THEMATIC AREA
How to break into the humanitarian sector
If you are looking to start working in humanitarian action and international development, you need to know where to find job openings and vacancies, how to submit a strong application, and how to navigate the selection processes in NGOs and humanitarian agencies. This section covers the entire process, including personalised AI-powered career guidance.
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Where to find health jobs in NGOs and humanitarian organisations?
The first step towards accessing the humanitarian sector is understanding what types of roles exist and whether your profile fits. The AI-powered career guidance tool in this section helps you match your profile against the latest job postings on ReliefWeb. If you want to go further, the analysis of 50 real vacancies gives you a concrete example of the profiles, competencies, and languages that humanitarian organisations look for in practice.
- On this page you will find a free AI-powered career guidance tool that matches your profile against the latest job postings on ReliefWeb, the world's leading humanitarian jobs platform.
- If the tool does not give you what you need, you will also find a guide to the main platforms where you can search for vacancies: ReliefWeb, Devex, Impactpool, UN Careers, and United Nations system aggregators.
- National NGOs rarely publish on these international platforms and tend to recruit through local networks and platforms.
4-minute read + 1 ReliefWeb consultation form
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- 92% of the vacancies analysed in a sample of 50 in February 2026 correspond to international NGOs. United Nations agencies and local NGOs do not tend to publish systematically on ReliefWeb.
- The most in-demand profile is not the clinical one: 78% of positions are for programme and project management. Only 11% are aimed at medical specialists.
- Organisations are looking for profiles with intermediate or advanced experience: 76% of postings require more than 3 years of experience. Only 4 out of 50 postings were for entry-level profiles.
- The most requested languages are English, French, Arabic, and Spanish, in that order.
4-minute read
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How to prepare your CV, motivation letter and interviews for a job in an NGO or an international organisation?
Finding the right opening is only the first step. To land a job in an NGO or international organisation, you also need to know how to put together a CV and motivation letter that stand out among hundreds of applications. Once you receive confirmation of your shortlisting, you will need to prepare to successfully navigate each stage of the selection process: several technical and competency-based interviews, and a possible written technical test.
- A good CV for an NGO or international agency should be two pages long, tailored to the position, and designed to pass an initial 10-second screening. Internships and volunteering count, and should be included, explaining the skills developed through them.
- The motivation letter is your opportunity to explain what does not fit in the CV: your background, why you want that position in that organisation, and why you are the best candidate.
- Humanitarian organisations use their own web forms in many processes, but almost always allow documents to be attached. Always prepare a PDF version ready to attach.
9-minute read
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- Selection processes in NGOs and international organisations typically have four stages: application review, initial competency-based interview, written technical test, and interviews before a technical panel.
- Interviews are competency-based and use the STAR method: you will be asked for real examples of past situations. Prepare in advance by identifying the key competencies required for the position.
- It is not uncommon to be asked to answer in two or three languages during the first interview. Your actual language level is assessed in real time, not just through certificates.
- If you pass the process, a reference check is standard before the formal offer. Suggest contacts who know you well and who the organisation may already be familiar with.
8-minute read
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After your first job in an NGO or a UN agency, more will follow...
Did you make it? My warmest congratulations. It was no easy task. It never was. Those unfamiliar with the sector have no real idea how professionalised it is and how competitive access to this type of career can be. Moreover, since 2025 and the humanitarian financing crisis, the situation is more challenging than ever.
Your first job will be your gateway into the humanitarian world, but once you cross its threshold you will discover that there is much more beyond what was visible at first glance: a vast number of different organisations, a complex humanitarian architecture that does not always work as well as we would like, ethical dilemmas to be faced again and again, positive and negative experiences, and countless projects capable of protecting the lives and dignity of people at their most vulnerable in the face of crises and conflicts.
Now that you have started managing your professional career, do not stop. Get to know the sector and the different opportunities it offers. Know yourself, your strengths and your weaknesses. Identify the paths you want to follow and commit to them by improving your existing skills, developing new ones, and building a resilient and flexible profile.
See you in the clusters!