Selection Process

The World Bank YPP selection process is advertised internationally, receiving an average of 5,000 applications each year. Of these, approximately 1,000 candidates are asked to send in additional documents. Around 200 candidates will go on to the next phase, and are invited to the assessment center and interview in Washington D.C. or Paris. Of these 200, approximately 60 will be referred for a final assessment by the vice-presidents, who will select around 40, who will receive proposals.

Therefore, there is a high level of competitiveness in this selection process (approximately 125 candidates per vacancy) and the majority of the candidates exceed the selection process’ minimum eligibility requirements. Although the World Bank Group has a commitment to the diversity of its work environment (seeking a balance of genders and nationalities), there is no type of quota, such as nationality or gender. This means that only those evaluated as suitable are approved for the program.

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The Curriculum Vitae (CV) is one of the documents required to apply for the World Bank YPP selection process. It will be used by the selection team as an initial point of contact with the candidate’s profile, experience and qualifications.

A number of aspects which should be highlighted about a CV for the World Bank YPP are as follows:

Be sure that all the eligibility criteria are on your curriculum. It is essential that you know all the minimum eligibility criteria and are sure that they are provided on the CV to be sent to the YPP.

The YPP requests a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and not a résumé

Be sure that the document prepared for sending to the YPP is a Curriculum Vitae and not a résumé. While a résumé is a short, one-page document, with a brief description of your professional experience and academic profile, a CV is more extensive and detailed, with academic and professional information, languages, publications, awards and honors, among other items. The aim of a CV is to provide a broad overview of a person’s professional and academic background. However, although the World Bank YPP does not establish a maximum length, the curriculum should not be more than three pages.

The World Bank YPP does not define a model or format to structure a CV

The World Bank YPP does not request a defined structure to prepare a CV. However, there is a requirement that the CV is in .doc, .docx or pdf format. It is important that the document is not password protected and the assessor can easily access your CV. As mentioned above, there is no maximum length for the document. However, it is suggested that your CV is structured in up to three pages, highlighting the fundamental aspects of your academic and professional background. It is important that the following items appear on your CV: 1) Education: academic qualifications attained; the following should be listed in this order: the name of the qualification (PhD and Master’s, etc.), the area or course subject (economics and engineering, etc.), name of the university, location and year. The highest qualifications should come first and you do not need to include your secondary school. 2) Professional experience: professional experience related to international development, including internships, voluntary work and participation in research, ordering these from the most recent to the oldest. 3) Languages and level; 4) Short courses; 5) Conferences which you participated in; 6) Main technical and academic publications; 7) Scholarships, awards and academic honors and 8) Other relevant information.

Write a CV especially for the World Bank YPP

It is essential that you have in-depth knowledge of the World Bank Group, its activities in the field of development, its way of thinking and the World Bank YPP process. Then you will be able to display your suitability for the program on your CV and how you can contribute to the Bank’s challenges with your specialist area of knowledge. Therefore, it is important that the assessor can easily assimilate how your experience and qualifications are relevant for international development and the WBG. Writing a curriculum is no easy task. Clearly communicating all your main academic and professional qualifications and achievements is a major challenge, especially when you are taking part in such a competitive selection. It is important that you prepare your curriculum carefully and direct it specifically at this application.

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If you have written a doctorate dissertation or Master’s thesis, you should submit abstracts of these texts in your World Bank YPP application (please note that for 2024-2025, the WBG YPP team did not create a field for you to upload your abstract). It is emphasized that sending these documents is not mandatory if your Master’s or doctorate did not require a dissertation or thesis. In these cases, the absence of these documents will not affect your eligibility. By sending these abstracts, the World Bank YPP selection team seeks to better understand your academic and professional profile. The research topic you focused on, how it related to international development and your theoretical approach towards development will be analyzed. Some observations and recommendations on preparing and sending abstracts are:

• The abstracts of your Master’s dissertation and/or doctorate thesis should be in different files (if applicable). The system will request each of these files at specific links;
• The file must be in .doc, .docx or pdf format and each file a maximum size of 5MB;
• The summaries should be sent when completing the online form. Therefore, it is important that they are finalized when applying;
• The summaries must be written in English (no other language is accepted);
• The files must not be password protected and the contents must be searchable. This is because the committee may use plagiarism detection software. Therefore, take great care that there is no plagiarism in your abstracts, even if it is in a small section. In other words, be sure that your abstracts are 100% original;
• Carefully review the text’s spelling, grammar and coherence;
• There is no defined length for the abstracts. However, make sure that each one is no longer than two pages;
• There is no defined structure for the abstracts. However, it is important that the following elements are considered: 1) Brief contextualization (problem) of the research; 2) Research problem or issue; 3) General and specific goals; 4) Justifications (why did you select this topic?); 5) Methods selected (explain how you sought to elucidate your research question and how you structured your study) and 6) Results found and conclusions. These points should be approached in a summarized manner.
• Have a good understanding of the World Bank Group’s mission and public policy model which guides its activities. From there, make it clear how your research aligns with the way that the Bank operates, its mission and its approach to international development;
• Makes it clear how the questions researched in your thesis and/or dissertation are related or applicable to international development.

