How to Write an Application Manual

IFMSA Executive Board 2018-2019 President Batool Wahdani (Jordan) Vice-President for Activities Nebojsa Nikolic (Serbia) Vice-President for Members Fabrizzio Canaval (Peru) Vice-President for Finance Ahmed Taha (Egypt) Vice-President for External Affairs Marián Sedlák (Slovakia) Vice-President for Capacity Building Georg Schwarzl (Austria) Vice-President for PR & Communication José Chen Xu (Portugal)

The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization representing associations of medical students worldwide. IFMSA was founded in 1951 and currently maintains 135 National Member Organizations from 125 countries across six continents, representing a network of 1.3 million medical students.

IFMSA envisions a world in which medical students unite for global health and are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to take on health leadership roles locally and globally, so to shape a sustainable and healthy future.

IFMSA is recognized as a nongovernmental organization within the United Nations’ system and the World Health Organization; and works in collaboration with the World Medical Association.

Publisher International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) International Secretariat: c/o IMCC, Norre Allé 14, 2200 Kobenhavn N., Denmark

Phone: +31 2 05668823 Email: gs@ifmsa.org Homepage: www.ifmsa.org

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Table of Contents Click on the blue circles to go to your desired section.

Introduction Page 4

How to Find Opportunities within the IFMSA? Page 5

Preparation & Planning Page 7

Writing the Application Page 11

Feedback & Follow-Up

www.ifmsa.org

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Pre-Submission Checklist Page 14

How to Write an Application Manual

Introduction Hello, and welcome to the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) First Edition of the How to Write an Application Manual! This manual has been developed to assist IFMSA members in planning, preparing, and writing applications for any opportunities that might arise within or outside of the IFMSA. Unfortunately, many applications received for opportunities within the IFMSA are either invalid or very poor quality. This may be due to a number of reasons, one of which is a lack of knowledge on how to approach an application, or what is expected in a written application. This manual hopes to address this by ensuring IFMSA members from all over the world have some basic skills in order to showcase their best qualities in a written application.

Who might use this manual?

This manual is intended for any person who is hoping to improve their skills in writing a high quality application. We hope that it will be useful in many parts of your life, not just your IFMSA life!

This manual may be helpful for you in your preparation for any of the following opportunities: - Applying for opportunities within the IFMSA, such as: > Organising Committees > Small Working Groups > IFMSA delegations to external meetings > Workshop trainers and/or participants > IFMSA Team of Officials, International Teams, Regional Teams or Task Forces - Applying for opportunities within your local and/or national student organisations, such as: > Committee/team of officials/executive board or any other leadership positions > Workshop trainers and/or participants - Applying for jobs - Applying for university education - Applying for scholarships or grants Please note that expectations and norms around application writing varies between different cultures and contexts. This document is meant to be a guide, but some of the hints may not always be appropriate for your situation.

We hope this will be helpful for you, and are open to any feedback or ideas of what could be included and/or improved.

The IFMSA Team of Officials

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How to Find Oppurtunities within the IFMSA? The IFMSA provides a lot of opportunities for members to get involved in different health projects, committees, campaigns and meetings. There are lots of different ways that you can stay up to date with what is going on.

Email Servers

Joining the IFMSA email servers is the best way to stay up to date on opportunities. These are servers where announcements are sent out to any registered members on things such as calls for delegations to external meetings, calls for small working groups, interesting campaigns and much more. Anyone is welcome to join the email servers.

Information on how to join the email servers can be found at https://ifmsa.org/sign-up/ There are several different servers: - IFMSA-General server - it is recommended that everyone joins this server as announcements that are relevant to everyone are posted there.

- Standing Committee servers - join the servers of the relevant Standing Committees you work in/are interested in.

- Regional servers - join your own region’s server for opportunities that are region-specific.

Social Media

The IFMSA is very active on social media, and many interesting updates and opportunities are posted here.

- Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/IFMSA/ You can change your settings so that IFMSA posts will always come up first in your timeline - this way you will never miss important announcements.

You can do this by clicking on the IFMSA Facebook page, clicking ‘Following’ and selecting ‘See first’ - see photo below.

- Instagram - follow the IFMSA (@youifmsa) to get a feel for what is going on in the Federation.

- Twitter - follow the IFMSA (@IFMSA). This is the main platform of communication at external meetings, so you can stay up to date about what IFMSA is doing at these events.

- Website - the IFMSA News page (https://ifmsa. org/news/) on the website often gives informa- Image: How to make IFMSA come up tion on opportunities that have also been shared first in your newsfeed on Facebook. through email servers or social media. You can also see what events and campaigns the IFMSA has been working on here.

