Careers in International Affairs

Ninth Edition

Laura E. Cressey, Barrett J. Helmer, Jennifer E. Steffensen, Laura E. Cressey, Barrett J. Helmer, Jennifer E. Steffensen

• Publisher: Georgetown University Press
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781626160767
• Edition: 9
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

This is the essential resource and job-hunting guide for all those interested in international careers in the US government, multinational corporations, banks, consulting companies, international and nongovernmental organizations, the media, think tanks, universities, and more. Careers in International Affairs, now in its ninth edition, provides up-to-date insights about the range of possibilities in the global workplace and tips on how to get these jobs—along with profiles of hundreds of important employers.

This helpful guide includes a directory of more than 250 organizations who offer internationally oriented jobs such as the US Department of State, CIA, United Nations, World Bank, J.P. Morgan Chase, Google, McKinsey & Company, and dozens more. The book also includes insightful testimonies about what these careers are really like from both junior and senior professionals in these fields. Careers in International Affairs gives advice on academic paths that will prepare students for demanding international careers and guidance on how to write resumes, interview for jobs, network, and maintain their online profile.

Published in cooperation with the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, the oldest school of international affairs in the United States, Careers in International Affairs will encourage job seekers to consider their goals and talents, widen their horizons to consider new possibilities, and help them realize that their future can hold several careers, while reminding all that it is never too early—or too late—to consider the realm of opportunities that await them throughout the world.

PART I

Strategies

CHAPTER 1

Preparing for Your Career

Education, Coursework, and Internships

Laura E. Cressey

Laura E. Cressey, at the time of writing, was the internship and career coordinator for the Master’s of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) program in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Before joining the university in 2008, she was an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton and deputy director of the Office of Chemical Biological and Missile Nonproliferation in the Bureau of Nonproliferation at the Department of State. She joined the Department of State as a Presidential Management Fellow in 1992. She is a graduate of MSFS, and received a bachelor’s degree in international relations and history from Tufts University.

Careers today look very different from those of our parents and grandparents. Whether due to the economic climate or changing society, it is no longer typical for the average employee to stay with the same organization for the duration of his or her career. Significant retirement packages and pensions do not command company loyalty, as they once did. In the international affairs field this means that individuals are frequently in movement and transition. There is no normal career path and no normal career progression; career paths are frequently less linear and more likely to meander through different organizations and even different sectors. Individuals are as likely to move between organizations in a particular sector (e.g., among US government agencies) as they are between sectors (e.g., from an agency in the public sector to a consulting firm in the private sector to a nonprofit organization).

Take the career path of David Weiss, the author of the “International Development and Humanitarian Assistance NGOs” essay in chapter 5 of this book. David began his career in the US government, working for the Peace Corps, the US Foreign Service, and the US trade representative, and he then moved to the private sector where he worked for a global law firm. After thirteen years in the private sector he moved to the nonprofit sector and currently is the president and CEO of Global Communities (formerly CHF International), an international nonprofit organization that works with communities to bring about sustainable social, economic, and environmental changes. Likewise, Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, who has a piece in chapter 9 on universities, research institutes, and think tanks, has also moved seamlessly between the public and nonprofit sectors while pursuing a career in democracy, human rights, and security work.

The benefit of this fluidity for those entering the international affairs field is that job opportunities lie not just in the well-traveled traditional paths but also throughout various organizations and sectors. As Nicole Melcher explains in her essay in chapter 3 on the US government, those seeking international jobs with federal employers would do well to look beyond the State and Defense departments and to consider departments such as Commerce, Energy, and Treasury. Those interested in working on development issues also have more options than ever before. As the development-related essays mention, the increased presence of the public sector in the development field and the rise of public–private partnerships has diversified the job opportunities for those seeking to enter the field. Likewise, as Barrett Helmer points out in the “Private-Sector Changes since 2008” essay in chapter 7, those interested in entering the business world have more options than ever before to work not just in traditional business positions but also in the area of corporate social responsibility.

So what does this all mean for someone seeking to enter the international affairs field? The good news is that with the loss of the traditional career path comes the loss of the traditional education path. You are no longer expected to check specific boxes in preparation for your career. Instead, students with undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide variety of disciplines, from international relations and economics, to public health and energy, are marketable in this sector. Moreover, just as there is no one “must have” college or graduate degree, there are no one or two “must have” internships or professional experiences. You are encouraged instead to develop skills and expertise that can span across sectors and make you a valuable, productive, and innovative employee no matter where your career may take you. In this chapter we examine key elements for you to think about while preparing for your career: your education, overseas experience, and fellowships. This essay provides a framework for considering these elements and discusses the value of internships in preparing for your international affairs career.

