Webinar: The postgraduate's CV guide

The global development sector doesn’t adhere to the usual standards when it comes to CVs. If you are still studying or have recently graduated and are starting your global development job search, it’s important to know what these are. The main features to get you noticed by recruiters include the use of sector-relevant keywords, highlighting donor and country experience, and utilizing your headline to brand yourself as a professional. In this webinar, Kate Warren, executive vice president of Devex, talks through the rules and norms unique to the global dev sector, including page length. Warren also points out some of the most common CV mistakes made by postgraduates, which can quickly turn off employers. Here are Warren’s four top tips: Include work experience It’s common for recent graduates to undervalue any administrative or service-related jobs they have done, Warren said. They might leave off this experience — such as working in the administrative office at their university or waiting tables — in favor of something that sounds more impressive, she added. However, many hiring managers and recruiters like to see that kind of experience, Warren explained. It demonstrates that you have a strong work ethic and customer service experience, which is important to almost every job in global development. “Having that experience, maybe rounded out with volunteering or other development-focused experience, can actually make you a really compelling candidate,” Warren said. Entry-level jobs in development also tend to be administrative in nature, she explained, so this experience can be helpful and relevant to the day-to-day work you might do. Do not put too much value on nonwork-related travel While many global dev employers look for candidates with overseas experience, do not play up a voluntourism or backpacking trip, Warren advised. These experiences do not equate to the reality of working in a different country, she explained. Seasoned development professionals who have “served in the trenches” for years are not likely to be impressed. And, while it is fine to express your interest in travel, this likely won’t help you stand out as a candidate. Be cautious of how you talk about this, Warren advised, you do not want to give the impression that you are only interested in the international travel opportunities. The same goes for passion, she continued. Development is a mission-driven sector and employers want to hire staff passionate about their work, but this does not make up for actual experience. Do not overplay your good intentions, Warren cautioned. Driving results and having experience is more important, she added. Focus on the right things Include the title of your degree program and anticipated graduation date, even if it is not for some time. Do not, however, go into a lot of detail about the courses you took as part of your studies, Warren said. Doing so isn’t likely to impress a recruiter or hiring manager, she explained — they are more concerned with any hands-on experience you have. “If you’ve done practicum work experience … were embedded in working with an NGO on a project or you spent time in-country, that kind of experience is great and really important to put on there,” Warren said. If you do include course details, make sure it is a course that is unique and specific to that job, she advised. For example, if the role requires familiarity with a particular statistical software that you took a class on, then it is important to include. “Any extraneous information you put on there which is not relevant to the job is likely to just dilute the impact of what is really relevant,” Warren said. Volunteer and internship experience counts Include this experience in your work history section, as this can be particularly helpful if you do not have a lot of relevant work experience. Some institutions have strict formulas for calculating a candidates’ years of experience but most organizations are looser about this, Warren said, so you can generally count volunteer or intern programs.