Ceara is a Financial Mathematics student from the University of Leeds. She secured an Actuarial Graduate Consultant role, in the pensions department at EY in Leeds, through Bright Network. 
Firstly, we’d love to hear a little about yourself.
“I’ve always been a numbers person since I was little and maths always seemed interesting to me. I get a sense of euphoria when I solve a tricky maths problem so I knew a maths degree at university would be the best suited for me.
I knew that the finance industry was where I wanted to end up, so specialising in financial mathematics at university, seemed to be the perfect choice.
I’ve decided to take the actuarial route for my career because it allows me to use the knowledge that I have gained during my time at university and will keep challenging me through both work practice and professional qualification exams.”
What motivated you to apply for the role?
“I took a few modules at university that related to the actuarial industry so I knew that I could use some of that knowledge within my chosen career which was appealing to me.
Most finance roles focus on examining the past, whether that be past transactions, past audits etc. But an actuary focuses on the future and using their knowledge to predict future scenarios. I like the idea of looking to the future and coming up with solutions for future problems.”
What was the application process like?
“The process is a lot longer than I originally thought but I found that practicing beforehand for cognitive and online assessments really helped.
In interviews I found that just being myself and engaging with the interviewer through asking questions helped to build a good impression.”
How did Bright Network help you secure your role?
“I applied for an industrial placement at EY when I was in year 2 of university through Bright Network and through the placement, I was able to secure a graduate role.”
What was your application journey like?
“I started my application journey in the first year at university as I knew the industry was competitive. I researched experience days and insights programmes, which helped tremendously when it came to deciding on a career path and the type of companies I was interested in working in.
I was most nervous for the interviews because I can ramble on a lot and was unsure what questions could be asked. However, my university had resources where you could do mock interviews and learn the types of questions that are likely to come up in an interview.
This helped me to feel more at ease and increased my confidence around interviews. As cliche as it is, practice does make perfect when it comes to interviews.”
What are you most proud of about your journey?
“I’m most proud of pushing through rejection and coming out of the graduate application journey with three job offers at major finance firms.”
What have you learned from going through the journey?
“The process is a lot longer than expected, and it can get frustrating when you get rejected. I wish I knew more about online isometric practice tests before I applied because practicing a few of them would have helped me feel more confident at the start of the application process.
It’s important to remember that there is a lot of competition out there so try not to be disheartened by rejection and instead use it as an opportunity to prepare for the next application process.”
What are your tips for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
“Start looking and applying early. A lot of graduate roles open late summer/early September so be prepared. I’d recommend keeping a spreadsheet of your applications, so you know which stage of the process you’re in for each application.
If you’re in first or second year at university, keep an eye out for opportunities on Bright Network, like experience days or insight programmes that could help you further on to secure internships or even graduate roles.
Bright Network was my main resource for looking at graduate roles – the emails and personalised opportunities were really useful.”
Tell us about the future. What’s next?
“As part of my actuarial graduate programme, I’ll be studying to become a qualified actuary with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
I’m quite a nerd when it comes to studying, so I’m excited to continue learning, alongside getting real world experience in the actuarial industry and making connections that could benefit me later in my career.”
Find insight schemes, graduate jobs, training contracts and more at Bright Network.
