Questions answered on approaching an evolving development job hunt

As I told those in attendance during our careers digital event on Thursday, we planned our Jan. 30 ask-me-anything session about the 2025 job hunt well before the recent U.S. aid freeze and other decisions from the Trump administration impacted the global development job market. Notwithstanding, our panel of career experts fielded several questions about these recent developments and a range of other topics related to searching for jobs in the sector. While the job market is tightening and becoming more competitive for those working in certain areas, this only puts a brighter spotlight on best practices one should always follow to bolster your candidate profile. Here are a few key takeaways from the discussion on what can be done in both the short and long term to best position yourself for what is shaping up to be a more competitive job market. Pay attention to where the money is going In response to a question about what alternative opportunities may be available to those affected by the U.S. aid freeze, Stephanie Mansueto, development recruiter and job-hunting coach, spoke of funding shifts that could arise in response and the importance of tracking this. “Private philanthropy is going to have to step up [and] you’re going to see foundations get a lot more money and start mobilizing more funding,” she said. In terms of how this shift might relate to specific candidate profiles and skill sets, “I think people that have skills related to business development fundraising, strategic partnerships, private sector engagement — those people are going to become really critical and necessary at this point to help move some of that money around and see how it can be allocated and leveraged,” she said. Try not to panic-apply In response to a question about how to best apply for roles in situations where you do not have a direct organizational contact, international coach Simone Anzböck advised taking a step back and really thinking about where your experience will be the best fit. At the same time, try to resist the temptation of prioritizing the quantity of job applications over the quality of your network. “If you … apply for jobs that are in 50 different fields between different organizations, it’s going to be hard for you to develop a reasonable network,” Anzböck said. For roles you do choose to pursue regardless of your relevant contacts, your best bet for getting noticed is to prioritize the use of keywords in your application, she added. Expand the definition of social impact Even before recent events have made searching for a job in social impact more urgent, leadership coach Dan Freehling said that a common topic of discussion he has had with clients is the idea of “expanding the definition of social impact in the social sector and really thinking broadly, thinking creatively.” This can expand options for purpose-driven job seekers. “People are asking [especially] since this news has come out, How do I still do good in the world? How do I still make a difference?” Freehling said. Expanding your search to hospitals, schools, social enterprises, and purpose-driven private businesses can be part of realigning your job search in this way, he added. “If you’re looking to shift into some of these socially driven private organizations, think differently with the job titles,” Mansueto added. She said generative AI tools like ChatGPT could be helpful when researching what terminology is used for roles and scopes of work that are impact-driven but may lay outside of the traditional development sector. Ready to stand out from the crowd and get noticed by the recruiters who matter most? Update your Devex profile and start connecting with top global development recruiters now.