Finding a Job in International Development

People ask me all the time how to find a job in international development. My answer is to take the path of least resistance for you and the employer. What you want to do is to look for a similar position to the one you already have or have successfully done, and find an international development employer looking to fill that same kind of position. Why take this job search approach? Employers want to hire someone who can do the job they need filled, and you have already demonstrated you have the skills to do the job they are trying to fill. This is clearly a win-win approach!

The international development sector has immense scope, considerable depth, and it is full of organizational differences. This is good news for the job seeker because by its very nature and breadth the sector generates a vast number of employment opportunities.

What is the International Development Sector?

All development organizations and their goals are not all the same. Their purpose for existing and the type of work they perform varies. They may have different ethics and compensation practices. They work in different locations and with different populations and they may even pursue different sources of funding.

There is relief work which involves responding to disasters. There is peace building work which has to do with post-war reconstruction. There is development aid which is more long term and is done by a wide variety of organizations and involves positions that require every imaginable skill and ability.

The international development sector has many players and there is lots of interconnectedness between the various players. There are the multilaterals which include the U.N., the World Bank and more. There are also the bilateral organizations, which include aid agencies of government, such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Department of International Development (DFID or UK AID), and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). There are consulting firms, which are for profit and are involved in some aid development work. Research institutions are also huge and these include Universities and scientific centers. Last but not the least there are non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which are the most common and work in every region of the world; they are in the donor countries and in the developing countries around the world. These types of organizations include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Save the Children, PLAN International and hundreds more. See the following link for more information: directories for development organizations.

I can confidently tell you all these international development organizations have jobs available. So what should you do next? Your task should be to narrow your search to five to 10 well targeted organizations (remember, you only need one job). Visit the job boards of your target organizations. Look for positions with similar job titles to your own and find those positions that seek the skills and abilities you already possess. Apply to those positions. If you don’t find similar jobs titles or requests for your skills at your initial target organization, move on to another organization. As you know from reading this post there are many kinds organizations to target.

Your job search is about you finding employers looking to use your existing skills and abilities. Those employers who can make immediate use of your existing skills and abilities are where you will have the greatest opportunity to interview and to be hired.

My blog and future posts will continue to offer practical and example based tips and solutions for successfully positioning yourself and your career in the international development sector.

Let me know what experiences you have had looking for employment in this sector and what questions you have about finding jobs in international development in a comment below.