Devex Career Hub: Coaches advise on how to land your next role

Learn to walk before you run, and actually know what you want in a job before you apply for one. Some of the best career advice seems obvious on the surface but easily gets overlooked.

“What I often see with coaching clients is that they try to fish in the sea instead of trying to fish in that small pond next door. So you really want to know where you want to be, and the clearer you are, the better it’s gonna be for you,” said international coach Simone Anzböck during our latest Devex digital careers event.

In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing key insights from my discussion with Anzböck and fellow social impact careers expert Spencer Campbell on what to consider before transitioning into global development. Plus, featured job postings from the likes of the World Bank, World Vision, and more.

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Top jobs this week

1. Health & Human Development Officer, Human Development Accelerator (HDX) Hub
Value for Good
Belgium

2. Climate Advisor
Relief International
United States (Remote)

3. Procurement Specialist
World Bank Group
Mali

4. Chief of Party, Food for Progress
World Vision
Mongolia

+ See the full list

3 questions for job hunters to answer

During our recent event, social impact talent agent Spencer Campbell and international coach Simone Anzböck broke down the job hunting process into straightforward questions to ask yourself and offered advice on how to answer them. Here are a few to ponder.

Am I applying for the right jobs? If you’re not paying very close attention to what a role’s required qualifications are, you’re likely not getting many responses to your applications. There needs to be a strong match in what the job requires and the skills you possess, Campbell says.

Am I confident in what I have to offer? How you feel about yourself and your abilities will come across during the recruitment process. For a self-esteem boost, Anzböck recommends a “success page” exercise where you “write down your skills, your strengths, your accomplishments.”

How can I tap into my existing network? Making new connections is important, but useful contacts are already in your network and may know of “jobs that you could be a good fit for, but maybe you haven’t thought to apply to, or you haven’t seen,” Campbell says.

Watch: What to ask yourself before transitioning into development. (Career)

Members-only jobs this week

1. Senior Public Health Assistant
United Nations agency
Burkina Faso

2. Senior Finance Specialist (Lead Officer Disbursements)
United Nations agency
Italy

3. Director, Sponsorships and Donor Relations
Nonprofit organization
United States

4. Senior Marketing Manager (Fixed-Term)
United Nations agency
United Kingdom

+ See the full list

Ask an expert

You have questions, Career Hub has answers, thanks to Devex’s network of expert job coaches and other experts. The following question and response occurred during a recent digital event and have been edited for length and clarity.

I am interviewing for a position that requires extensive experience working abroad. While I have some experience working in other countries, I am somewhat limited in this area. How should I approach questions about this during the interview?

As far as compensating for an area that you might not feel as confident in as some of the other skills and experience that you have, this is a very common dilemma, especially in global development, where there are a lot of countries that an organization or company could work in.

In instances where they ask you questions about having experience in, say, a certain country or focal area that you just don’t have, you want to talk about how an experience from a different situation applies to what the position requires. Remember, if you’re being interviewed for a position, there is plenty on your CV that they want to hear more about.

To get clarity on this, you can have a discussion with your point of contact at the employer before the interview. For example, you can ask the recruiter you’ve been in touch with something like, “I noticed the position requires experience in Latin America, but my experience is in sub-Saharan Africa. Is there something specific on my résumé that you really want me to talk about related to the region?”

In response, they may say, “You’ve done public financial management with some of these ministries in these countries, which is relevant to what’s going to be happening in Latin America, so we’d like to hear a little bit more about your public financial management experience.” From there, you can prepare your answers ahead of time and tailor them in an effective way.

Watch: How to prepare for your next interview (Career) | Find Stephanie on LinkedIn

Have a career development question? You can email Devex’s careers editor directly.

Around the watercooler

News and views from around global development worth knowing about.

• U.N. workers tied to Hamas massacre. Israel accused 12 UNRWA employees of participating in the Oct. 7 massacre. An investigation now threatens U.N.’s reputation and jeopardizes funding for relief programs in Gaza.

• ONE to cut 30% of staff. Amid a “challenging financial environment,” the advocacy organization, co-founded by rock icon and activist Bono, plans to eliminate roughly 50 positions. (Devex Pro)

• Africa CDC stymied by funding woes. Insufficient funding of the Pan-African public health agency has created challenges around attracting, developing, and retaining staff. (Devex Pro)

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