3 CV and resume tips for global development generalists

Let’s say you have a broad skill set, have expertise and interest in several different areas, and are comfortable applying your abilities to a range of situations. Shouldn’t these be attractive attributes for global development job candidates to have? Maybe. But this isn't always the case. If you're not careful, being seen as a generalist can be a disadvantage for job seekers. That's the view of Kathryn Harper, a development writing expert, who spoke about the issue during a recent Devex Careers event. Nowadays, she says, there's a risk that if you say you're a generalist, it's perceived that you can't make up your mind, or you're trying to be all things at once. As a job seeker, being a generalist doesn’t have to be a drag on your job prospects. Instead, you can strategically construct your CV and resume to take advantage of the many virtues generalists have to offer. “A generalist is someone who can pivot [and] adapt [to] meet the moment and bring whatever skill set they have to the forefront because they have a portfolio of skill sets,” Harper said. Here are a few ways to develop a CV that makes the most of your many abilities and lets recruiters know that you have what it takes to excel in your next desired role. Realize the advantages of being a generalist Acceptance is the first step. If you are a generalist, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s something you should feel comfortable owning. “The generalists are the ones who can go in between different areas, they can walk into any room, in any office, at any level, and be comfortable — depending on their background, experience, and their ability to read a room,” Harper said. “You're not going to come across as either schizophrenic or multitasking,” she added. Instead, if you can frame your varied skills and experiences in a way that highlights your problem-solving abilities, you’ll be working from a position of strength. But you’ll also need to identify the specific problem the organization you’re applying to is aiming to solve in the advertised role. Ask yourself, “what is the problem [the employer is] trying to solve and how can I show that I am the solution to that problem,” Harper said. “To me, that's the strongest positioning and from there you can build your language.” Stand out with a strong summary (and strong adjectives) The summary portion of a CV or resume is where you can set your own narrative and make the case that you’re the problem solver the recruiter is looking for. “The job of your CV at this point is to have a reader go, ‘I just can't file this person away as a program officer or as an advocacy person or as a policy person,’ Harper said. The goal is to “give them a reason to stop and pause.” To do this, Harper suggests using strong adjectives in your summary section to convey your strongest skills that are applicable to the position you’re applying for but can’t easily be identified with any particular role. When it comes to adjectives, “strategic,” “entrepreneurial,” “fiscally fluent,” and “geographically savvy” are “great words to use about yourself that could carry you through any transition,” Harper said. In terms of skills, examples might be, “communications, writing, research, reporting, public speaking, advocacy, lobbying — anything that you can do to avoid the reader from putting you in one bucket,” Harper said. You can stay within your sector Even if you've had a number of different job titles — and you like and need the variety and challenge that brings — that doesn't mean you need to work in many different sectors. Development is a broad space and offers the opportunity to do many different things in different places. Harper has worked with some professionals who make drastic shifts between sectors, but “most of us are not making such huge professional leaps, most of us are staying within the boundaries of a certain expertise or a field that we love,” she said. For example, areas such as global health, education, and food security are “big umbrellas,” Harper said. Generalists looking for a new direction may feel more comfortable shifting roles within their broader comfort zone, she added. In cases like this, it’s still important that on your CV “your chronology shows your different adaptability under different circumstances and different dynamics, both political and geographic, and cultural,” Harper said.