Think Creative - Issue 4

CreativeAssociatesInternational.com | 29 Photos by Amanda Smallwood education and training, raising incomes for smallholder farmers and more. Holistic development solutions CREA Consultores will manage their own portfolios of projects and have already begun imple- menting violence prevention ini- tiatives and working on migration issues. CREA Honduras piloted an innovative violence prevention program in collaboration with the Honduran government’s Deputy Secretariat of Security for Prevention. CREA El Salvador is currently implementing a project for the Central American Integration System (SICA) to prevent violence in 14 border municipalities in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatema- la, Costa Rica and Panama. In addition, both subsidiaries will be supporting the implementation of another regional program, with German consulting firmGOPA on a GIZ project, working with youth to address the root causes of migration in El Salvador and Honduras. Maldonado said that as Hondu- ran and Salvadoran communi- ties grapple with issues of gang violence, unemployment, poverty, climate change and more, Creative – and CREA Consultores – will continue to respond with innova- tive, holistic solutions. “Our work is focused on respond- ing to serious social problems, difficult situations and things that require curiosity, agility, flexibil- ity, experience and discipline,” Maldonado said. “There are profound challenges that require a great curiosity and a certain amount of courage, and these inaugurations are our promise to address them.” n Sierra Poske , Senior International Recruiter l What advice do you have for landing that first development job? Even if you don’t have a background in international development, do your research and come to the interview as informed as possible. It is easy to tell those who have put in the effort and those who haven’t. l What’s the most common mistake you see in applications? Spelling and grammar! Peer review is key! Catherine Baker , Senior International Recruiter l What’s the number one thing you look for in a candidate? We work on challenging issues in some of the most complex operating environments development has to offer, and we want to recruit people who are inspired to over- come those obstacles and are not intimidated by them. l What advice do you have for landing that first development job? There are a lot of different roles within an international development firm aside from working in programs. Our HR, finance and proposal development departments are all committed to Creative’s mission, and many of our staff on those teams have lived and worked overseas prior to joining the organization. l What’s the most surprising thing you’ve heard in an interview? It’s always great to see personality come through when speaking with a candidate, but sometimes resumes can go a little too far. People have listed some pretty question- able interests – I once saw someone that listed “starting fires.” That particular interest didn’t seem safe! Marina Kouao , International Recruiter l What’s the number one thing you look for in a candidate? Passion. l Why work for Creative? I had different offers and I decided to work for Creative really because of the people I met during my recruitment process. The sense of family and teamwork really drove me to Creative. In a sea of qualified candidates, standing out and getting hired can seem overwhelming. We asked Creative recruiters what makes candidates shine and what advice they have for job seekers looking to join Creative’s team. Read on for the inside scoop. Ask a RECRUITER