Contents

1 Technical
1.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.2 Specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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2 Personal
2.1 Various . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.2 Problem solving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.3 Your expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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3 Commercial awareness
3.1 Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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4 Your questions

5 General hints
5.1 Negative factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Technical

1.1

General

1. What?s going on in the industry now?

2. Share your understanding of what this job position is?
3. How would you explain interest theory in simple terms to someone who
has no prior knowledge about it?
4. What was the financial crisis caused by? Follow-Up Question: What
companies would you invest in right now?
5. What is the most difficult actuarial concept you have learned? Can
you please explain it?
6. Why would you pick PC over life insurance or vice versa?
7. What is duration?
8. Do you possess any knowledge of Property/Casualty reserving?
9. What is your experience with financial statements?
10. How would you explain the time value of money to 5 years old?
11. Describe the actuarial present value.
12. Where do you see the insurance market moving in the next 12-18
months?
13. What do you know about general insurance?
14. What do you know about stochastic modelling?
15. What do you know about pensions?
16. Give me an overview of the pensions industry in the recent past.
17. Name one challenge the industry is facing today?
18. How would you explain ? XX technical term ? to my grandmother?
19. Tell us about actuarial exams.
20. How would check if the light in the refrigerator is on while keeping its
door closed?
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21. Teach me something difficult in plain terms

22. Erklren Sie einem Alien, wie Sie eine Tasse Tee trinken.
23. There are 25 horses and you want to find the fastest 3. Given that you
can only put 5 of them in each race, what is the minimum number of
races that you need?

1.2

Specific

1. Explain to me what a CDO is.

2. How do you get rid of empty rows in Excel?
3. For technical they asked question regarding CT1 and CT3.
4. Explain to someone with no maths background / explain standard
deviation.
...

Personal

2.1

Various

1. Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
2. Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that
demonstrated your coping skills.
3. Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment
and logic in solving a problem.
4. Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to
meet or achieve it.
5. Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to
influence someones opinion.
6. Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a
policy with which you did not agree.
7. Please discuss an important written document you were required to
complete.
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8. Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of
duty in order to get a job done.
9. Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you
were required to prioritize your tasks.
10. Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second
decision.
11. What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
12. Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another
person even when that individual may not have personally liked you
(or vice versa).
13. Tell me about a difficult decision youve made in the last year.
14. Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish
and failed.
15. Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
16. Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very
upset customer or co-worker.
17. Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
18. Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
19. Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills
to solve a problem.
20. Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
21. Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed
preventive measures.
22. Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular
decision.
23. Please tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.
24. Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).
25. What have you done that shows initiative?
26. Tell me about yourself.
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27. Why do you want to be an actuary?

28. How did you study for your exams?
29. Why havent you taken/passed exams yet?
30. What were your scores on these exams?
31. Tell me about a time where you had to work hard to achieve your goals.
32. Tell me about a time when you worked in a group and: had a member
that was difficult to work with.
33. What do you do in (organization/activities on resum).
34. What are your strengths?
35. What are your weaknesses?
36. Where do you see yourself in 5/10/20 years from now.
37. What are your goals in life?
38. Why should I hire you/ Why do you want to work for (our company).
39. What do you do in your free time?
40. What do you think about (some current event).
41. Do you consider yourself a team worker or an individual worker?
42. Tell me about a time when you were the leader of a project/demonstrated
leadership.
43. How familiar are you with Excel and Access?
44. What languages can you program in?
45. What was your favorite and least favorite class in college?
46. Tell me about the time when you didn?t fully understand the concept
that was presented to you and how did you go about that.
47. What character in a recent book that you read exemplifies a character
trait that you are lacking?
48. What motivates you?
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49. How would your friends describe you in three words?

50. Why are you interested in reinsurance?
51. What is something you need to work on?

2.2

Problem solving

1. If you had two tasks of equal importance that both need to be accomplished as soon as possible how would you handle the situation?
2. How do you stay organized and on task?
3. Tell me about a time you had to solve a problem that had been caused
by a subordinate and how you deal with everyone involved.
4. How would you track down an elusive manager to get a response?

2.3

Your expectations

1. How much do you expect to get paid?

Commercial awareness

3.1

Company

1. Tell me how our company is doing financially in the last few years.
2. Tell me three things about our company that makes you want to work
for us.
3. This is how we do things around here, what would you change?
4. Explain to me why you?re interested in this role/company.
5. What problems are our clients facing?

3.2

General

1. Talk about a successful company, why I think it is successful, what is

its future?
2. Talk about an unsuccessful company, why it is unsuccessful, what it
can do?
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3. What do you know about the industry and our company?

4. Can you give us any relevant statistics on our company?
5. What are the problems facing Lloyds Banking at the moment? How
will they affect us in future? How will they affect you?
6. Tell me one change introduced by the government which has had an
impact on the banking industry
...

Your questions
1. It is always good to ask about the actuarial exam student program
2. Also its good to ask what is the biggest challenge the actuarial department has had to tackle in the last year.
3. It is good to ask about why or what led to the position becoming
available
4. If not apparent, ask about the work environment, if more projects are
split between group members or is it more like each person does his/her
own thing
5. Ask if most of the work involves large projects or many short-term
projects.

General hints

5.1

Negative factors

During the course of the interview, the employer will be evaluating your
negative factors as well as your positive factors. Listed below are negative
factors frequently evaluated during the course of the interview and those
which most often lead to the rejection of the candidate.
1. Poor personal appearance.
2. Overbearingoveraggressiveconceited "superiority complex""know-it
-all".

3. Inability to express thoughts clearlypoor poise, diction, or grammar.

4. Lack of planning for careerno purpose or goals.
5. Lack of interest and enthusiasmpassive and indifferent.
6. Lack of confidence and poisenervousness.
7. Overemphasis on moneyinterested only in the best dollar offer.
8. Evasivemakes excuses for unfavorable factors in record.
9. Lack of tackmaturitycourtesy.
10. Condemnation of past employers.
11. Failure to look employer in the eye.
12. Limp, fishy handshake.
13. Lack of appreciation of the value of experience.
14. Failure to ask questions about the job.
15. Persistent attitude of "What can you do for me?"
16. Lack of preparation for the interviewfailure to get information about
the company resulting in inability to ask intelligent questions.