What to do if your job is being affected by org cuts

Throughout 2024, some NGOs and aid agencies, including Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee, have had to make redundancies — a reflection of shrinking aid budgets across the board. While hiring freezes and organizational cuts are nothing new, for some professionals, this year marks an unprecedented spike. “This is the worst period I've ever seen in my career in terms of difficulty in changing jobs, the length of time that people are unemployed between jobs, and just how hard it is to get in at entry level, make transitions mid-career, or stay and find what to do next for your career if you're at a senior level,” said Claire Mahon, a coach for people working in the humanitarian and development sectors. “I've had a lot of new clients who come to me because they're either affected by these changes or they're trying to get ahead of the game.” For those affected by cuts, the prospect of unemployment naturally comes with fear, anxiety, and potential panic as it rocks an individual’s financial security, but in this sector, it can affect so much more. For professionals whose role may have meant relocation, the redundancy can affect their visa eligibility and the ability to stay in a country. If a person has traveled with their family, it can mean changes in their children’s schooling and access to health care. It presents gaping questions that global development professionals must then scramble to answer. “Do we go back to live closer to family? Do we take another posting in another country? It brings up those much bigger picture questions other than just ‘what's the next job I'm going to get?’” Mahon explained. Amid such a tumultuous time, Devex asked the experts how global development professionals should navigate this experience. 1. Don’t panic apply to other positions For many people, finding immediate work to avoid an income gap will take priority, and that’s OK, said Kate Roberts, a humanitarian coach and staff care and well-being specialist. But ideally, she suggested “taking some time to think about what it is that [you] want for the future.” If you do take an immediate position that can still help to “buy some time and space while you figure out what comes next for the longer term,” she added. “What is the appropriate role for internationals working in the development and humanitarian sector?” --— Claire Mahon, a coach for people working in the humanitarian and development sectors Too often, Mahon said people panic and apply for jobs they may not want or are suited to. If they don’t get the positions applied for, it can lead to mental anguish, demotivation, and stress, Mahon said. “They end up coming to me saying ‘I've spent six months applying for 100 jobs, and I haven't got any interviews.’ That's really disheartening, but when we look at the jobs they've actually applied for … it's only a small proportion of those jobs that they were a good candidate for.” Instead, all the coaches Devex spoke to, advised taking some time to think about their next position and being deliberate in what they apply to. When they are ready, Lois Freeke, manager of the Asia-Pacific and international recruitment business at NGO Recruitment, suggested reaching out to relevant recruiters and organizations. “Who do you need to reach out to and have a career conversation with? Which groups and communities do you need to be in?” Freeke posited. “Psychologically, they need to prepare for a three- to six-month job search on average, and, obviously, that will depend on what field they're in and the type of role that they're looking for.” 2. Consider whether now is a time to change direction While not necessarily an individual’s choice, sometimes a forced change can give a person time to think about whether they are happy in their current role and think long term about their career in the sector. “It's a time to reflect on ‘Is this still the kind of work that I want to do?’” Roberts said. “Am I tired of this? Has [redundancy] happened to me before?” For Mahon, when this happens many of her clients weigh up whether to continue in the sector either because of the financial instability, burnout, or the sector-wide move to localization, which triggers questions about the role of the global north in development. “I do see a number of clients come to me and say ‘I've had a great career, I've had these amazing experiences, but I'm done. I'm a little bit tired of the humanitarian sector, or I'm a little bit tired of development work,” she shared. “This prompts them to dig further into those questions that a lot of us have been asking around. … What is the appropriate role for internationals working in the development and humanitarian sector?” With those in mind, for some, the redundancy may trigger a transition out of the sector, in which case Roberts suggested considering which skills are transferable, but for others, it might mean staying in the sector in the same role or a different one. 3. Rework your CV Regardless of which option is pursued, a candidate will need to rework and update their CV. “A lot of people that I see who are in job search mode have neglected that and when I asked for a resume, it's sadly out of date,” Freeke said. Examples of success in the latest role, the experiences had, and new skills acquired should be added but also framed in a way that will apply to future roles. “You want to get references. You want to get any work samples, anything that you're able to take that can leverage your new position,” Freeke said. Mahon then suggested looking at the language used in the resume and reformulating it to make it more understandable to many others. This is especially applicable to technical specialists, such as water, hygiene, and sanitation experts or engineers, whose work may be transferable but can be hidden by sector-specific jargon. “As a specialist, you can often see how you could use those skills in other places, but it's not evident to the recruiter,” Mahon warned. 4. Upskill Mahon suggested using the time between jobs to upskill via online or in-person courses, be it in a new language, project management, or in specialist skills such as sexual and gender-based violence. “I didn't have the opportunity to learn about some of those things at the beginning of my career, so it can be a fantastic opportunity to do that, which is why I encourage my clients to think about that period of unemployment and job searching as a sabbatical,” she said. Freeke advised beginning by doing an appraisal of skills and asking what might be needed to make an application more contemporary. Green skills, for example, are currently in demand and more green jobs than talent exist in the market, she added. The 2023 Global Green Skills Report found that such skills are more in demand than university degrees, yet only 1 in 8 workers has a green skill. Ultimately, Mahon said it’s important to stay hopeful and not be disheartened by the process. “It will get better because as we know over time, it does always get better.”