Looking for a job in a different sector? Leverage these 5 development-specific skills

Global development work can take you all over the globe. But what if you find yourself suddenly in a place where you can’t find any relevant work? This is particularly a challenge for dual career couples when a spouse’s job may mean relocating to a place with few viable employment opportunities for the other. Even when located in a bustling development hub, competition in this sector can be fierce and opportunities are hard to come by. Rather than face months of unemployment, some professionals are looking at how they can leverage their international development experience to find work in other sectors. We talk a lot about how individuals from the private sector can make the transition to international development, but what if you want to do the reverse? The same basic advice applies: Focus on your transferable skills. Here are five skills global development professionals can bring to other sectors and how to market them to a potential employer. 1. Adaptability and resilience Aid workers are doing some of the most difficult work under the most difficult circumstances in the world. Whether or not you are someone who is naturally adaptable, international development work throws you into such vastly diverse environments that there it’s almost guaranteed a seasoned aid worker has developed a high level of flexibility and resilience not found in most professions. These are skills highly valued in other sectors, but not as easy to find. Use examples from your days adjusting to village life in the Peace Corps or the time you had to quickly shift gears on a project after a large natural disaster to show how you can be relied upon even when times get tough. These are also skills that will help get you quickly acclimated to a new industry or line of work even without a lot of previous experience. 2. Resourcefulness Doing a lot with little is a concept aid workers embrace. Trying to tackle enormous global challenges such as hunger, poverty, and disease with small budgets, few staff members, and scant resources is the reality in development work. As a result, development professionals become resourceful not just with time, but with budgets to figure out how to get things done in complex environments. This experience managing budgets can be an advantage when interviewing for a position in another sector. Development project budgets — even the large ones — may seem small in comparison to, say, the financial services market. So, rather than focus on how much money you managed or spent, focus on the results and impact of that money. Sure, your budget may have been miniscule compared with a management consulting firm, but give examples about how you were able to meet or exceed project deliverables despite few resources. If you can do a lot with a little, imagine what you could do with a lot. 3. Cross-cultural skills No matter the industry, workplaces today have become truly global. Most companies have locations all over the world and, increasingly, in developing and emerging economies. Even headquarters offices can bring in talent from all corners of the globe. Whether you are a nurse, salesperson, teacher, or engineer, the ability to work well with cultures other than your own is increasingly important. Learning how to effectively communicate and paying attention to cultural sensitivities and norms is part of an aid worker’s job. You would have a hard time finding a job description that doesn’t stipulate this requirement, and many professionals choose this line of work precisely so they can engage with a diversity of people around the world. If you’re looking for opportunities with a global company — or just a company with a staff from around the globe — play up your ability to effectively collaborate with a diversity of cultures as one of your selling points. 4. Local knowledge Similarly, one of the real values aid workers can bring to other sectors is knowledge of the local context. If a business, for example, is looking to expand operations in East Africa, they will seek the guidance of someone who understands the local politics, key public and private sector stakeholders, and the nuances of how work really gets done and how people think. The developing world is the fastest growing customer base for many industries such as food and beverage. Large corporations look for people who understand the challenges, motivations, and aspirations of the people they hope to call customers. If you have deep experience in a specific region, especially if you speak the local language, look for opportunities with companies doing or looking to do work in that region. Give examples of how you developed a public awareness campaign tailored to reach women in rural communities or how you helped connect smallholder farmers to exporters to grow their income. 5. Project management Most international development funding is implemented through projects. As such, most development workers have built up at least some project management experience — or potentially a significant amount of experience. A strong project manager can perform well no matter the industry, although some sectors require a formal project management certification. If you want to be marketable in other sectors, take the time to research the prevailing trend for that industry. When applying to jobs in other sectors, avoid using a lot of development or donor-specific terminology. So, for example, if you use TOR for terms of reference but are applying to a job in an industry that uses the term SOW to describe a statement of work, you may want to adjust how you include it in your resume or say it during an interview.