Two reference letters are required for candidates in the World Bank YPP selection process. These documents are the only ones that provide third-party impressions of the candidates, highlighting their skills, knowledge and experience. The evaluation made by a candidate’s referee will be important input for the World Bank YPP.

Some observations and suggestions for the letters of recommendation are as follows:

Who to request the WB YPP reference letters from?

Candidates should select referees who know them well and are able to provide details of their knowledge, skills and experience. Thus, it should be emphasized that the first criterion to be considered when selecting a referee is this person’s ability to provide relevant information on the candidate to the WBG. Hence, it is important to observe aspects such as the amount of time that the referee has known the candidate and their relationship. Candidates should avoid asking family members, friends and people who do not know much about their work (even if they are a famous researcher or president of the organization). The second criterion for selecting a referee is looking for a diverse range of opinions about the candidate, allowing the WB YPP assessors to assemble a broad overview of them. Candidates should always include their Master’s or doctorate advisers (if this is the case, candidates should give preference to the adviser for their highest qualification).

How to request a reference letter for the WB YPP Application?

First of all, it is important that the candidates advise their referees of their main reasons and goals for applying to the World Bank YPP. If the referees really understand this point, they may prepare a document with more information that is relevant to the selection assessors. It is extremely important that the candidate requests the letter of recommendation as soon as possible, as there is a set time limit to submit the document (no flexible). In order to assist in the process of inviting the submission of letters of recommendation, the World Bank YPP team send the candidate a letter (signed by the program coordinator) which should be forwarded to their referees. There is a detailed explanation in this letter of how the reference letter should be delivered and which content should be covered.

What should the reference letter contain?

The selection team requests that the reference letters focus on the competences sought by the World Bank YPP, which are client orientation (client commitment, orientation for results, integrity and ethics), professional expertise (technical knowledge, strategic outlook and capacity to analyze problems) and team leadership (teamwork, listening and communication, innovation and ability to negotiate). In addition, it is also requested that the referee talks about the candidate’s integrity, their tact and diplomacy, maturity and ability to work with others. Each referee does not need to assess the candidate in all of these aspects but it is important that this is possible taken as a whole (the three letters). In other words, it is possible that one referee is more able to assess the candidate in detail in relation to one specific competence than another.

Other relevant information:

• The reference letters must be written in English;
• Your referees have total responsibility for sending these documents;
• You do not have access to the information in the reference letters (they are handled with absolute confidentiality);
• There is no definition for the number of pages, words or a defined structure for the reference letter;
• After sending the reference letter, it is only your referees who receive an automatic email confirming receipt;
• The files should be in .doc, .docx or pdf format, with a maximum size of 5MB each.

In the World Bank YPP selection cycle, the assessment center (AC) stage takes place on the same day the candidates have the interview, during the other half of the day. The candidate will be advised about the order of the day’s activities: whether they will have the interview in the morning and then the AC in the afternoon, or the other way around. The activity is carried out in a group of four people and lasts an average of four hours.

Explanations on the main questions candidates may have about this stage are provided below:

The type of assessment center

The type of World Bank YPP AC is a case study.  In other words, a type of group exercise in which information will be given to you about a realistic situation or problem relevant to the vacancy. Working in a group, the candidates will have to present solutions for the case. Two case studies will be carried out during the AC, both related to the theme of international development.

The case study

The cases applied are similar to those which the World Bank presents on its country diagnosis and reports page. Throughout the process, two observers will silently monitor the group. Any interventions during the process will be specific, so that the group is able to summarize the problems found and identify its priorities, which country employees the group intends to contact, the type of contact and which topics will be discussed with them. At the end of this stage, you are invited to simulate a dialogue with a high-level government employee, to present the group proposal. Therefore, it is important for you to follow the group discussions at all times, so that you do not miss any essential information.

How to prepare for this stage

Know how to solve problems according to neo-institutional economic logic, the theoretical line followed by the World Bank Group. Another important factor to prepare for this stage is to read the organization’s documents and reports, in order to understand its activities in engaging countries at different levels and areas, such as: health, agriculture, climate change, education and others.

Competencies assessed

The skills assessed at the World Bank YPP assessment center are as follows: a) Client orientation; b) professional expertise and c) team leadership. Your problem-solving capacity and mental model will also be evaluated.

Result

The final result of the stage is released between February and March each year. Those who have been successful receive an email advising them of their success at this stage and stating that they will be considered for a vacancy at the organization, depending on internal demand. In 2015, for example, 67 (sixty-seven) candidates were successful at the interview and AC stage but only 57 (fifty-seven) received a job offer.

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Following the WBG YPP Selection Process, a job offer is made to those who have been selected, outlining the proposed salary and benefits. If the offer does not meet your expectations, there must be a strong basis for salary negotiations, as there is little flexibility in the proposed values.

In other words, the WBG does not usually negotiate the YPs’ salaries, which are in line with the organization’s pay scale. A real offer from another employer may be an argument for a counter-offer, if deemed necessary.