Recently I asked you to tell me about your job search dilemmas and wow! I received a wave of responses. Here is the next installment. Ask me a question to see it responded to here.

Their Question:

I would love to know your opinion of the Devex CV writing service.  I was thinking about utilizing them to polish things up but it is quite expensive and they don’t provide any samples of their work.  Do you know if people are generally happy with their service?  Also, do they do it in a way that every hiring manager can identify as a Devex style, or anything obvious like that?

My Response:

I can understand the temptation to focus on creating a beautiful CV. We are told too many times that one must have a perfect resume to get a job. However, that advice doesn’t work in the international development field in general, and definitely not in ICT4D.

Any of the job ads you see below will get dozens, if not hundreds, of high-quality CVs. Yet those that get interviews typically have one thing in common – a personal referral from someone who knows the hiring team.

Knowing that, I personally, I wouldn’t pay $1 for a CV writing service.

Yes, have your CV reviewed by a friend or two, so that you catch any major errors, and be sure to tailor it to the international development field, but don’t spend too much time on your resume. Instead, informational interview your ass off. Its those personal connections that will get you an interview, and from there a job.

Want more depth to your career questions? Grab a career coaching session.

Thanks,
Wayan