Welcome to OpenIGO’s comprehensive guide on the Asian Development Bank’s prestigious Young Professionals Program (ADB YPP). Designed to attract exceptionally talented and motivated individuals, the YPP serves as the gateway to a fulfilling and impactful career within the ADB. This entry-level recruitment initiative not only provides a robust foundation for budding professionals but also offers a diverse array of opportunities to nurture their skills and gain an in-depth understanding of ADB’s operational intricacies, policies, and procedures.
As part of a well-structured talent management program, Young Professionals (YPs) play a pivotal role in driving forward the ADB’s vision and ambitions outlined in Strategy 2030. In this article, we will take you through the key aspects of the ADB YPP Cover Letter. With our tips, you’ll be able to craft a compelling cover letter that aligns with the ADB’s mission and vision.
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For the 2023-2024 edition of the ADB YPP, the Asian Development Bank asked you:
- Why should we consider you for the role? Please review the job description, match it against your profile, and provide us a brief summary of your qualifications (maximum of 3000 characters).
With this in mind, let’s delve into the tips below.
What do recruiters look for in your ADB YPP Cover Letter?
In order to write a strong cover letter, it is important to know what the recruiters will be looking for, so here are some of the aspects the recruiting team seeks to evaluate:
- Competencies: These may be understood as the candidate’s set of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and values. The majority of the ADB’s selection processes are competency-based. Therefore, it is important the candidate shows that s/he has the main competencies the ADB is seeking, such as Teamwork, Innovation, Negotiation, Results orientation, Problem Analysis, Strategic Perspective. Note that the required competencies can change according to the post being advertised. Since the ADB is indisputably a value-driven organization, your personal values and the manner in which they are linked to the organization’s should also be highlighted.
- Knowledge about the organization: It is expected that the candidate demonstrates knowledge about the ADB, such as its mission, its operational approach, activities, and main objectives.
- Cultural fit: Showing sound knowledge of the organization is not enough. The candidate should highlight that there is compatibility between their values, principles, objectives, and understanding of reality with those of the organization.
- Communicative capacity: The cover letter enables the recruiter to evaluate the candidate’s writing skills and their ability to structure ideas and coherently defend arguments.
- Technical knowledge: the candidate should present how s/he would contribute to the ADB on the internship. Expert assessors from the area the candidate is applying to will assess if the candidate has the technical knowledge required by the ADB and if s/he fully grasps the fundamental concepts of their specialized area.
In the first round of the ADB Young Professionals Program (ADB YPP) selection process, you must fill out an online application form and send documents (Curriculum Vitae/Resume, Cover Letter, etc.). These documents are decisive for your success in this competitive selection process! Therefore, it is of fundamental importance that they are carefully reviewed. This is exactly what our specialists in the ADB YPP selection process will do for you.
That is why we are here: to provide you with step-by-step assistance to earn your place at the ADB. We have developed the ADB YPP Application Review made by experts who know exactly what the ADB is looking for in candidates:
Important things to pay attention to when writing your ADB YPP cover letter
1. Language
As far as “language” is concerned, here is a list of aspects you should pay attention to:
- Avoid clichés, idioms and outdated language;
- Beware of errors in grammar, use of verb tense, and punctuation. Show that you have an understanding of the language’s basic rules. If possible, use a spell checker or have a proofreader analyze your content when you’ve finished writing your ADB cover letter;
- Give preference to writing out the full names of organizations, positions and people;
- Remember to use the first person singular to describe your personal accomplishments and achievements;
- Do not use words and expressions without being sure of their meaning. Although it is important to have an extensive vocabulary, it is a mistake to think that you should misuse elaborate words which are hard to understand;
2. Brainstorm and define a theme for cover letter
Start to prepare your cover letter by brainstorming, which could be done by answering all the questions listed before. Based on these answers, think of a “theme” to guide writing this document. This theme refers to the way you wish to project yourself to the organization.
3. Be careful of your emotional state
Your emotional state may have a direct impact on the quality of your text. Therefore, negative feelings should be avoided, such as anxiety, stress and lack of confidence. Calm and focus should be maintained before you start. The practice of relaxing activities (such as yoga, meditation, listening to music or practicing physical exercise) is also recommended before writing, in order to stimulate your creativity.
4. Be yourself
Just because you are telling a story, you should not invent facts about yourself. Never lie. Remember that facts presented in a document can be checked during the selection process and the recruiters also have extensive experience and are able to easily recognize facts that are not true. Therefore, if you are not honest, as well as not being selected, your reputation will be tarnished.
5. Quantify your story
If possible, present numbers in your statement of interest to make your story more concrete. There is nothing better than numbers to install confidence in the information you present. Quantify the results achieved from your actions in order to help the recruiter gain a better idea of the scale of your impact.
Among the different ways of selecting staff, the Young Professionals Program (YPP) is known as the ADB’s most important and prestigious selection process. The ADB YPP is a highly competitive selection process. Every year, more than 4,000 highly qualified young people from around the world apply for this program but only around 10-20 applicants are selected each year. Being selected for the ADB YPP can change your life forever, but this is no easy task.
In pursuit of its mission, the OpenIGO network has developed support and guidance services, with the aim of highly increasing your chances of success in this competitive selection process. These include an Application Review and a Mock Interview – based on the Asian Development Bank YPP original model. For more information, access:
For more info, access:
