International Development: Breaking into the field

How to launch a satisfying career in international development

I am often asked how to break into the field of international development.  In this post I’m going to address this question. I’m going to assume that you are interested in doing interesting work and having a satisfying career as an independent consultant. In an effort to keep things short, I’m going to zero in on the three things I consider the most critical.

Get a graduate degree in a related field

Because of the vast number of issues covered in international development, a degree in practically any field, from economics to health to statistics to law to education, will be useful. However, degrees in some fields are likely to open up more opportunities than others. This is either because they are more broadly transferrable, or because there is a lot of work in this sector.  In the first category I would include anything related to economics, statistics, sociology, public policy, or international relations. In the second category, I would include agriculture, health, education, finance, water and energy. However, the farther along you are in your career, the less the specific degree matters. When I work with team members who have at least 5 to 10 years of experience, what they studied all those years ago is often more of a conversation starter than anything else.

When you are just starting out, expect to have shorter contracts and do more work that involves research. If you don’t have a lot of experience yet, being hired to do a desk review may be a common entry point. This is not a bad thing at all, however. It enables you to become familiar with and build expertise in a particular subject, while demonstrating that you are reliable and have good writing skills. (This last is important). With time, you will start working as a specialist or team leader

Be willing to travel anywhere

Travel abroad is obviously a big part of a career in this field. For some assignments, it can mean a foreign posting, for others it may involve months on end away from home. However, in many cases trips last from one to several weeks.

The more willing you are to go to less desirable places and stay there for longer periods, the better your chances of finding work.  Think of it as paying your dues. I have friends who, for family reasons, were unable to take on long-term assignments in challenging countries (like Iraq or Afghanistan) and were stymied in their career goals. I have others who spent a year or more in some of the world’s least desirable countries, and it opened doors for them.

Let people know you exist

Finally, people simply need to know that you exist.  From a strictly mathematical perspective, the more people in the field who come across your CV or, better yet, meet you in person, the more likely you are to find work.

So put your CV in the public realm. You have various options here. For a monthly fee, you can post your CV on Devex.com and other websites, such as Assortis (for work in Europe). Create a LinkedIn profile. Many consulting firms also ask you to upload your CV and other data onto their company websites, which they then check when trying to find consultants. Applying to specific jobs is another way of getting noticed. Even if you don’t get the assignment – a fair number of job advertisements seem to be pro-forma, with a preferred candidate already selected – many organizations will keep your CV on file and may contact you about other opportunities in the future. Of course, if you have a blog or a book out there, or have won an award in your field, you have opened up a whole new platform on which to stand and let the world know who you are.

I have found that a highly effective way of addressing this existential issue is meeting people face to face. It may appear counterintuitive in our digital age, but making that personal connection remains important. Perhaps it is related to the fact that everyone is now adept at curating their online persona; meeting people in the flesh, where self-editing is more difficult, is a more reliable gauge of character.  I have found work because I happened to meet someone at a party, because I shared an office with them for a few days, or because I was introduced to them at a dinner with friends. Of course, qualifications matter, but it seems that the crucial factor was first getting a sense of the person.  This informality, and serendipity, still plays a large role in moving along the career path.

There are many ways of getting out and meeting people. Here are some:

• Attend events, seminars, BBLs in the international development field.
• Join a professional association (I belong to the American Evaluation Association and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, among others) and attend their events and conferences
• Send out emails to people working in your field (blind calls). Although many won’t respond, some will. And those that do will tend to be the kind ones who are interested in helping others.
• Request informational meetings through people you know, and thus expand your circle of contacts.
• Go to more parties and dinners!

If you need some tips on taking a a healthy approach to and getting the most out of networking, , I recommend the book Make Your Contacts Count.

In another post, I’ll discuss some of the keys to getting repeated work in the field.

Good luck!