Peace Corps streamlined their application process a few years back making the app process easier, in hopes to attract more applicants. This new application process gave applicants the freedom to choose where and what they do. As a result, Peace Corps reached record high application numbers. Read more about that record year here. My experience with this new application began in December 2015 when I applied for a Youth in Development Position for Morocco departing September 2016. My application did not go very far though due to several factors, one of which I applied a day before the deadline. You see Peace Corps accepts applicants on a rolling basis so as soon as a position opens up, technically speaking an applicant could apply that day and receive an interview request and invitation within a week. I heard this timely application manner once explained that when you apply early you must show that you can drink water, when you apply on time you must find the water, and when you apply late you must make the water magically appear. So here is where I made my first mistake applying to Peace Corps: a late application. My second mistake was not exactly hitting the experience requirements which is a key component to go from being under consideration to receiving an interview request for a country. My third and probably most crucial mistake I made was not reaching out to a Peace Corps recruiter. A recruiter can really get to know the real you, not how you come off on a resume or motivation statement. Mainly though, a recruiter can look over your experience, resume, and motivation statement to see what you could change to improve your application.
So jump forward to my next application attempt and I learned from these three crucial mistakes. I applied early: almost as soon as the position opened. I gained the required experience and I made that experience count. I worked with a recruiter: Shoutout to Julie my awesome recruiter who answered my many questions and concerns. So how did I choose my country of service during the application process?? I didn't. "Go anywhere" that 's the button I pressed when I started my application. In other words, I choose an element of the old application process where my application was reviewed and placed for the country that best fit my experience. And from that application I was put under consideration for Myanmar for a Secondary Education English position. So there you have it folks. And that is how I am going to Myanmar.
Below is the infographic Peace Corps gives about the application process.
Below that is the original listing for Myanmar including the Project Description, Required Skills, and Country Info.
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