Seven strategies to ensure your CV is shortlisted for DevelopmentPeople job opportunities

When submitting a resume for a job in the aid sector, the main objective is to outpace the competition and secure the desired position. However, you won't be offered the job right away. Your CV must first be shortlisted, meaning it needs to stand out from the numerous resumes submitted by other candidates for the same role. Being shortlisted indicates that your CV is strong, well-crafted, and specifically tailored.

This step is crucial for a successful career in the aid sector, as it boosts your confidence when interacting with donors during interviews.

As a specialist or consultant in the aid sector, you have the option to create and customize your CV for a specific job opportunity on your own, or you can contact professional organizations like DevelopmentAid to craft, personalize, and distribute your CV with outstanding style.

In this article, we will discuss the key aspects that consultants and experts should focus on to ensure their CV gets shortlisted.

What can a consultant do to make it onto a CV shortlist?

We find it useful to highlight the different aspects of the entire process that lie behind the scenes of tenders and calls for proposals, covering both effective job sourcing and applications. Being aware of the whole picture will be of practical use to experts when preparing their CVs, so we have created a detailed roadmap that we hope will be useful in reaching the ultimate goal, the CV shortlist!

A CV shortlist includes a group of chosen candidates selected from a larger number of applicants interested in the position. The individuals on the shortlist are deemed to fulfill the necessary and preferred qualifications for the specific role. These are the candidates you wish to advance to the subsequent stage of your hiring process, typically involving some type of interview. For candidates, being on the shortlist often results in receiving an invitation to an interview.

Strategy 1: Monitor professional job boards

We advise that you make sure you remain up to date with projects that are within the areas of your expertise, and this can be done by actively monitoring professional job boards. This should be done daily, or at least weekly, to avoid missing important opportunities. Professional recruiters suggest using DevelopmentAid, as it features the most job listings, with new openings added daily by a skilled data entry team.

Additionally, by becoming a Professional Member, you gain access to an expanded array of tools that enhance your ability to monitor assignments. This membership allows you to access more job opportunities, customize and upload your CV to the platform, utilize the CV broadcast service, and subscribe to a personalized job alert newsletter.

Tailoring your CV is a significant step toward securing your ideal job. Another method to keep track of potential opportunities is by using LinkedIn, where you can follow the pages of relevant consulting firms and recruiters you have previously collaborated with.

Strategy 2: Expand your professional network

True professionals are always aware of the competition. This means following and interacting with other field experts, disregarding the competitive aspect, as this leads to more opportunities. For example, an interesting opening or vacancy might appear from someone among your network connections directly or indirectly when colleagues and rivals share or comment on social networks.

Experienced consultants are sometimes recommended by colleagues who are unavailable for assignments. These colleagues might mention the consultant's name and even ensure that recruiters add that person to the shortlist, provided the references are strong.

Strategy 3: Keep your profile information up-to-date

In the recruitment industry, it's a fundamental principle that seasoned professionals are concerned with their public profiles. This is relevant across all professional platforms related to job searching, and it's essential to make sure your profile is discoverable by recruiters seeking candidates in your field of expertise.

Keep in mind that managing 10 to 15 accounts on specialized job platforms isn't necessary, as it can be challenging to update your CV across all of them. Instead, concentrate on the platforms most relevant to your region or sector, ensuring your information is both accurate and thorough.

Strategy 4: Share your general CV with consulting companies

Sometimes, experts are hired by consulting firms that have secured significant tenders. In such cases, it's beneficial to proactively share your CV with chosen consulting companies. These firms will search through their databases when a specific profile is required, potentially even before they are shortlisted for a particular tender.

Strategy 5: Analyse the profile requirements

Before applying for a position, it is crucial to carefully examine the project's requirements to determine if you meet the minimum criteria. A frequent error made by professionals is applying to any open opportunity on the job board, even those for which they lack experience or cannot fulfill specific nationality, location, or gender requirements.

Strategy 6: Always have a well-tailored CV in the correct format to hand

A CV that clearly details a consultant's experience is crucial. Remember to include keywords relevant to the job posting and emphasize their connection to your previous professional experiences. Having your resume prepared in different donor-specific formats will also save time.

Professional recruiters recommend having your CV in at least the major donor formats: EuropeAid, WB, KFW, ADB, and AfDB. For more detailed CV tailoring tips, feel free to explore the previous DevelopmentPeople articles too.

Strategy 7: Prepare work certificates and recommendation letters, and include references in the CV

This can be useful for consultants in international development projects, both long- and short-term initiatives, that are funded by the European Union. This was previously a requirement for longer-term technical assistance projects, but has now become expected from consultants who submit their CVs for shorter-term projects too. For instance, among the conditions of a recent request for proposals for framework contracts, SIEA FWC 2018, it was stated that the winning candidate must be able to share work certificates for all the projects mentioned in their CV.

Don’t forget to add the names and contact information for references, which should ideally relate to each project experience mentioned in the CV. This is a necessity for the majority of donor-funded projects.

Can experts with little experience make it onto CV shortlists for major projects?

There are times when a project doesn't need specific experience with a donor. If the expert fulfills the other requirements of the profile, they have a strong chance of being considered for the role. For junior experts, professional recruiters recommend aiming for a position as a non-key expert in development cooperation projects funded by the donor, as this would be an excellent starting point.

Wrap-up

To secure a spot on the exclusive list of candidates chosen from a multitude of applicants, you must be proactive, as the competition is consistently intense. Adhering to the seven strategies mentioned above will enhance your likelihood of receiving an interview invitation.