“If you open up the mind, the opportunity to address both profits and social conditions are limitless. It’s a process of innovation.”- Jerry Greenfield
Innovation? What is it, and how can we and our staff embody it?
For implementers of international development programs and their recruiters, responding to the demands of donor agencies to create and staff programs that hinge on innovation can seem like a daunting task, even though the private sector has been embracing this phenomenon for years.
Innovation is simply about the introduction of something new — whether it is a new invention or a fresh approach to producing something tried and true.
Recently, the U.S. government has been releasing procurements for proposals aimed explicitly at funding innovation across a variety of disciplines. Other donors may be doing the same.
Development skeptics may see this emergent focus as nothing more than private sector colloquialisms seeping into the development realm; others welcome the shift, and see it as indicative of a new donor mindset that is thinking more strategically about how to make a real, quantifiable and sustainable impact on the lives of poor people around the globe. Proponents of the focus on innovation assert that a private sector approach to development is exactly what the world needs.
Frankly, for the international development community, the new mandate to focus on innovation is, well, innovative — an evolution from the “seeds and tools” development model to one that capitalizes on growing the new market-based economies of the 21st century. But, as a recruiter for Land O’Lakes International Development, a not-for-profit division of the major private sector agribusiness which implements development programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and Department of Agriculture, staffing for these new types of programs can be challenging.
How can recruiters find and engage individuals who are not only experienced in managing international development programs that are fully compliant with U.S. government regulations, but can also design and implement innovative approaches to social change?
Meanwhile, for international development professionals seeking out such positions, how can you convey your capacity for innovation to future employers, and stand out from the crowd?
Today’s recruiters are using Devex, as well as search engines like Google and duckduckgo.com or social networking sites like LinkedIn, to facilitate extensive Boolean searches intended to proactively identify the right candidates using keywords — and often work to headhunt people who are not even looking for new work.
So, what can you do as a candidate to stand out and highlight your capacity for innovation to organizations such as Land O’Lakes?
Step one: Create your profile on Devex, LinkedIn and other networking sites. If you don’t have one, kiss your dream of being “discovered” goodbye. Other possible sites may include Google, Facebook, Xing, Viadeo and Plaxo, as well as sites specific to your technical area of expertise.
Step two: Use keywords. Where relevant, make sure you have embedded appropriate keywords into your CV and all of your online professional profiles. For descriptive action words about your experience, one might use terms such as: innovate, create, optimize, commercialize, modernize, revolutionize or transform. Other terms that are important to highlight when warranted include: product development, new products and entrepreneur. For professionals working in finance, grants or operations, perhaps: exclusive contracts, new ventures, venture capital, seed capital or angel fund/investment.
Step three: Join groups. LinkedIn and many other networking sites contain industry-specific subgroups that you should consider joining, as that will help connect you to recruiters who are staffing for innovation-focused programs. For starters, join the Devex group on LinkedIn.
Step four: Be genuine but creative. Recruiters and others will see through “false advertising.” Still, think creatively about conveying innovative expressions or actions in your professional profile to the greatest extent possible.
And, of course, use the Devex website — with its ample career analysis and advice — to advance your career and find opportunities to make a difference, including jobs with Land O’Lakes International Development.
Read last week’s Career Matters. And sign up for our upcoming webinar “Careers in international development: You ask, Devex answers,” the first in a series of online events to answer all of the burning questions from job seekers with a Devex account.
