Contact: Annette Watson, Career Services Manager, 201 Aliber Hall, (515) 271-4715, annette.watson@drake.edu

CBPA integrates professional and career development into the curriculum and through career services. Prior to graduation, students have a solid foundation of academic and exam achievement, interview and internship experience, and tools to be a successful contributor in the industry.

The CBPA Professional and Career Development Center is an important resource available every weekday for business students. Hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. The center features numerous wireless laptops, current career and salary information, and internship and full-time opportunities.

The following activities are accessible to students each year:

• Resume and cover letter reviews
• Individual appointments for career exploration
• Mock Interviews
• Career Fairs
• On-Campus Recruiting
• Job Shadows
• Networking Events (Chicago and Minneapolis)
• Career bluePrint (online internship and job posting board)

Other Resources

Should you need assistance, please stop by the Professional and Career Development Center or to arrange an individual appointment, contact Annette Watson. More career resource information can be found at www.drake.edu/career. International students with visa questions should contact Tom Grouling, Associate Director, International Programs and Services, tom.grouling@drake.edu, (515) 271-2084, at the International Center.

Searching for Jobs

A majority of students graduating from Drake complete an internship prior to graduation. Many are completed in the sophomore or junior year. Each year, a fall career fair called Actuarial Evening is held, which consists mainly of company interviews. This is a great opportunity for students to connect with employers for both internships and full-time positions. Job postings and interviews are coordinated in the Career bluePrint system. In addition, an informal barbeque is held for all actuarial students and employer recruiters. Companies are also invited back in the spring to conduct interviews.

To access Career bluePrint: log into blueView, click on the Student Services tab, then click on the Career bluePrint logo (lower right hand side of the page)

Employer On-Campus Recruiting and Career Fairs

Fall actuarial science employer recruitment activities have been held for over eleven years. The two-day event features a career fair (called Actuarial Evening), interview opportunities and a barbeque for all actuarial students and employer recruiters.

Companies are invited to return to campus to interview again each spring. The job posting and interview coordination is completed on Career bluePrint. Over the course of the academic year, companies across all lines of business recruit Drake students. In the last two years, 42 different companies visited campus to interview students. In addition, Drake University holds its all-University Career Fair each February open to all majors.

Employer Access to Career bluePrint

To access Career bluePrint, go to www.drake.edu/cbparecruit. It is a secure system, so you will need to register to receive a password. To request an interview schedule, click on Create New Schedule Request and complete the form. If you are not coming on campus to interview, but would like to post a job, click on Create Non-OCR position and complete the form. Questions? Please contact Annette Watson at Annette.watson@drake.edu, (515) 271-4715.

Here is what recruiters have to say about the career fair and on-campus recruiting:

• "I enjoy recruiting at Drake because I know the program produces high quality students. My company benefits from their talents as they make valuable contributions to our business. I have the opportunity to watch the students grow and improve their skills while looking forward to recruiting them in the future."
- Leslie Jarvi, ASA, Consultant, JPMorgan Compensation and Benefit Strategies


• "Drake's Actuarial Science program is one of the largest and strongest programs from which Allstate recruits. The Drake actuarial curriculum follows the preliminary exam syllabi and gives students the opportunity to meet all VEE requirements. Actuaries at Allstate rely on both the quantitative analytical skills demonstrated through the exam process, as well as business and financial acumen to make decisions in their work. The success of each and every Drake student that joins Allstate continues to exceed expectations and we only look forward to having more students join our pricing department."
- Zac Bowden, Pricing Manager of the Northwest Region, Allstate Insurance

Sponsorships

Sponsorship opportunities are available throughout the year. Please contact Annette Watson, Annette.watson@drake.edu, (515) 271-4715 for further details.

Student Information Sessions

The Drake Actuarial Student Society (DASS) coordinates employer information sessions as part of their meetings. Please contact Brad Koenen, DASS President at Bradley.koenen@drake.edu to plan your visit.

Other Resources

For more information regarding Drake University, go to www.drake.edu. For more information regarding Professional and Career Development Services, go to www.drake.edu/career.

Send email to Rahul Parsa with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: November 1, 2009