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As part of the application process of the AIIB YPP, candidates are usually required to submit a cover/motivation letter. The essential goal of the cover letter document is to give applicants a chance to introduce themselves and explain their motivation in applying to the organization.
As the name suggests, a cover letter serves as a “cover” for the documents you submit for the YPP application. It should provide a summary of a candidate’s skills, professional experience, and qualifications that meet the needs of the Program, emphasizing why the candidate should be selected.
That’s why we have prepared, in this article, a guide with all the essentials for you to improve your cover letter for an AIIB career opportunity in order to catch the attention of the recruiters at the organization!
Among the different ways of selecting staff, the Young Professionals Program (YPP) is known as the AIIB’s most important and prestigious selection process. The AIIB 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 AIIB 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 Infrastructure Investment Bank YPP original model. For more information, access:
For more info, access:
Want to know how to improve your AIIB CV? Then check out our magazine on the topic right now!
What do recruiters look for in your AIIB 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 AIIB’s selection processes are competency-based. Therefore, it is important the candidate shows that s/he has the main competencies the AIIB 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 AIIB 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 in your cover letter.
- Knowledge about the organization: It is expected that the candidate demonstrates knowledge about the AIIB, 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 AIIB on the Program. Expert assessors from the area the candidate is applying to will assess if the candidate has the technical knowledge required by the AIIB and if s/he fully grasps the fundamental concepts of their specialized area.
Questions to guide you when writing your AIIB Cover Letter
- Why are you looking to dedicate yourself to working with the AIIB?
- Why are you suited to being an AIIB employee?
- How would you contribute to the AIIB and the achievement of the institution’s main goals?
- What is your university academic background? How does it relate to your desire to work with the AIIB?
- What professional experience do you have that qualifies you to become an AIIB intern?
- What have you learned from your professional experience? Which skills have you developed?
- What are your specific skills (knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and values)? How will they help the organization to achieve its objectives?
- What contributions to your personal, professional, and academic life do you expect from the AIIB, once you are assigned a position?
- Which additional skills do you plan to develop when working with the organization?
- Aside from work and education, what are your interests, hobbies and habits?
- What type of person are you? Which aspects of your life/character should they know about? What is unique about you? Why should this matter to the AIIB recruiting team?
Generally, in the first round of the AIIB Young Professionals Program 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 award-winning team will do for you.
That is why we are here: to provide you with step-by-step assistance to earn your place at the AIIB. We have developed the AIIB YPP Application Review for you with everything that you need to know to stand out in this stage of the selection process.
It is of fundamental importance that your documents are carefully reviewed. This is exactly what our award-winning team will do for you.
For more info, access:
Are you interested in internship opportunities at the AIIB? Then check our AIIB Internships Application Review:
AIIB Internship Application Review
Important things to pay attention when writing your AIIB 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 AIIB 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 AIIB 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 AIIB 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 Infrastructure Investment Bank YPP original model. For more information, access:
For more info, access:
