The whole notion of proposal recruitment and staffing presents a unique complexity in working in international development. This can pose challenges for both employers and professionals looking to engage on donor-funded projects. In the Devex LinkedIn group, one Devex member, Sue, posed the following question:
“What if you are currently interviewing for jobs and a consulting firm wants to put you on a bid where you have to sign an exclusivity form? What if I find a job in the meantime? I don’t want to sign my life away and I want to have integrity, yet I also want a Plan B in place in case these interviews don’t pan out. The consultancy would pay well and last about a year. Do I sign my life away on a maybe?”
As someone who used to do proposal recruitment for U.S. Agency for International Development-funded implementers, this is a scenario I understand all too well.
About the author
Kate Warren@KateDWarren
Kate Warren is the Executive Vice President and Executive Editor of Devex, where she leads a global team of journalists, event producers, and communications and marketing professionals to drive conversations around the most pressing and urgent issues of our time, including climate, global health, food security, philanthropy, humanitarian crises, and foreign aid funding. Through live journalism — via in-person and virtual events — along with insider news, analysis, podcasts, content series, and special reports, Kate and her team ensure the most important ideas, voices, and debates reach an influencer audience to drive impact and make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
