Danish Refugee Council shares what they look for in top candidates

With its headquarters in Copenhagen, the Danish Refugee Council — Denmark's largest NGO — also has around 8,000 staff in 40 countries worldwide. Specializing in supporting refugees and internally displaced people — from their initial exile to settlement and integration in a new country and their return — there is a lot of hiring for roles in the protection sector, said Iosif Sofios, recruitment specialist with the organization’s human resources team. This includes roles around gender-based violence, psychosocial support, accessing people who are hard to reach, and legal aid. Economic recovery, humanitarian displacement, and peacebuilding are also sectors where there is demand globally, he added. Many of the organization’s jobs are based in or around crisis or conflict areas, meaning on-the-ground experience and language skills are valuable. However, there are also opportunities for candidates with no prior experience in the humanitarian and development sectors and who can support projects from a distance, Sofios explained. Devex finds out what skills DRC is hiring for and what can help applicants stand out in the application process. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Are there any particular regions or countries where you are seeing a lot of hiring? The top countries right now are Ukraine then Colombia. There are fluctuations in recruitment depending on where there is a humanitarian need as a consequence of external events, such as crises or conflicts. Yemen, Iraq, and Ethiopia are other countries where there have been many vacancies during the past year. What soft and technical skills are you seeing a demand for? Based on our strategic goals and our overall programmatic direction, there is emphasis on digital literacy. There is a demand for data analysis-related jobs or jobs that require data-driven decision-making and overall digital skills. Then, project management is a skill that you need for a lot of our more senior-level positions, especially. It's also becoming increasingly important to find people with skills in climate action or sustainable programming, and advocacy and partnership development will continue to be important areas. There is demand for cross-cultural communication, and collaboration skills gained through international working experience or speaking other languages, especially the languages our people of concern speak. English is, in most cases, the working language, but not always, and we also look, for example, for French, Spanish, and Arabic. In terms of key soft skills, applicants should consider our five core competencies — striving for excellence, collaborating, taking the lead, communicating, and demonstrating integrity. These are the skills, behaviors, and attitudes we need from applicants and also from employees in order for them to be successful in the organization. What experiences can be valuable for a candidate to have on their CV? Volunteering is something recruiters and hiring managers appreciate. This is especially true for young professionals to demonstrate the direction they want to go in and that they are seeking opportunities to gain skills and experience. Volunteering experience is also particularly valuable if it comes from other international NGOs or organizations in the humanitarian sector. We appreciate, of course, any relevant volunteer experience — it doesn't have to be overseas. But that international experience can be more attractive, especially if the job that a candidate is applying for includes traveling or cross-cultural communication or the prospect of future deployment to other parts of the world. Then, more generally, having similar work experience is valuable. For example, having worked with an organization of a similar size or that has a similar budget, if the role they are applying for has budget management responsibilities, or have worked with similar donors if the role involves networking and representing the organization externally. Where might there be opportunities for people looking to transition from other sectors? There are certainly job opportunities even for candidates without strictly humanitarian profiles, including in our support services, such as administration, finance, HR, supply chain, and IT. Those roles are office-based and can be suitable for candidates with backgrounds who are inspired and motivated by the work of DRC but do not necessarily want to work on the ground. Jobs that are focused on project management give an opportunity for people to bring skills from other industries or sectors. This involves project management skills and coordinating with different stakeholders. And program management roles come under the same umbrella. Another sector is monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning, or MEAL — there can be opportunities here for professionals with a background in research or statistics. Grant management roles also, as people with a finance background can transition smoothly to such a role. Do have any application tips for candidates? Apply as early as possible, even if the deadline is, for example, two weeks away. For some roles, we mention that we are doing interviews on a rolling basis, and in that case, someone who applies late in the process will still be considered but might not be one of the first to be interviewed. The CV should also be limited to four pages or fewer. One of the biggest tips I can share for a candidate is to look closely at the job description and then identify and separate between required and desirable qualifications to assess their fit for the role. This way, the applicant can also identify skills that they are missing and can work on. They should also look at our core competencies. Finally, check the job agent page. Applicants can indicate their desired job, location, etc, and register for notifications whenever a similar position is advertised. That's a low-effort but big-impact thing. Ready to stand out from the crowd and get noticed by the recruiters who matter most? Update your Devex profile and start connecting with top global development recruiters now.