Humanitarian aid worker CV example

How to write a CV for a humanitarian aid worker

If you’re wondering how to write a CV for a humanitarian aid worker, you’re in the right place. The following sections break everything down into easy-to-swallow chunks, from crafting a persuasive personal statement to outlining your highest qualifications. We’ll also answer some of your most common CV writing questions towards the end:

• Adding contact details to your humanitarian aid worker CV
• Start your humanitarian aid worker CV with a personal statement
• How to present your work history on a humanitarian aid worker CV
• Skills worth having on your humanitarian aid worker CV
• Outlining education on a humanitarian aid worker CV

Adding contact details to your humanitarian aid worker CV

You’d think it’d be obvious, but adding contact details is often an overlooked part of the CV writing process. We suggest noting your most up-to-date information at the top of the page, preferably in a slightly larger or bolder font for maximum visibility. If you don’t, hiring managers won’t waste their time searching for you online. Remember to include:

• Full name – first name and surname
• Location – including county and postcode
• Phone number – the best one to reach you on
• Email address – keep it professional

Example of contact section for a humanitarian aid worker CV

Start your humanitarian aid worker CV with a personal statement

Humanitarian aid is a highly competitive field, and it’s easy to see why. You’ll have a purpose beyond yourself or making money and positively impact vulnerable people’s lives. So, how do you stand out against the other applicants? The first step is writing a three to four sentence personal statement summarising your most valuable skills, accomplishments, and qualifications. Not sure where to start? Follow our foolproof formula below.

Sentence one introduces who you are, including years of experience and career focus. Sentence two is your bait – casually drop in an attention-grabbing statistic that ignites the reader’s appetite to learn more. Finally, sentences three and four spotlight your unique skills and specialisms. For instance, you might speak another language or have additional training as a teacher or nurse.

What do we mean by a statistic? This is something that gives weight to your claims. Perhaps, you “provided aid to five natural disasters” or “researched and changed stock suppliers, saving the organisation over £50,000 per month”. The number doesn’t matter as much as being specific – spelling out what you can achieve is the secret to success!

What else can make or break a personal statement? Heed the below advice:

• Stick to the word count – between 50 to 100 words is ideal
• Write in the third person to sound more professional
• Only emphasis your highest achievements
• Use keywords and phrases – find these in the job advertisement
• Don’t mention career ambitions – save this for the cover letter

Example of personal statement for a humanitarian aid worker CV

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How to present your work history on a humanitarian aid worker CV

The work history section is arguably the most important part of any CV. Employers often spend the most time here, unravelling your core strengths and achievements. Plus, they can see how long you typically stay in a position – a key consideration for companies that value loyalty. Our top advice? Use the job advertisement to guide the writing process. If the hiring manager is searching for “excellent communication skills”, provide plenty of examples underneath each position.

Start from your current or most recent role and note three to six duties for each. We suggest adding more detail for relevant positions that match the job specification. Run through:

• Job title
• Employment start and end dates
• Company name
• Company location
• List of duties
• Workplace achievements

Although writing this section can feel daunting, there’s no need to panic. Like the personal statement, you can win over the grouchiest hiring managers by including plenty of facts and figures. Let’s say you “networked with other organisations to raise awareness” – can you expand on this? Perhaps, you “collaborated with three leading charities” or “cocreated a marketing campaign that gained 100,000 TikTok followers.” Remember, add as much detail as possible!

Next, avoid repetition and obvious responsibilities. For example, if you’ve discussed “providing health and safety training” underneath one position, talk about “controlling inventory and stock” in another. Obvious duties include “answering telephone calls and emails”. The hiring manager will automatically expect this from you, so it’s not a selling point.

Lastly, sprinkle in countless positive adjectives and action verbs to make your writing engaging (there’s nothing worse than struggling through a boring CV). You might be “respectful”, “diplomatic”, and “patient”. Action verbs are powerful alternatives to “responsible for”. Our favourites for humanitarian aid workers include “operated”, “mobilised”, and “supported”.

Example of work experience for a humanitarian aid worker CV

Skills worth having on your humanitarian aid worker CV

Securing an interview spot relies on an exhaustive CV skills section, where you’ll outline your technical and transferable knowledge. Hiring managers use these keywords and phrases to quickly assess your suitability for the role. Without them, they might skip over your application and move on to the next candidate. We advise noting up to 12 skills in total, split equally between
hard skills and soft skills.

Here’s what sets those skill groups apart – hard skills are practical and learnt on the job or through education. Examples include “managing emergency stock”, “translating”, and “navigating international law”. On the other hand, soft skills are personality-based and much harder to learn, therefore invaluable to employers – think “patient”, “communicative”, and “organised”.

You must include both to impress the hiring manager. You might have all the experience in the world but a bad attitude that doesn’t reflect the company’s values. Similarly, friendliness doesn’t compensate for a lack of technical skills.

Stuck for ideas? Check out the following lists:

Outlining education on a humanitarian aid worker CV

Education underpins experience and gives you a competitive edge over equally skilled candidates. You can talk about school, college, and university courses, extracurricular training, and memberships to governing bodies.

Basically, anything that reassures the employer you have the foundational knowledge to succeed.

There are a few things to remember when filling in this section. Firstly, you don’t need to provide bucket loads of detail for older qualifications like GCSEs, especially if you’ve completed an undergraduate or postgraduate course. Plus, don’t hover over bad grades. While you should never lie, you don’t need to disclose this information unless asked.

What does it take to become a humanitarian aid worker? It’s complicated. While organisations need boots on the ground, they also require nurses, teachers, and financial advisors. As such, you can enter this career in multiple ways. Ultimately, you’ll be accepted if you’re bringing something valuable to the table. Many candidates study Social Sciences or a relevant vocational subject like Languages, Healthcare, or Logistics.

When summarising your education, cover:

• Name of school, college, university, or other awarding body
• Study start and end dates
• Subject title
• Qualification level – e.g. undergraduate degree or A level
• Qualification result

Example of education for a humanitarian aid worker CV