In a Google+ Hangout I hosted last week on transitioning to a career in international development, I talked about the benefits of volunteering to kickstart a degree in international development. Since most jobs require previous — often overseas — experience, sometimes the only way to get that experience is to do it as a volunteer.
There are many volunteer programs that do not require previous experience and will give you training on the ground and skills to help meet that “previous experience” qualification you see on so many job ads. (See this list of 10 non-paid volunteer programs to kickstart your development career).
But what do you do once your volunteer program is over? How do you turn this experience into a paying job? Here are seven tips for leveraging your volunteer gig into a full time job.
About the author
Kate Warren@KateDWarren
Kate Warren is the Executive Vice President and Executive Editor of Devex, where she leads a global team of journalists, event producers, and communications and marketing professionals to drive conversations around the most pressing and urgent issues of our time, including climate, global health, food security, philanthropy, humanitarian crises, and foreign aid funding. Through live journalism — via in-person and virtual events — along with insider news, analysis, podcasts, content series, and special reports, Kate and her team ensure the most important ideas, voices, and debates reach an influencer audience to drive impact and make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
