CV writing for foreign aid consultants: Your FAQs

For consultants, a strong resume is as key to a successful career in international development as is networking. Devex has written at length about how to craft a resume that stands out from the other submissions. But for independent consultants eager to be considered for field projects, writing a CV can be tricky given the various stakeholders involved. So how do you do it? This was a question during our one-hour webinar, “How to succeed as a development consultant.” The webinar featured top human resource experts from DAI, one of the world’s largest development consultancies: Daniel Head, senior international recruiter at the company’s economic growth division, as well as Recruitment Manager Katie Levy and Associate Recruiter Sophie Montmey of DAI Europe. After the webinar, these expert recruiters answered several additional questions posed by webinar participants on resume writing for development consultant. Here are their answers: How can applicants distinguish between efforts to “harvest” applications for bids and those that are actually open for more immediate placement? “Call for Resumes” is a term often used when collecting applications for non-specific opportunities. If the job description mentions that it’s a position for a proposal effort, you can be pretty sure that this it’s not an immediate opportunity. How necessary is it to adapt each CV one sends out to a particular position? If your experience is broad or covers multiple technical areas, geographic locations, skill sets, et cetera, it is a good idea to tailor your CV to highlight the experience that is directly relevant to the position you are applying for. How is preparing a CV for international jobs different than for other (domestic) jobs? Other than obvious differences in retailing your CV with an international focus, you should play up any domestic experience you have which has given you experience in cross-cultural communication, management of people who work overseas (even if you have never been there or met them face-to-face). It also heavily depends on what kind of work. Obviously, there are a lot of domestic consultants whose experience is very applicable to the related international work, whereas other sector experience might not be relevant at all. Would you advise applying for two jobs within the same organization at the same time? If they both are a good fit, should the dual application be mentioned in the cover letter or elsewhere? Yes, I’d say that’s fine. I would recommend mentioning it in the cover letter. Can we apply in French to DAI?­ What, in general, determines which language one should apply in? Unless the job advertisement was posted in French, applications should be submitted in English. In general, if the job ad is in English the application should be written in English. Consultants are often told to make their resume not more than two pages. Would you agree, and if not, what different conventions are the best practices for different donors, regions and experience levels? CVs can be more than two pages, but should not be excessively lengthy either. Include the most relevant information – don’t cut out something that tells the person reading it something important about your experience, but don’t take up too much space or readers’ time by including superfluous details. How many years back should one go on a CV with work experience? All relevant work experience should be included – the definition of relevant experience may change from person to person or depending on the job you’re applying for. You may want to have shorter descriptions or fewer details about experience that occurred many years ago depending on its relevance. Does time spent in grad school count as experience? Do you count non-development experience as experience? This experience can be counted and should probably be included if your work history is primarily in one of these areas (from grad school or not development-related). Once you get more relevant experience, you can start removing these earlier/less relevant experiences from your CV or remove much of the detail from the descriptions of these experiences. How do you gracefully note in a CV that one was actively looking for a job for a certain period of time? What if you were ill? Raised children? If you’re concerned about how a gap in professional experience will look on your CV, you could mention it in your cover letter to clarify any doubts that the CV reader might have. Read more: - Consulting opportunities with DAI: FAQs (followup Q&A) - Contract negotiation FAQs for development consultants (followup Q&A) - How to Succeed as a Development Consultant (full webinar recording) - Individual consulting: Where the jobs are (webinar excerpt) - Individual consultant CVs: Tips and tricks (webinar excerpt) - How to get a senior consulting post - How to transition to development consulting - Global development consulting: How to gain the right experience On consulting: - Individual Consulting: A Primer - A Survival Guide to Consulting - UN to Introduce Online Application Tool for Consultants - A Global Consultant’s Daily Routine - Independent Consulting = Freedom + Flexibility - Administrative Expenses for Contractors - Basic Skills of Independent Consultants - Coping with Frequent Travel - How to Get Away from the Home Office Other career coverage: - Salary Negotiation Strategies for Aid Workers and Consultants: A Primer - Career Transitions: How to Figure Out if an Aid Job is Right for You - Secrets to a Successful Phone Interview for Development Aid Job Seekers - Resume Formats for International Development Professionals Read more international development career advice.