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How to Write an Application Manual

Phases of Writing an Application Preparation and Planning

Writing the Application

Feedback and Follow-Up 6

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Preparation and Planning

You’ve just seen an amazing opportunity come through, and you feel so passionate about it. Where do you start?

Timeline

There can be a lot to prepare for an application, and usually late applications will not be accepted. Ensure you start as early as possible so that you do not miss out.

• As soon as you see an opportunity, read through the application requirements straight away so you have a good idea how long it might take you.

• If the application relies on someone else helping you (eg. your NMO President signing your candidature form, or a reference being submitted by someone else), you should get in contact with that person as early as possible.

•Aim to submit your application a few days before the deadline, so that you have time if there are any last-minute emergencies.

• Plan any consultations you might make with other people early (see below).

Preparation and Planning

Writing the Application

Feedback and Follow-Up

Consultation

For any opportunity you apply for (especially for longer term positions such as being part of a committee or board), it can be extremely helpful to discuss your application with someone who has held the position in the past. For an external meeting, this may be someone who was previously part of the delegation.

• If you don’t know anyone who has previously held the position you are applying for, you may be able to find out by looking through past IFMSA blog/Facebook posts or through IFMSA publications and reports.

• You should allow plenty of time to arrange a meeting or email conversation with the person - they may be busy.

• The person may say no to talking to you, and that is fine. If you start early you will have more time to approach others.

• Be clear when you communicate with the person (see section below on clear email communication). > Eg. ‘I see that you were on the United Nations Task Force last year, holding the position of Coordinator. I am interested in applying for this position, and I was wondering if you may have some spare time to have a short phone call to discuss some ideas that I have for the position.’

• Come prepared with specific questions - you may wish to share your questions with the person before you talk so they can think about their answers > Eg. ‘What were the main challenges you faced in the position, and how do you think these could be addressed in the future’ or ‘how many hours per week did you spend on this job?’

• It can be also be great to ask some people to read over your completed application to check for any silly mistakes, and to check that your motivation is clear.

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How to Write an Application Manual

Preparation and Planning

Writing the Application

Feedback and Follow-Up

Doing your research

Doing research in preparation for your application is a great way to find out more about what you are applying to, and ensure your application is targeted on the most important issues. Alongside consulting people as listed above, you may wish to: • Look at previous IFMSA blog/Facebook posts or through IFMSA publications and reports to find information about the event/committee/position you are applying to.

• Read IFMSA policies related to the thing you are applying to - they can all be found on the website here https://ifmsa.org/policy-documents/. > IFMSA policies express the opinion of the IFMSA on important global health topics and are used frequently at external meetings - you can show you are committed to representing the IFMSA well by understanding how policy documents are used.

• Read any other references/resources such as documents from the World Health Organization or other organisations.

• Google the event - you may be able to find an agenda/program which will help you understand what will be discussed.

Asking questions about your application

You may have some questions about the opportunity you are applying for, and in most cases, there will be a contact email address provided for you.

• Ensure you have read all the available information about the opportunity you are applying for before you email the contact person with your question.

• If you are applying to be part of an external meeting, consider searching for the meeting on the internet to see if this will answer your question.

• Ensure your communication is clear in your email - see below for examples of clear and unclear email communication.

• Avoid asking questions about applications on informal communication platforms (such as Whatsapp, Facebook, or SMS), even if you are friends with the person. > It is usually more professional to keep ‘business’ separate from personal friendships • Remember that any communication you have with the person evaluating your application may reflect on how they assess you overall - if you communicate poorly over email, will you be a good member of the team? > Never beg or plead with the person marking your application - this will not strengthen your application

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Preparation and Planning

Writing the Application

Feedback and Follow-Up

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How to Write an Application Manual

Brainstorming Preparation and Planning

Writing the Application

Feedback and Follow-Up

Using brainstorming and mindmapping techniques can be so helpful in preparing your application. They are a great way to let your ideas flow, and can help you structure your ideas in a clear way.

Below is an example of a mindmap used to prepare for a position: • The mindmap starts from a central point - the position that the person is applying for.

• Many ideas are expressed as branches from the central point.

• Plans on how to make these ideas actionable and measurable are also put on the mindmap.

• It has a free structure and the applicant puts down any ideas.

• Lastly, the applicant has grouped the ideas together with colour-coding, to see how they can be pulled together into central points/pillars of an application. > This helps to focus the ideas on the most important things.

Image: Example of a mindmap that an applicant might make when applying for a position.

