Week 1 - Impactpool 10-Week Job Strategy Challenge - Research, Reflect and Choose Your Top 3

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by Impactpool

 

Welcome to your 10 - week Job Strategy Challenge. This week's theme is - Research, Reflect, and Choose Your Top 3

So you’re thinking about (or already planning) a career in the UN, INGO or the wider impact sector? But the path into international organizations can feel overwhelming. Between the jargon-filled job descriptions, hundreds of organizations to choose from and endless application requirements, it’s easy to get stuck before you even start.

 

That’s exactly why this challenge exists. Over the next 10 weeks, we’ll guide you step by step through the process of preparing your strategy, breaking it down into small, doable challenges each week. Think of it as your roadmap to clarity and confidence.

 

Each week, we’ll focus on one key area, from exploring which organizations fit your career goals, to learning the “language” of the sector, to tailoring your resume and getting your applications noticed. By the end of this challenge, you won’t just apply for jobs - you’ll apply with purpose, strategy, and confidence.

And don’t worry, you’re not doing this alone. we’ll be right here, guiding you like a friend who’s been through it before and knows the shortcuts (and the pitfalls to avoid). Ready to dive into Week 1? Let’s go! 

 

Search and identify 3 Organizations that align with your career goals

 

Impactpool is trusted and supports more than 3000 Global Organizations. Learn more about the different organisations we work with. Many outstanding organisations you might be overlooking have mandates similar to the most popular ones. Once you make a decision of the top 3 or 5 Organizations that you would like to work with, let us now take a look at more. 

Knowing what the different terminologies specific to the impact sector mean is vital to writing a brilliant job application. Each organisation may use words specific to its mandate, but understanding these so-called "humanitarian jargons" helps applicants grasp the main message of the job description.

Humanitarian Jargon / Terminologies

 

Below, we have compiled some commonly used terminologies found in many job descriptions to help you understand what each entails. 

Humanitarian Terminologies: glossary of common humanitarian words & phrases! Once the terminology is clear to you, the next step is to learn more about Careers and Professional Transitions in International NGOs - watch the webinar. This is especially for you if you work in the private sector and want to transition. 

Job Functions and Profiles

 

Here we list the transferable profiles to ease your career transition from the Private Sector into an International Organization. If you already work in one of these job functions, your transition might be easier than you believe. If not, take a look at the readiness checklist: How to translate your professional skills to UN and NGO requirements. The webinar focuses on how the International Organizations cover so many more professions than many think, and how someone who wants to ‘do good’ can find a niche there. You will have seen the usual roles in the job adverts: accountants, HR, Finance, Communication, etc., but did you know that all sorts of experts and specialists are needed too?

You can read more about job functions/roles here. It will be helpful to read through some examples to see if any specific roles/titles pique your interest. These are the ones we will focus on. Did you know that for the Impactpool Job Alerts, to receive the most tailored recommendations, it is best to only choose 3-5 occupational groups at maximum in your job preferences settings.

Once you have identified and understood these, we will look at how to read and dissect specific roles and job functions you might be interested in. We will also explore different contract types, grade levels, and types of assessments. In week 3, we will explore how to Align Your Resume/CV  with this sector’s Competency Framework and more as we go through the application preparation process together. 

Take care, until next week.