with Kate WarrenYour guide to a standout consulting CV

Kate WarrenExecutive Vice President,

Devex

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@KateDWarren

Why a strong CV is important

• Global development assignments are very competitive. To stand-out from the pack of applicants, you need a stand-out CV.

• Global development has different norms and expectations than other industries, so standard CV advice may not apply.

• It is your marketing collateral. Independent consultants are constantly on the hunt for the next assignment, so an updated CV at the ready is essential to marketing your services

BasicElements:

BasicElements

• Strategic, focused headline• Brands your core areas of expertise• Sectors, geographic, functional or technical areas• Can adjust to the specific job/assignment

Examples: Monitoring & Evaluation, Training, Public Financial Management, Behavior Change Communications, Procurement, Proposal Writing

BasicElements:Headline

• Keyword-rich key qualifications section stating who you are, who you help and how you help them

• Note any language fluency, donor familiarity and specific country experience

• Highlight most relevant past assignments

BasicElements:Key Qualifications

• Keywords can be found in the position description. In global development there are certain keywords that are repeated, understood, and specific to global development.

• Strategically applying common and job specific keywords in your CV can help move your CV through the recruitment process.

• Sample (common keywords): program and project management, monitoring and evaluation, capacity building, data collection, training, budgeting, donor reporting, resource mobilization, etc.

Keywords

Acronyms

With your experience you likely know exactly what you are talking about when using an acronym or multiple acronyms. Do not assume that any reader will know all of the acronyms that you know. Consider the following sentence:

• Led FRL program during planning and implementation stages. Managed FRL and SAP for the UNFF under the EXO for COMSAT.

• Led Federal Regulatory Leadership (FRL) program during planning and implementation stages. Managed FRL operations driving program growth by 75.

Consulting work experience

Work history may include many short-term projects and consultancies.• Consider highlighting important or relevant

assignments. Preface with “Select assignments include…”

• Group short-term projects under Independent Consultant, or a Small Business Name.

• Try to avoid gaps in work history wherever possible.

How to talk about your experience

Context + Action + Results (CAR)• Designed and led monitoring and evaluation

trainings.• Designed and led trainings on indicator

development and data collection for 50 monitoring and evaluation officers across 5 regional cities in two weeks. 95% of participants reported a significant improvement in their organization’s data collection as a result of the training.

Multiple formats• Consider maintaining both a short and long

version • Long version can serve as your “database” of

assignments to pull from to tailor shorter version to specific assignments

• Create different branded CVs per area of expertise

• Keep versions of your CV in the various donor formats

CVs for online profiles and databases

• Many organizations do not post jobs for consulting assignments

• Can upload and label multiple versions to your Devex profile

• Be strategic about keywords• Update frequently including availability• Include areas of expertise in your headline;

don’t just say “independent consultant”• Complete all profile fields in addition to

uploading a CV

When applying to specific jobs

• Tailor the headline, key qualifications and selected assignments to the specifics of the job

• Remove non-relevant details• Tailor the format to the norms of the organization

and/or their funder. (Eg: EuropeAid) • Localize to the organization’s norms. For eg,

including a photo or not.• When not sure, stick with the basics• Cover letters less important for many consulting

assignments

• Apply consistent use of verb tenses.• Use a simple file name: lastname_firstname_CV• Review, review, review: don’t let little mistakes

make you look bad.• Have a friend proofread your CV.• Do not forget to include your contact information.• Use a professional sounding email address:

name@gmail.com vs. golfer@hotmail.com. • Send in a readable PDF file• Keep it to 2-5 pages max

Common Sense CV Tips

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