BY ZACH COHEN
Zach Cohen is a first year MAIR candidate concentrating in Development, Climate, and Sustainability, and is as an Editor at SAIS Perspectives.
With graduation on the horizon for many SAIS students, there’s no better time to hear from SAIS alumni on how they found success after school. SAIS Perspectives hosted four recent SAIS graduates on March 9th for our Spring 2022 Career Panel, which featured an insightful conversation on the job search process and life after graduation. Adam Guarneri, Editor-in-Chief, provided welcoming remarks, and Yulia Buynova and Sheran Munasinghe, Senior Editors, served as moderators for the panel discussion and Q&A portion, respectively.
Our alumni panelists work across a variety of sectors in the development space, from U.S. government agencies to multilateral organizations and non-profits. After sharing details about their work, the panelists commented on how they found their first jobs after SAIS and what helped them to stand out during their interview processes. While each panelist had a unique experience, a common theme was the importance of leveraging the SAIS network – whether it be connecting with alumni, talking to your professors, or reading the global careers newsletters. Additionally, the panelists stressed the value of the skillsets they fostered at SAIS, from economics to foreign languages, that bolstered their resumes. Panelists also offered advice on transitioning to a new career field, emphasizing the importance of mapping out how your desired career path fits in with your past experience.
Each panelist provided their thoughts on a variety of topics in their own individual capacity and not as representatives of their agencies, which allowed for a more earnest discussion of the ebbs and flows of transitioning from graduate school into the job market. Additional insights and advice from our four panelists included:
Eli Birgé – Financial Analyst, U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC), SAIS MA ‘18
Hard skills like financial modeling can set you apart in the application process, but soft skills from a liberal arts background are also useful in being able to work across different sectors.
It can be helpful to add a short ‘elevator pitch’ to the top of your resume describing what your training is in and what type of work you hope to do.
The current hybrid work environment sets up easier opportunities for virtual networking chats – cast a wide net!
Login to LinkedIn early on Monday morning and get your job applications in right away, to get on top of the stack of resumes.
Don’t feel existentially threatened by the job hunt – some people take longer than others, but everyone gets there eventually.
Nnenda Chinda – Evaluation Consultant, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), SAIS MAIA ‘20
Most people applying for a given job have similar educations and backgrounds – so think hard about what it is that differentiates you.
Language skills are growing in importance, especially as roles and responsibilities shift from headquarters to the field.
When you’re interning, make sure you put together a list of people who you can count on after the internship to point you in a direction.
LinkedIn can be a great resource for finding people whose career trajectories align with yours, and even finding a mentor.
Sarah Pfund – Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), SAIS MA ‘19
The Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) can be a wonderful entry point into government, providing access to unique job opportunities and rotations within the government to help you figure out where you want to work. That being said, it is not the end-all for finding government jobs.
Language skills and working abroad are really important – and if you’re not where you think you need to be, take some time to go abroad after SAIS and really immerse yourself in a language.
If networking meetings make you nervous, just do one – it gets easier as you go.
Your first job out of SAIS will not be your last!
Alexis Roehrich - Acting Policy Director, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), SAIS MA ‘20
Economics skills from SAIS can be incredibly helpful – don’t worry too much about formulas, but understanding the big picture and practical applications is critical.
Working and living abroad can be an excellent way to stand out in your application – if you have the opportunity to do so, seize it!
Building a skillset in project implementation is also highly valuable – including developing a project, seeing it through, and measuring and evaluating success.
Hybrid work can make things harder, as you have to be more intentional about your experiences at work, and need to work harder to build trusting relationships with your coworkers
We would like to thank our panelists for taking the time to share their experiences and for providing such valuable advice to the SAIS community.
PHOTO CREDIT: "Washington DC" by eGuide Travel is marked with CC BY 2.0.