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.