Finding Jobs in Development
2 November 2011
Gina Yannitell Reinhardt
Getting a Job in Development
Jobs to Target
• Where they are
• What they are
• What they seek
How to Get Them
• Skills and
Experience
• Presenting the best
candidate possible
• Resume, cover
letter, interview,
etc.
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How is Development Funded?
Government
Funds
For-Profit
Funds
Non-Profit
Funds
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Government Development Funding
International
Non-profit
Contractor
Government
International
For-profit
Contractor
Sub-contractor
(local non-profit)
Sub-contractor
(local for-profit)
Sub-contractor
(regional
non-profit)
Sub-contractor
(regional
for-profit)
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How do you get in?
• Government level
– Citizenship of the Government
– Civil service
– Foreign service
• Intergovernmental agencies
– Fellowships/Internships/Young Scholars Programs
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OECD
OAS
UN
UNDP
EU
World Bank
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How do you get in to US Federal
Development Work?
• USAID
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Presidential Management Fellow, Foreign Service
Global Health Fellows Program
World Learning Democracy Fellows Program
Foreign Service Limited Appointments (FSLs)
• Other Development Agencies (usajobs.gov)
• State Department, Agriculture, Commerce,
Environmental Protection Agency, Labor, Drug
Enforcement Agency
• Intelligence/Security Agencies
• CIA, FBI, NSA, Defense, Border Security, Homeland
Security Administration
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How do you get into the 2nd level:
Contractors of Development?
– Citizenship of the Country where the contractor is
implementing funds
– Fellowships/Internships/Young Scholars Programs
• Catholic Relief Services, Global Services Corps, Ford
Foundation
– Pay for the privilege
• Foundation for Sustainable Development
• “Volunteer” or “exposure” programs
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How do you get into the 2nd level:
Contractors of Development?
• Work in the US first, then get transferred
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Catholic Relief Services
ChildFund International
Chemonics
Research Triangle International
University Research Company – Center for Human Services
Save the Children
Adventist Development and Relief Agency
Management Services for Health
John Snow, Inc.
FHI360
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How do you get into the 3rd level:
Local Providers of Development?
– Citizenship of the Country where the subcontractor is implementing funds
– Be willing to go to a country where brain drain is
common, or the workforce is under-trained and
under-educated
• Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia
• Not Latin America, Eastern Europe, Central Asia
– Make job-forging connections through internships
or fellowships during the summer
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Those are the jobs you can get. How
can you get them?
These agencies are seeking:
Tangible Skills
Tangible Skills
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• Excellent Memo Writing
• Consolidating a mass of
complex information,
synthesizing it into clear
policy/ management
decisions that fit on 1-2
pages
• How do development
(economic, political)
theories apply to the real
world?
• Excellent Report Writing
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Budgets
Contracts
Finance
Grant-writing
Familiarity with USAID or other
Donor Grant system
Delegation
Team Management
Overseas Experience
Foreign language skills
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These agencies are seeking:
Intangible Skills
Intangible Skills
• Ability to think on your
feet
• Ability to articulate a
range of solutions quickly
• Excellent communication
skills
• Sharp analytical and
problem-solving skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Flexibility
• Creativity
• Common Sense
• Effective consumption of
the quantitative
information that is
essential to development
work
• Ability to speak the same
language as other
practitioners
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That’s what they want.
How do you get it?
How to Use Your Education to Your
Advantage
Choose Courses
Wisely
Choose Projects
& Assignments
Wisely
Capitalize on
your Summer
• USAID Grant
• Nonprofit
program
evaluation
• Capstone
• Budget for a
Relief Agency
• Contract for a
Development
Project
Summer
• Budgeting
• Contracts
• Grants
• Finance
• Development
• Program
Evaluation
Projects
Courses
Using Your Education
to Your Advantage
• Go Abroad
• Skills
• Project or
Program
Management
• Build Contacts
• Learn a
Language
That’s what they want.
How do you show them that’s what
you have?
Candidacy
Resume
Cover
Letter
Personal
Interactions
Resume
• Personal information
– Name, DOB, citizenship, security clearance, phone
number, professional email, website
• Skills or Profile
– Change this according to the job
– Use keywords from the job posting or agency mission
• Education or Experience
– Depends on which is more pertinent to the job
• Experience or Education
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Cover Letter
• The purpose is to translate your resume into
the job they seek to fill.
• Explain what your resume doesn’t – use
keywords from the job posting.
• Do not repeat your resume.
• Point out how your experiences (capstone,
internships, jobs, research) have positioned
you to fit into their position, their
organization.
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Personal Interactions
• Attend seminars, conferences, lectures.
• Contact people working in agencies in which you might
want to work.
– How did they get there?
– Where do they see themselves in 5 years? 10?
– Who do they know that you might want to meet?
• Build up a network of contacts.
• Dress well, stand up straight, be considerate.
• Follow up on chance meetings with emails and thank-you
notes.
• Follow up on planned meetings with emails and thank-you
notes.
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Interviews
• Ask relevant, intelligent questions
– What are the opportunities for advancement?
– How will you be mentored, and will you be able to mentor
others eventually?
• Remember, you will not always begin with the job you
want
– 3-month contracts lead into permanent positions
– You may start working with people less-qualified than you
in some ways (education), but more so in others
(experience)
• The point is to get a job that will enable you to do the
work you care about, then eventually gain the
experience you desire. 
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