What would-be interns need to know about the World Bank’s new program

Applications open next week for the World Bank Group’s new internship initiative for entry-level talent. Rudy Perecin Mareño, global program lead for talent discovery at the World Bank Group, and his colleague, Nidhin Sathianarayana Unni, program lead for the Pioneers internship program, shared exclusive tips for applicants hoping to stand out during a Devex event earlier this week. The Pioneers internship program will offer more than 100 placements across the bank’s five institutions and in more than 20 locations. Interns “will contribute fresh ideas while developing key skills in a dynamic and global environment,” Sathia said. “You will work alongside professionals all over the world. … This is your chance not to just observe, but actively engage, learn, and grow in a global institution.” It is also designed as a stepping stone, he added, and interns who perform well can go on to apply to the institution’s other talent programs. The internship placements range from four weeks to six months. Applications open on Jan. 19 for the spring/summer cycle, which runs from April to September, with another round of applications later this year for the fall/winter cycle, which begins in October. The program is open to final year undergraduate students and postgraduate students currently pursuing a master's degree or Ph.D., and who have a maximum of six years of professional work experience. Sathia and Mareño shared ways to make an application shine. Apply to positions selectively More than a hundred internship opportunities will be posted, but candidates should apply to no more than three. Anyone who applies to four positions is eliminating themselves, cautioned Mareño, as one of the first things that the recruitment team will look at is if a candidate has stuck to this criteria. Around half of the program’s positions will be based at the headquarters in Washington, D.C. “Headquarters positions are very good for potential growth,” said Mareño — but there will also be opportunities for those interested in a country office, as well as virtual internships — and visa support is provided for those who need it, he specified. No fluff All application documents should be concise, Sathia said. CVs should be a maximum of two pages, highlighting relevant professional or academic experience, while the cover letter should be a single page and focus on motivation and fit for the role. “We are not expecting perfection — we are expecting authenticity,” he said. The Pioneers program is designed for early-career individuals, so internships and volunteer work are considered relevant professional experience. “Don’t worry if you have zero [paid professional] experience. We want to make sure that you have passion towards working with World Bank Group’s [mission],” Sathia added. Treat your resume like a policy document, suggested Mareño — in other words, keep it to the point. He also cautioned against overreliance on artificial intelligence in your application — something that recruiters can spot easily and that his team is seeing more. “I’m not saying don’t leverage AI. I think AI can give good recommendations on how to think about things and how to phrase your CV, but don’t be over-reliant on it,” Mareño said. “I would just take some of those suggestions, but still make it my own. Finally, he suggested highlighting experience working with culturally diverse teams — “we are a very, very international multicultural organization. So I think if you can demonstrate that you've worked in this type of institution before, or you’ve collaborated with colleagues from around the world … that’s helpful.” Know your skills Applicants should focus on their existing technical skills, including those developed through academic studies or projects, Mareño said. For policy and research positions, candidates should highlight any work on policy briefs, academic research, or fieldwork, while those interested in finance and economics roles should point out experiences with financial modeling or macro- and microeconomic analysis. Candidates applying for positions in sustainable development should emphasize any work in climate, energy, agriculture, or urban planning, and for those applying for operations and project management positions, experience in monitoring and evaluation or stakeholder engagement is useful. For data analytics roles, Mareño noted that knowledge of tools such as Stata and Python can be an asset. Bank on background Invest time in research and don’t leave your application to the last minute, advised the pair, pointing to the World Bank’s annual report, YouTube channel, and scorecard as just some of the available resources that can help candidates learn about its projects and impact around the world. Mareño also noted that training via the Open Learning Campus can help a candidate stand out. If it comes down to two almost identical CVs, but one candidate has completed one of these project cycle trainings, most likely that’s the individual who would move forward, he explained.