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Writing the Application

So you’ve done your planning, preparation, consultation and brainstorming.

What’s next? Here are some tips and tricks for the actual writing process.

Having an outcomes-oriented application

The highest scoring applications are generally focused on outcomes. What do you hope to achieve in the position? What new and innovative ideas are you bringing to the position/committee/delegation?

• Use brainstorming and mindmapping as mentioned above to group your ideas into clear ‘pillars’ or categories • ‘Signpost’ your application so the reader is clear on how your ideas are categorised and will be able to clearly follow your application. Eg. ‘My ideas for the position of African General Assistant are based on three central points: engaging members in the IFMSA, strengthening capacity building, and ensuring financial sustainability in the region. Under my first point, …’

• Include points of action that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Limited). This makes you think about how you will achieve your ideas, and will show to the reader that you are focused on the final outcome. > Eg. instead of ‘I will do capacity building on the topic of human rights’, a SMART goal might be: ‘Within a 3 month period, I will aim to hold 2 capacity building webinars attended by 20 members on the topic of ‘an introduction to human rights and health’.

• Outcomes can be described at many levels, and this could be one way of structuring your application > Eg. having outcomes from a position in your NMO that impact at the local and national level, or considering how your attendance at an external meeting may translate into impact on you personally, on your NMO, and on the IFMSA as a whole.

Preparation and Planning

Writing the Application

Feedback and Follow-Up

Language Use

Sometimes it can be hard to know what sort of language is appropriate to use in an application, especially if you are applying in a language that is not your native one. Of course, there are no firm rules about what is right or wrong, but a few simples tips are: • Ensuring that acronyms are written out in full words the first time - do not assume that the person reading your applications knows the organisation you are referring to. > Eg. ‘As part of my university’s Small Working Group (SWG) on Comprehensive Sexulity Education (CSE), I was able to gain experience in policy-making and advocacy. This strengthened my interest in CSE and lead me to apply for …’ > It may be appropriate for common IFMSA acronyms to be spelled out (eg.

IFMSA, EB, SCOPH) - this is good practice for real life where no one outside of the IFMSA understands IFMSA acronyms!

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How to Write an Application Manual Preparation and Planning

Writing the Application

Feedback and Follow-Up

• Applications should usually be written with formal language, although less formal language and common phrases or expressions are often acceptable if they most accurately represent what the applicant is trying to say.

• Think about eye-catching keywords that describe your ideas and motivation clearly and innovatively - these may help the reader remember your application.

Avoiding Arrogance

While it can be tempting to describe your own accomplishments and achievements in detail, this may seem arrogant to the reader. This is especially so when past experiences are not related to the opportunity you are applying for.

• Avoid grand statements about your own qualities that do not give the reader a realistic indication of your abilities eg. it would not be appropriate to say ‘I am an extremely intelligent person who is motivated’ • Instead, to highlight your positive qualities, you may wish to talk about your previous experiences, and relate them to the position you are applying for: > Eg. ‘By leading the organising committee of the workshop, I developed skills in events management and leadership. I believe these skills would be extremely valuable as President of IFMSA-Egypt.’

• A motivation letter should be a place to talk about your vision and ideas for the opportunity you are applying for. It is not a place for you to list your achievements, attendance to different meetings, etc. This may distract attention away from the reason why you want the position, and the reader may think you are showing off

Design and appearance of the application

Putting some effort into the appearance of your application may be helpful, and show that you are serious and committed to the application. This may be especially important if you are applying for a position where social media skills, graphic design skills or communication skills are important.

• Graphic design doesn’t need to be very fancy (and sometimes this will be inappropriate).

• Online programs such as Canva may be helpful .

• Do not let the graphic design distract from the content, which should be the most important thing!

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Feedback and Follow Up

Preparation and Planning

We have tried to provide you with some guidelines to create your application, but it is important to remember that each application is very unique and holds great value for your improvement. Whether you are accepted or not, do not hesitate to ask for feedback on how you can improve your application for the next time.

Writing the Application

And remember, never stop applying and trying! Even if you are unlucky a few times, it is still a great experience to apply for an opportunity, and this will serve you well on your next attempt.

Feedback and Follow-Up

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How to Write an Application Manual

Pre-Submission Checklist Read all the background materials provided with the application information Addressed the key selection criteria.

Application within the word/page limit.

Proofread for any grammar, spelling, phrasing errors.

Ensured all acronyms are spelled out fully the first time they are used.

Someone else has proofread my application to ensure it is clear.

All the different parts of the application have been fulfilled and submitted eg. candidature form, google form, motivation letter, CV...

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