Job hunting in international relations - is it time to give up?
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Anonymous
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Hi all,
I'm currently employed in the IR field and want to move into the public sector. Would ideally like to do open source analysis or serve as a Writer/Editor for State or DoD. Have been job-hunting for 6 months with no firm leads. I recently was rejected for a post, even though I met all the requirements in the job listing and provided glowing recommendations and writing samples. I'm surprised not to have at least gotten an interview... Am I missing something? Are most of the jobs on USAJOBS already assigned, even when they appear to be genuine (e.g. "multiple vacancies")? Is this because of the hiring freeze? Alternatively, am I just overestimating my skillset? I have several years of experience in research and analysis and a Masters from one of top three IR schools. I also speak two foreign languages at an elementary/intermediate level, respectively. Do I need to go back for more training? Or is it time to admit that respectable credentials are not enough to get into State, and go edit for Procter and Gamble instead? TIA! |
Anonymous
| I was HR in this field (not public sector though) for a long time and all I can say is you are not alone - we got SO MANY resumes we couldn't manage them all. Getting a call back is mostly luck. |
Anonymous
this. a lot of it is luck and networking in this field. even the very top feeder programs (sais, kennedy, fletcher, etc) need to be very honest with their kids on that. |
Anonymous
| Thank you! At least I feel like less of a leper. I have another question: will it help to get additional foreign language training, or take tests to confirm existing competence? Do HR officers care about this, all things being equal? This question assumes a reasonable skill set and network. |
Anonymous
what languages and dlpt level are they at? are you currently at a think tank type place? |
Anonymous
| Did you hear about the fed freeze OP? Even before the freeze, it was very hard to get a fed job w/o being a military vet and/or getting in through an internship program while in college. |
Anonymous
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Thanks. I have two mission-critical languages, but have not been tested for competence outside of university classes. In one, I am a strong intermediate speaker; in the other, rarer and more desirable language, I'm at an elementary level.
I'm aware of the freeze and wondering whether to wait it out - that is, is getting in merely difficult, or impossible? |
Anonymous
your only option really is to wait. there are only 4 openings on state.usajobs.gov when you filter for positions open to the public outside of government. have you applied to cia and nsa? a lot of it luck still at thend of the day. there are so many fletcher, sais, hks, woodywoo, yale jackson, elliot, american SIS, maxwell, korbel, gtown grads in this town all gunning for a limited number of these jobs and it gets harder and harder every year. there are certain windows (usually right after ug or grad school) where it is easier to break in. I got a coe from cia 7 years ago. I didn't clear but that's been the only direct 'ir' job i've ever landed. Even though now i'm more knowledgeable (my resume to cia 7 years ago was literally half a page, but i was in grad school) and more experienced I don't really have any 'luck' in breaking into those jobs these days. |
Anonymous
| Defense contractors? |
Anonymous
| You very likely missed the train to join the feds, which was pre-trump, as an IR major. Not sure about competitiveness and vacancies but CIA has an open source resource center that employe foreign language specialists. |
Anonymous
| I'm not cleared, sadly. Currently doing private sector risk management, which is interesting enough, but I'd like a change. I realize I am lucky to have an IR job at all, with so many people looking... |
Anonymous
| PS - Thank you, PP, for sharing your experience with recruitment 7 years ago. I took their writing test just before the election, and assume that things were thrown into confusion afterwards as I've heard nothing since. Looks like I'll be staying put for a while! |
Anonymous
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OP, there are probably thousands of people in your shoes. Many, if not most, people who study IR want to move into the public sector at some point. But the process of becoming a federal employee can be all but impossible if you aren't a veteran or didn't do an internship or the PMF program.
I was in your shoes several years ago and did become a fed, but it was a slow (i.e. 2+ years) process that involved major financial sacrifice. I was at a dead-end job in the private sector that I hated, but I was fluent in a critical language and had a master's degree from a top school in the area. After many fruitless job searches, I applied for and was accepted to participate in a fellowship program at the State Department--the catch was that the program was unpaid and wanted a year-long commitment! However, my very gracious husband agreed to be the sole breadwinner for the year, without which I never could have done this. Because of my language ability, education, and professional experience, I was assigned to a major country desk and basically did the same work as a desk officer, even though for all intents and purposes I was a glorified intern. Through that job, I got a top secret security clearance. When it became clear that I wasn't going to be hired permanently at State (my boss tried hard but no luck there), I put my resume up on ClearanceJobs.com. Within a few days I had an offer to interview for a contracting position working for another federal agency (not State or DOD). I got the job, became a federal contractor, then eventually was able to apply for the federal job that I'd been doing as a contractor. I had to take a major pay cut to become a fed, but it was worth it, as the contracting world isn't too stable these days. For me, this all worked out really well in the end, but I recognize that I was extremely lucky to have a spouse that earned enough to support us and to get a good placement in the fellowship program (not everyone did). |
Anonymous
are you with a bank/financial institution? If not, a good segway MIGHT be for you to network with alums from your school who work on country risk teams at bulge bracket banks - there are number of ex govvies in these teams. it's a good spot to jump into government later when the climate is different. |
Anonymous
| OP, have you considered doing policy work? Check out BradTraverse.com. He has several IR policy positions listed. |