Bermuda CV Format 2026: Complete Writing Guide
Write a job-winning CV for Bermuda's world-class reinsurance sector, financial services industry and Hamilton's high-income professional market.
Bermuda CV Format Rules
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory that has adopted predominantly American professional conventions for its CV/resume format — a reflection of its close commercial ties with the United States, particularly in the reinsurance and capital markets world. The result is a hybrid of American conciseness and British formality. No photo, no date of birth, no references — just sharp, achievement-driven content.
The Hamilton financial district is famously small and close-knit. The "Bermuda Triangle" of global reinsurance — Bermuda, Lloyd's of London and Swiss Re — means that professionals in this market often know each other across firms. Your CV must be impeccable in grammar, precise in technical language and absolutely honest — reputation travels fast in this community.
- Length: 1 page for candidates with under 8 years of experience; 2 pages for senior professionals. Never exceed 2 pages for the Bermuda market.
- Photo: Do not include a photo. This follows British-American professional convention and adding one can create an unconscious bias issue for the employer.
- Personal information: Name, location (Hamilton, Bermuda or country of current residence), phone, email and LinkedIn. No date of birth, no nationality unless asked — work permit status is the relevant item.
- Work permit status: State this clearly: "Bermuda work permit holder" or "Bermudian national" or "Currently based in [country] — open to relocation." Employers need this information early.
- Format: Clean, simple chronological format. White background, black text, standard fonts (Calibri, Arial or Georgia), size 10–12. No tables that confuse ATS. Save as PDF.
- File naming: "FirstnameSurname_CV_2026.pdf" — professional and easily sorted by HR teams processing multiple applications.
How to Write Each Section of a Bermuda CV
Header and Contact Information
Start with your full name in bold at the top — larger font than the rest of the document (14–16pt). Beneath it, on one or two lines: current location, phone number, professional email address and LinkedIn profile URL. If you are applying from overseas, note your willingness and timeline for relocation.
Beneath the contact line, on the same header block: include your primary professional designation if you hold one (e.g., "ACII | FCAS | CPA"). This is unconventional in some markets but highly effective in Bermuda, where designations are the first thing reinsurance and insurance HR teams scan for.
Professional Summary
Write 3–4 lines that immediately establish your seniority, specialisation and the value you bring to a Bermuda-based employer. Use precise industry language that signals insider knowledge: cat modelling, LPT (Loss Portfolio Transfer), XL (excess of loss), cedant relationships, sidecar structures, collateralised reinsurance, ILS (Insurance-Linked Securities). Generic summaries are immediately spotted and dismissed in this specialist market.
Example: "Senior catastrophe reinsurance underwriter with 11 years of experience across Bermuda, London and Singapore markets. Specialist in property cat XL and ILS structuring, with a track record of growing a $450M property cat book by 22% over three years while maintaining combined ratios below 94%."
Professional Experience
List roles in reverse-chronological order. Each entry: company name, location, your job title, employment dates and 3–5 bullet points of quantified achievements. For underwriting roles: reference book size (USD), loss ratios, combined ratios, specific lines of business (cat XL, casualty treaty, marine, cyber). For actuarial roles: reserve ranges, model types (RMS, AIR, CATRADER), regulatory submissions (BMA BSCR). For compliance/legal: reference regulatory frameworks (Insurance Act 1978, BMA regulations, Solvency II equivalence).
Name the companies you have worked for — in Bermuda's small reinsurance world, employers know the reputation of firms like Everest Re, PartnerRe, RenaissanceRe, Axis Capital and Hiscox Re. Working at these companies is itself a credential.
Education
List your highest degree first: degree name, institution, location and year of graduation. For actuarial professionals, the Fellow or Associate designation (FCAS, ACAS, FIA, FCIA) is more important than the undergraduate degree and should appear prominently. Include academic prizes or distinctions if they are from a well-recognised institution. An MBA from a top-tier business school (Wharton, London Business School, INSEAD) is valued for senior management roles.
Professional Designations and Certifications
This section is critical for the Bermuda market. List every relevant professional designation: ACII or FCII (Chartered Insurance Institute), CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter), ARe (Associate in Reinsurance), FCAS/ACAS (Casualty Actuarial Society Fellow/Associate), FIA (Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries), CPA (Certified Public Accountant), CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners for trust and legal roles), ICA (Insurance Capital Analyst). Also list AML and compliance certifications: CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist), ICA Certificate in Compliance.
Technical Skills and Software
For actuarial and catastrophe roles: RMS RiskLink, AIR Touchstone, CATRADER, Arium, Excel (VBA), SQL, Python (pandas, scipy), R. For finance and accounting: SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle Financials, Bloomberg Terminal, XBRL. For legal and compliance: Relativity, iManage, LexisNexis. For general technology roles in financial services: AWS, Azure, Salesforce, PowerBI. Keep this section concise — one or two lines maximum.
