and work experience.
Consistency. Everything on your resume should be consistent. If you bold titles in one section, you need to make sure to bold them in another. The same goes for any other formatting changes. It's easy to spot inconsistencies in formatting and it may show an employer you are careless.
Lastly, I recommend Googling 'resume formats'. Using a cookie cutter template off the internet isn't the greatest idea since other people may have the same thought, but take a look at other resumes to get ideas for what you like and don't like. You may like how one resume separates the main sections, but you may like how another lays out the text under each section. Make your resume your own and build off of what you like from other resumes!
Content
Applicable Skills. Maybe you have no actuarial (or insurance) experience. If that's the case, think of everything you've done in your past positions and try to shape them into something applicable to actuarial work. Maybe you worked at a fast food restaurant during college. Did you try to improve processes? Did you work well with customers? Anything can be applicable to a resume for an actuarial position, you just may have to dig a little deeper to find those relatable skills.
Numbers. If you want to be an actuary and work with numbers the rest of your life, you should try to show that in your resume by being focused on quantitative measurements. Think of everything you've done in your past roles and try to quantify what you can. Maybe you taught classes or tutored students. How many did you teach/tutor? How many sessions?
Keywords. After doing some research on the actuarial industry, you should have a good idea of what employers are looking for. Cater your resume to common job requirements. Maybe they want someone with great communication skills - try to use keywords that show that. For example, a good keyword may be 'collaboration'.
Differentiate Yourself. Everyone applying for these positions most likely majored in math or actuarial science, passed an exam or two and has at least some programming skills. What makes you different? What would make you add value beyond the day to day grind of work? Maybe you're really passionate about animals and volunteer a lot. Add that to your resume! If you don't think it fits, maybe try to make a new section in your resume for volunteer experience. It helps to show you're a human and have interests outside of studying all the time.
Limit Past Experience. No need to keep your high school on your resume for your first full-time job. For entry-level, I would take off anything over 5 years old unless there is something that will really 'wow' a prospective employer.
Actuarial Exams. Make sure to include these on your resume! No need to include the scores, just a pass is fine. They have their own section on my resume, but I think including actuarial exams with relevant skills could also be a great way to present this on a resume. Don't forget the date passed!
Proofread. Make sure to proofread your resume after making any significant changes. Actuarial work requires precision and accuracy - all it takes is missing a comma or zero to potentially make a big mistake. If a prospective employer notices an error on your resume, no matter how small, it could go in the trash immediately. Have someone else go through your resume, too, to make sure everything makes sense.
The main thing to keep in mind while you're thinking of what to put in your resume is how a prospective employer might react after reading it. If you think they will read it and it won't matter, either take it out or change it to better suit what you are trying to convey. Everything you write in your resume should have a purpose. You shouldn't just add information because you feel like it needs to be there, you should add it because it will help your chances of getting a call for an interview.
