Before applying for a vacancy at an organization, it is important to understand which staff profile it employs and looks for in its selection processes. This will help you to: understand if your professional profile fits with what the organization is looking for; to get ready, in order to have greater chances of success in future selection processes, and to prepare better curriculum and application documents required for your application.
Therefore, an overview of the ADB staff profile will be presented in this section, so that you will be able to gain a better understanding of what this organization looks for in its human resources.
1) Educational Level
In the ADB selection process, the candidate’s academic background is a crucial attribute, having at first an eliminatory character, and later a classificatory one. The work normally carried out at the institution possesses a high level of complexity, demanding skills that are commonly obtained through higher education in areas such as economics, finance, accounting, and computer science, among others.
As they work for a bank, naturally, most of the ADB staff’s daily activities involve topics directly related to finance, such as macro and microeconomics, investments, and sector analysis. However, the complex dynamics of the institution, with its several fronts of action, result in an expansion of the professional qualifications needed of its staff.
A good example of this is ADB’s recent substantive focus, which goes beyond economic analysis, on issues of gender, environment and urban planning. Consequently, these themes, as well as those related to the economic sphere, also require a high level of qualification.
While not a requirement, ADB highly recommends that its staff, in addition to a bachelor’s degree, hold degrees at the MBA or a master’s, or doctoral degree in another field. However, the excellence of candidates who participate in the selection processes makes recommendation the rule, since in most cases, candidates with CVs considered average already possess one of the above-mentioned degrees.
2) Areas of Specialization and Expertise
In the. years since ADB was founded, its core functions have expanded greatly. Consequently, new thematic and sectorial knowledge have become fundamental to the IGO’s day-to-day operations. Currently, ADB comprises the following 18 sectors and thematic areas:
- Agriculture and Food Security
- Asia Pacific Tax Hub
- Climate Change and Disaster Risk
- Management
- Digital Technology
- Education
- Energy
- Environment
- Finance Sector
- Gender and Development
- Governance and Public Management Health
- Public-Private Parternships (PPPs)
- Regional Cooperation and Integration
- Social Development and Poverty
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Transport
- Urban Development
- Water
3) Professional Experience
Generally speaking, candidates who are successful in the various ADB selection processes have had some prior work experience. If your dream is to work for ADB, you should look to gain work experience in areas related to international development.
These experiences may take place at other international organizations, non-governmental organizations, in the government, or in the private sector. Your role may be as a consultant, volunteer, intern, researcher, or staff member. You should prioritize experiences linked to your area of expertise and contribute to the wide range of development topics, since the bank focuses on addressing development challenges.
Another aspect to consider is the importance of gaining work experience in developing or under-developed member countries, as most of ADB’s work focuses on these locations. This is not a requirement but could make a significant difference. Therefore, if you live in a developed country, do not miss an exchange or internship opportunity in a developing country.
4) Competencies and Skills
It is not just educational background and professional experience that are important in ADB’s selections. The organization rigorously assesses candidates’ competencies at all times during the process.
Therefore, you should aim to develop the desired competencies, as they will be evaluated and tested during the various stages of the ADB selection process and have significant weight in the recruiters’ evaluation.
Below, we list the most common competencies and skills required by ADB professionals to prepare for the different selection processes:
- Technical Expertise
- Commitment to contributing to development, cooperation, integration of countries in Asia and Pacific
- Strong academic background
- Prior professional experience
- Experience in projects and programs for developing countries
- Proficiency in written and spoken English
- Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills
- Enthusiasm for working in multicultural teams and across borders
