JOB GUIDE · MOKILIX ENTRETIEN
Job interview: NGO project officer
NGOs recruit on skills and on values: prepare specific examples for both.
THE JOB
What recruiters expect
Project officers work in international and national NGOs, local associations, cooperation agencies and donor-funded programmes, often with travel to the field. A beginner is expected to be rigorous, to write well and to have some first experience as an assistant, facilitator or volunteer. An experienced candidate is expected to run a project from start to finish: planning, budget monitoring, supervising a team, relations with the authorities and partners, and reports to donors on time.
Skills assessed at interview
- Planning and monitoring of activities
- Budget monitoring and compliance with procedures
- Writing clear, factual reports
- Relations with communities, authorities and partners
- Integrity and respect for the people supported
Job family: NGOs, humanitarian work and development projects
QUESTIONS WITH ADVICE
Seven questions to prepare
- 01
Present a project you have managed or contributed to.
Give the initial problem, the objective, the activities, the budget you were responsible for and the measured results. State your exact role. End with a lesson you would apply in this new job.
- 02
How do you use a project’s logical framework and indicators?
Explain in your own words that the logical framework links the activities to the expected results and to the objective. Take an example of an indicator you tracked and say how you collected the data. If you are just starting out, show that you understand the logic.
- 03
How do you monitor a project’s budget?
Describe how you regularly track spending against forecasts, with the finance department. Say how you react to a variance: analysis, alert, a proposal to reallocate in line with the donor’s rules. Stress supporting documents.
- 04
How do you write a report for a donor?
Show that you start from the required template and from the indicators, with verified facts and data. Explain how you also present the difficulties and the measures taken. If you can, bring an extract from a report with no confidential data.
- 05
An activity is challenged by part of the community. What do you do?
Say that you listen to the people concerned and that you meet the leaders to understand the cause. Explain that you inform your line managers and that you adjust the activity if it is justified. Show that the community’s trust matters more than the schedule.
- 06
What would you do if you suspected fraud or abuse by a colleague or a partner?
Answer that you report it through the channel provided by the organisation, without conducting your own investigation. Point out that protecting beneficiaries comes before solidarity between colleagues. Before the interview, find out about the organisation’s code of conduct.
- 07
How do you organise yourself for field missions in difficult areas?
Talk about your preparation: aims of the mission, logistics, contacts on the ground, compliance with the organisation’s security instructions. Mention a past mission and an unexpected problem you dealt with. Be frank about your availability to travel.
Common mistakes
- Using the language of charity, which presents beneficiaries as incapable.
- Not knowing the organisation’s mandate, areas of operation and values.
- Quoting acronyms and tools without being able to explain what they are for.
Questions to ask the recruiter
- How long does the project run and where does its funding stand?
- What share of the time is spent in the field and in which areas?
- How is the project team made up and who supervises the post?
Preparation guide written by MOKILIX: it replaces neither the employer’s advert nor the advice of a professional in the field.
Practise now, in writing.
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