Optimism abounds at International Development Career Fair in Washington

Last Friday (March 22), nearly 450 jobseekers joined with more than 50 hiring organizations for our Fifth Annual International Development Career Fair in Washington, D.C. While the news has been filled with talks of sequester, unemployment rates and diminishing foreign aid funding, the mood was nothing but optimistic as hundreds of professionals and recruiters came together to discuss career prospects across the industry. To start the day, recruiters from the 50-plus hiring organizations congregated to discuss hiring forecasts for the year and how current trends are affecting their recruitment practices and strategies. I had the opportunity to moderate a panel of recruiters from GRM and Futures Group, Mendez, England and Associates, and IBI International to chat about how their respective organizations are responding to the issues of the sequester, the USAID Forward strategy and the increasing push for hiring local. While the sequester has not yet affected any of the organizations represented (all of which implement projects for the U.S. Agency for International Development), the panelists contend that the impact may not be felt until down the line, when projects may not be renewed or could be delayed or reduced in scope. Working in countries that are a priority for U.S. interests and diversifying their funders are all ways these groups have helped shield the impact of potential funding cuts. While USAID Forward has a goal of funneling 30 percent of funding directly though country channels by 2015, this has not, to date, had an impact on the international non-governmental organizations and consulting firms. Indeed, the goals seem to be more rhetoric than actual practice at this point. The recruiters expressed both the desire and the difficulty to hire locally, especially when pay disparities and out-of-date or inconsistent guidance on salary scales from donors make it a challenge to attract top local talent. The recruiter panel also discussed a new trend that puts less emphasis on personnel in USAID requests for proposals and proposals. A common practice is to put “ghost candidates” in a proposal, given the uncertainty of funding and project start dates. This makes it difficult for top candidates to agree to be included on a bid when funding is still uncertain and the timing unpredictable. The practice of proposal recruitment also means organizations put together the best team to win a project, not the best team to implement. This can lead to staffing issues down the line and impact on the success of a project. This shift could be good news for both employers and candidates. Rather than multiple organizations recruiting for the same bid, hiring can begin when a project is actually funded. This makes it a more viable employment prospect for candidates and easier for implementers to put together teams that will work well together to achieve the desired results. As the hiring organizations readied their booths at the Career Fair, jobseekers joined panelists from event sponsors GRM International/Futures Group, Cardno and RTI to discuss hiring trends. These panelists agreed that sequester was not yet impacting foreign aid and echoed the sentiment that relying on one donor was a thing of the past. Indeed, diversification is now the name of the game as employers across the industry are increasingly working with the private sector. This means that organizations are looking for talent that is well-rounded in technical, managerial and operational skills and can be flexible to work in a fast moving, global business. As the importance of measuring impact grows, jobseekers are encouraged to focus their resumes on achievements and to show employers how they will make an impact on metrics and results. Leadership and innovation are more important than ever. This is the “new world order of development”, one that offers a shifting paradigm of new opportunities for professionals who are ready for the challenge. Jobseekers were able to put this advice into practice as they met with hiring organizations and discussed their value as potential employees and consultants. (Those that attended the Devex webinar on preparing for the Career Fair commented on how helpful it was in their preparation). The day closed with a reception sponsored by GRM International and Futures Group, where everyone came together to mingle and network over food and drinks and reflect on the day. While there were many tired feet, the atmosphere was upbeat and — most importantly — optimistic.