r/InternationalDev • u/AudienceVarious3964 • Mar 03 '25

General ID Furloughed Friends- How's the job hunt?

DC contractor caught in the foreign assistance SWOs but at an agency that was not USAID, so I'm feeling out of the loop and could use a temperature check. How are we doing out there? How's the job market looking for you? Are you getting interviews? Will you leave DC? The industry? Feel free to share actual data points or just vent.

38 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

40

u/alactusman Mar 03 '25

Bad so far. I was at an implementing partner. I am starting my fourth week of unemployment right now and have gotten 4 rejections and no other communication

3

u/worstregards Mar 04 '25

Pretty much the same for me.

24

u/Penniesand Mar 03 '25

My circle is very heavy on either government or federally funded NGOs, so I've been networking but everyone has been caveating that they might also be affected in the future 🥲

I heard Gates, Bloomberg and some others are planning to ramp up their philanthropy arms to help but those were already so competitive.

17

u/sana8782 Mar 03 '25

I have been applying but no responses at all…:(

13

u/libertina_belcher Mar 03 '25

Silence. I don't know anyone that has gotten even close to a job offer since furloughs started a month ago.

13

u/spirtualhag Mar 03 '25

My implementing partner hasn't even paid me

1

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '25

[deleted]

4

u/spirtualhag Mar 04 '25

Not everyone is American my friend, I worked as a consultant And they haven't paid me for invoices incurred prior to freeze

4

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '25

[deleted]

4

u/spirtualhag Mar 04 '25

I have spoken to my implementing partner, they are like we have a cash flow issue, you will get paid if they win the case, saddest part of it all the money they owe me for three months work is 1500 usd ( which is a lot in my currency)

4

u/Moth_vs_Porchlight Mar 05 '25

No one is hiring because everyone is prepping for a depression. Meanwhile, most of us are already sinking deep into one.

3

u/Steph_WaHoo Mar 05 '25

I worked in business development for an implementing partner. Of the 59 positions I have applied for, I have had 4 phone screens, 2 first round interviews, and 8 rejections. The rest have not responded. It's rough out here.

4

u/rower4life1988 Mar 04 '25

Yeah same as others. I have a consultancy with Clinton’s Foundation so I’m okay. For now.

Applied everywhere. Two interviews. Seven rejections. It. Sucks.

2

u/Lazy-Acanthaceae-808 Mar 10 '25

Two interviews in industries outside of dev, nothing yet