How to make the most of your individual membership with DevelopmentAid - Consulting opportunities

BySam Ursu

How to make the most of your individual membership with DevelopmentAid - Consulting opportunities

If you are already a member of DevelopmentAid, you will be aware of how valuable our information and services can be for professionals looking for new, highly-paid jobs and consultancy opportunities. However, professionals sometimes find it difficult to understand how to get the most out of their DevelopmentAid membership.

In this series of articles, we will reveal three top strategies to enable individuals to gain early access to well-paid job openings and opportunities with their DevelopmentAid membership.

To read part one of this series of articles which explains how to find grants and tenders available for individuals, click here. In today’s article, we will share details of the tool to use to approach those companies shortlisted by donors to implement projects. These pre-selected organizations will be seeking consultants to set up their teams and present their technical offer to the donor so that they will be awarded the project.

Approaching shortlisted organizations for consulting opportunities

Many experts know how to make the most of our Jobs board, but did you know that there is another way to discover available individual consultancy positions for donor-funded projects?

To find this information, go to the Funding, Tenders menu and click on Advanced Filters. From there, click Category and choose Consulting services Then click on the Status field and choose Shortlisted, Type: Organization.

Click to Enlarge

You can then go through the search results, click on any that seem relevant and then read the attachments where you will find a list of all of the pre-selected organizations for that tender. From there, it is simply a matter of sending your CV to each company, thus maximizing your chances of being hired to work on the project instead of waiting for each individual company to post a notice on the Jobs board.

If you are unsure how to contact the pre-selected organizations for a shortlisted tender, go to the Organizations menu on DevelopmentAid and input the name of the organization. Please note that contact information is only available to DevelopmentAid members.

In some cases, you might be contacted by multiple companies or organizations that want to hire you for the projects they have been shortlisted for. In this case, we recommend using the Organizations menu to learn more about each company, including information about whether or not they have ever been sanctioned, how many projects they have been awarded (use the Shortlists/Awards tab in the organization’s profile) and other relevant information.

Click to Enlarge

The rule of thumb is this – the more awards an organization has in their history, the higher the probability that they will be awarded the project that you are interested in.

Another great way to boost your chances of landing a consulting opportunity is by using the Organizations menu and the Advanced Filters button to create a list of all of the companies and organizations operating in your sectors and in your preferred countries or regions. Then it is simply a matter of forwarding your CV to those you admire or that you would like to work with, thus bypassing the need to go through a recruiting agency. In order to save time, you can opt for a CV Broadcast to introduce yourself in a professional manner to all the organizations in your sectors worldwide within 24 hours. DevelopmentAid Professional Plus members have one free CV Broadcast.

However, consultancy jobs from shortlisted organizations are not the only options for individual experts seeking to land a well-paid position. Stay tuned for our latest article to learn more about how to secure your next contract by analyzing Country strategy papers and donor agency planning reports.

Not a member yet? Become a member now and enjoy a wide spectrum of opportunities!