Applying for jobs in International Development or Monitoring and Evaluation can be intimidating when overqualified; applicants often fear their qualifications might scare off potential employers.
By crafting an effective cover letter, however, you can demonstrate your experience and skillset that meets the company’s requirements.
Gaining insight into an employer’s perspective
Understanding why an employer would hesitate to hire someone overqualified is crucial before approaching them with any offers of employment. They could have concerns about your longevity in the role, satisfaction with a lower salary offer, and adaptability for less senior roles – these should all be addressed by you in your cover letter.
How to Write a Cover Letter
Begin your interview on an optimistic note by showing genuine interest in both the organization and role. Passion for international development matters more than qualifications!
Customize Your Qualifications:
Put emphasis on the skills and achievements directly relevant to the job in question, not on overqualified credentials that add nothing of value but create expectations instead. Overqualified credentials should be seen as opportunities to add to the team instead of signs of expectation.
Overqualification:
By approaching it head-on in an honest but positive manner, explain your motivations for applying to jobs for which you seem overqualified – perhaps they fit with your mission, goals or current life situation – you want to show your employer that you’re committed to this position.
Focus on Soft Skills:
Soft skills are just as crucial in International Development, such as cross-cultural communication, teamwork, adaptability and flexibility. Demonstrate these strengths through examples from your past experience to prove their worth to an organization.
Demonstrate Your Understanding of the Role:
Show that you understand the job’s realism by using your experience to outline how you could contribute to specific projects or help the organization meet challenges.
Discuss Your Mentor and Leadership Capabilities:
Discuss how additional qualifications can assist with mentoring junior staff or improving team capabilities without exceeding the role’s parameters.
Reassure the employer that you intend to stay for an extended period, which should allay any concerns over leaving soon for higher-level roles.
Finish Strong:
For maximum impact, reiterate your enthusiasm for both the position and organization, then invite them to discuss your application further in an interview.
Conclusion
Starting with this article as a basis, but make sure that each cover letter demonstrates your thorough research by tailoring each one specifically to the organization and position for which you’re applying.
Cover letters should help transform your overqualifications into assets by aligning them with the goals and needs of an organization. Your aim should be to demonstrate to an employer that you sincerely desire this role despite what may appear as excessive qualifications; an effective cover letter can open doors, facilitate discussions and demonstrate why International Development might be right for you.
