Benjamin Todd

In particular, check out our job board, which lists the best jobs we can find to put you in a better position to tackle the world's most pressing problems.

Stage 2.

Conversion.

When you're speaking to someone who has the power to hire you, how do you convince them?

Again, think about it from their point of view.

Once, at 80,000 hours, we were trying to hire a web engineer.

Most applicants just filled out our application form, while one sent us a redesigned version of our old career quiz.

Which application is more convincing?

The person who sent the quiz was immediately in the top 20% of applicants, despite having very little formal experience.

Employers are looking for several qualities.

They want employees who will fit in socially, stick around, and not cause trouble.

But most importantly, the employer wants to be sure that you can solve the problems they face.

If you can prove that you'll get the results the employer most values, everything else is much less important.

So how can you go about doing that?

When the process is highly standardized...

In these cases, like Teach for America or many government jobs, you have to jump through the hoops.

Maximise your chances by finding out exactly what the process involves and practising exactly that.

For instance, if it's a competency interview, find out which competencies they look for, then have a friend ask you similar questions.

Some public service organisations publish the rubrics they use to assess candidates.

The most useful thing you can do is find someone who recently went through the process, ask them how it works, and if possible, practice the key steps with them.