Bermuda Salary Guide 2026 (USD/month)
Bermuda consistently ranks as one of the highest-paying professional markets in the world, with salaries for reinsurance and financial services professionals that are competitive with New York, London and Zurich. The Bermudian Dollar (BMD) is pegged 1:1 to the US Dollar, and there is no personal income tax — meaning these figures represent close to your actual take-home (after statutory health insurance contributions and pension contributions). The extremely high cost of living in Bermuda — particularly housing — must be factored into any salary negotiation.
| Role / Sector | Monthly Range (USD) | Annual Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Reinsurance Underwriter (mid-senior) | $6,000 – $15,000 | ~$72k – $180k |
| Actuary (FCAS / FIA qualified) | $8,000 – $18,000 | ~$96k – $216k |
| Finance / Accounting (CPA / ACA) | $5,000 – $12,000 | ~$60k – $144k |
| Legal (insurance / corporate) | $7,000 – $18,000 | ~$84k – $216k |
| IT Specialist / Systems Engineer | $5,500 – $11,000 | ~$66k – $132k |
| Hospitality Manager (hotel / resort) | $3,500 – $7,000 | ~$42k – $84k |
| Construction / Trades (licensed) | $4,000 – $8,000 | ~$48k – $96k |
Note: Senior reinsurance executives and actuaries at major carriers (Everest Re, RenaissanceRe, PartnerRe) typically receive bonuses of 20–50% of base salary on top of these ranges. Many expat packages also include housing allowances of $3,000–$6,000/month given Bermuda's extreme rental costs.
Best Job Boards in Bermuda 2026
Bermuda's job market is small, specialised and relationship-heavy. Online job boards are useful but many roles are filled through professional networks and recruitment agencies before they are ever publicly posted. Active networking on LinkedIn and through industry bodies is essential.
- Bermuda Job Board (bermudajobboard.com) — The primary local job board for Bermuda. Lists roles across insurance, finance, technology, hospitality, government and professional services. The best starting point for candidates targeting the island directly.
- The Royal Gazette Jobs (royalgazette.com) — Bermuda's main newspaper also runs an active jobs section. Particularly good for government, civil service, education and community-sector roles, as well as some corporate listings from local employers.
- Government of Bermuda Civil Service Portal (gov.bm) — For all civil service and government-sector vacancies. Bermuda's government employs a significant number of professionals in healthcare, education, finance and administration.
- LinkedIn — Essential for senior reinsurance, actuarial, legal and financial services roles. Major carriers (Everest Re, Axis Capital, Hamilton Insurance) post roles here. Specialist recruiters also use LinkedIn heavily to headhunt qualified professionals.
- Specialist insurance recruiters — Robert Walters Bermuda, Huxley Associates and Orbis Group all place candidates into Bermuda's financial services sector. For actuarial roles specifically, DW Simpson (actuarial recruitment) is a valuable contact.
DO
- List professional insurance and actuarial designations (ACII, FCAS, ARe, CPCU) at the top of your CV — they are the primary screening criteria.
- Include highly specific reinsurance terminology: cat XL, LPT, ILS, sidecar, collateralised reinsurance, BSCR, BMA Solvency II equivalence.
- State your work permit status clearly — Bermudian national, BOTC citizen, existing permit holder or open to work permit sponsorship.
- Quantify everything: book size in USD, combined ratios, loss ratios, number of cedants, premium volumes, actuarial reserve ranges.
- Keep to 2 pages maximum — the Bermuda market values conciseness and precision over volume.
- Include AML and compliance certifications (CAMS, ICA) prominently — the financial sector is hyper-compliance-focused and any criminal record is typically disqualifying.
- Tailor your CV for each application — Bermuda's reinsurance sector is small enough that a generic application is immediately obvious to experienced HR teams.
DON'T
- Include a photo, date of birth or marital status — this is the American-British format and including personal details looks unprofessional.
- Use vague language — "worked in insurance" or "helped with underwriting" tells a Bermuda recruiter nothing useful.
- Submit a CV longer than 2 pages — it signals poor editing skills, which is not a good start for a precision-oriented financial services role.
- Ignore the cost of living — if negotiating salary, research Bermuda housing costs (typical 1-bed apartment: $2,500–$4,500/month) and factor this into your expectations.
- Forget to address the Six-Year Term limit for work permit holders if relevant — being transparent about your eligibility timeline builds trust.
- Use graphics, charts or tables in your CV — many applicant tracking systems cannot parse them and they may cause your CV to be ranked lower or dropped entirely.
Cultural Notes for Job Seekers in Bermuda
The reinsurance sector is formal and close-knit. Hamilton's financial district is small — professionals often move between firms (Everest Re, PartnerRe, RenaissanceRe, Axis Capital) and everyone tends to know everyone else. Your professional reputation matters enormously. Any shortcuts on your CV or embellishments about your experience will be discovered quickly through reference checks and industry conversations.
Dress code is formal. In the reinsurance and banking sectors, business formal is expected: jacket and tie for men, formal business attire for women. Even in Bermuda's warm climate, you will see professionals in full suits walking to client meetings. "Bermuda shorts" in a business context are a specific formal item — knee-length, worn with jacket, tie and knee-length socks — not casual shorts.
The "Bermuda First" hiring principle is real. Employers must demonstrate they could not fill a role with a qualified Bermudian or spouse of a Bermudian before hiring international talent. This means that most work permit holders are hired for genuinely specialised roles where specific designations (FCAS, ACII, CPCU) are required — making your professional credentials even more critical.
Traffic drives on the left and scooters/mopeds are the primary mode of individual transport — cars are restricted per household. Many financial professionals commute into Hamilton by scooter, ferry or bus. This is not unusual and is worth knowing for your practical planning as a new arrival.
Networking events matter. Bermuda hosts a number of significant industry events: the Bermuda Risk Summit, Rendez-Vous de Septembre (for those attending from Bermuda), and various BMA and ABIR (Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers) events. Attending these as a candidate or new hire is a genuine networking shortcut in this community.