Webinar: New to global development? Here's how to write your CV

The recruitment process in global development is highly competitive, with differing CV expectations from other sectors. Therefore it is critical to have a stand out CV that highlights everything recruiters are looking for. “It’s a very competitive sector and the CV is ... your calling card, your best marketing document, and becomes really critical in making sure that you stand out,” said Kate Warren, executive vice president at Devex. In this webinar Warren offered her insights into the nuances of global development recruitment and the essentials for a great CV — especially for those new to the sector, such as recent graduates trying to land their first job or experienced professionals looking to transition from another sector. Here are three key takeaways from the webinar. Watch the full recording below for more advice and insights. Development CVs differ from other sectors Often the advice given — particularly by university careers services or guidance officers — is to keep your CV or resume to one page. However, global development is different, and a good CV can be up to five pages long. “Development recruiters actually like to see more detail,” Warren said. Additionally, the international nature of the sector means you need to be aware of the different cultural norms for CVs, depending on the country in which you are applying. What may be standard CV practice in one country could be penalized or not commonplace in another — such as including a photograph of yourself. Equally, different agencies can request CVs in different formats. For example, some United Nations agencies require you to submit a P-11 form instead of a CV, and the European Union uses its own Europass system. Highlighting your most relevant skills Your CV “really needs to brand your core skills and experience,” Warren said. “The goal is to make it really easy for a recruiter or hiring manager to understand what you’re great at doing.” Highlight your most marketable and relevant skills for the job you are seeking, Warren explained. This is particularly important for those transitioning from other sectors who might have a wealth of experience in various areas — highlight those skills that are most relevant to the development context and tailor your CV to the role you are applying for. Recruiters can tell if you have tailored your CV to the specific job — if you haven’t then you are doing yourself a disservice, Warren said. Keywords are also crucial in for online recruitment. Utilizing keywords will help your profile appear higher up in recruiters’ searches. Many job vacancies are not publicly posted — instead, recruiters actively search for appropriate candidates online, Warren explained. When to use industry jargon and acronyms “You want to make sure you are avoiding nondevelopment industry jargon, [but] development industry jargon can be helpful,” Warren advised. Widely used development acronyms — such as “USAID” and “M&E” — can evidence your knowledge of the sector and using both the acronyms and full titles can help your CV show up for recruiters searching either term online. However, nondevelopment terms will “sound like a foreign language and make you look like an outsider to a development recruiter,” said Warren. Try to find more common development language that you can use to describe that experience, she said.