As part of the application process of most job opportunities, candidates are usually required to submit a cover letter. The main goal of this document is to give candidates a chance to introduce themselves and explain their motivation in applying to the organization, such as the World Bank Group.

As the name suggests, a cover letter serves as a “cover” for the documents you submit for a job application. It should provide a summary of a candidate’s skills, professional experience, and qualifications that meet the needs of a job opening, emphasizing why the candidate should be selected. Cover letters are usually seen as a personal marketing tool.

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In the World Bank jobs selection process, the cover letter is one of the documents candidates must submit when applying for it, to serve as an introduction to their Curriculum Vitae or Resume. It should contextualize you CV/Resume and all its information in an objective fashion, highlighting the elements that are in line with the WB job opening. Its main objective is to reinforce the candidate’s positive qualities in order to arouse the evaluator’s interest and desire to know more about the individual.

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: Competencies may be understood as the candidate’s set of knowledge, abilities, attitudes and values. The majority of the Bank’s selection processes are competencies-based. Therefore, it is important the candidate shows that s/he has the main competencies the Bank is seeking, such Teamwork, Innovation, Negotiation, Results Orientation, Problem Analysis, Strategic Perspective. Note that the required competencies can change according to the post being advertised. Since the World Bank 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 World Bank Group, 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 WB on the job. Expert assessors from the area the candidate is applying to will assess if the candidate has the technical knowledge required by the Bank and if s/he fully grasps the fundamental concepts of their specialized area.

In pursuit of its mission, OpenIGO has prepared support and guidance services, with the aim of highly increasing your chances of success in these competitive selection processes. These services include revising your WBG application documents (curriculum vitae/resume and cover letter) and a mock interview, as per the WBG model. We also offer a range of packages that combine the eBook with different services.

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