Your Education

Choosing an undergraduate and graduate school and program is a complicated process dependent on many factors, which Barrett Helmer addresses in his “Considering Graduate School” essay below in this chapter. Of course, the process would be a bit simpler if, from day one of your freshman year in college, you knew exactly what degree you wanted to pursue and what career you wanted to have. But we all know that this is hardly ever the case. As you progress throughout your education, new classes may open up your mind to new opportunities, new courses of study, and different career paths. Embrace these situations! However, as you explore new ideas and paths, keep in mind that there are some skills that employers will seek and that will make you marketable across the spectrum of international affairs career paths. These include:

• a thorough understanding of international relations theory and practice, and knowledge of the history of patterns in international relations;

• a firm grasp of economics—preferably both macro and micro—and an ability to apply these concepts to international policy issues;

• comprehension of finance and trade, and comfort with quantitative analysis;

• proficiency in a second language;

• time spent living, studying, or working abroad;

• excellent analytic skills;

• the ability to effectively communicate complex ideas both orally and in writing;

• a capacity to work independently, and in team situations, in both leadership and subordinate positions;

• skillful time management; and

• demonstrated intellectual curiosity, imagination, drive, and creativity.

You can develop many of these skills in the classroom. But you should also look outside the classroom—such as in student groups, campus activities, internships, and community events—for opportunities to sharpen your skills. Select courses that develop and encourage your intellectual curiosity; take on challenging classes, projects, and internships that help you improve your time management skills; and seek opportunities through classwork or student groups to refine your public speaking and writing abilities. And though you can delve deeply into specific subjects, and specialize in certain academic areas, understand that employers appreciate well-rounded, diverse individuals with demonstrated curiosity, drive, and passion. Intensive specialization in a region or an issue can be valuable, but it should not be gained at the expense of the essential knowledge necessary to effectively operate in the broader international sphere. Those with the ability to look at issues from a variety of perspectives and incorporate multidisciplinary ideas in international policy, development, and business analysis and prescriptions will be more successful.

Papers and projects can be valuable in building your experience in an issue area, especially if you are lacking professional expertise. When given a choice on papers or research projects, be strategic and choose topics that are relevant to your career field. Or write articles for your school’s newspaper or international affairs journals. These can be excellent additions to your résumé and can give you material on which to draw in interviews and networking sessions.

Internships

For those seeking to enter the international affairs field, gaining experience to make yourself marketable can seem like a catch-22: You need a job to get relevant experience, but you cannot get a job without relevant experience. If you are not planning to take a gap year before undergraduate school, or to take some time to work between undergraduate and graduate school, or if you are changing careers, then internships are an excellent way of gaining this experience. Internships allow you to explore your options and to “try on” different jobs and organizations to see if they suit you. Internships are also excellent ways to learn about a specific field, to get to know the players, to expand your network, and to learn from others who may be in the sorts of positions and careers that you are considering. Luckily, as mentioned above, there are no one or two specific internships that you should have if you want to become an international affairs professional, which allows you a certain freedom to pursue opportunities that appeal to you. You should choose internships in areas that you want to learn about but also for organizations that allow you to gain experience and demonstrate responsibility.

When looking for or deciding between internships, among the things you should consider are the following:

• What are your responsibilities? Will you be able to write, brief superiors, conduct research, perform analysis, or take responsibility for a task? The more responsibility you have, the more valuable the internship can be. If you are considering having several internships (e.g., while in graduate school), you should try to ensure that you have different responsibilities at the internships so that the experience reflected on your résumé is not one-dimensional (e.g., you do not want to have four internships where you only performed research, unless you ultimately want a career in research).

• Who will you be working for and with? Are they well known or well respected in their field? Could they serve as good role models or as a mentor? Do they have a reputation for helping employees just starting in their career? This is not to say that you should only work for well-known people, but pay attention to the reputation of the organization and its principals.

• What network of people will you be exposed to? Will you be working alone, or will you be exposed to a broad network of people in your field of choice? Although working independently can be very valuable and can demonstrate your initiative and drive, internships can be very useful in expanding your network and in your job search.

• Does the internship expose you to a different aspect of the business? If you are interested in international trade, for example, you could seek an internship with the Office of the US Trade Representative, the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, a multinational import-export firm, or a business council (Jonathan Huneke and John Murphy write about their experiences in the “Careers in Lobbying and Advocacy” section of chapter 7, on business), each of which would provide you with a different perspective on the issues and challenges involved in international trade policy. Demonstrating various skills and responsibilities on your résumé as well as an understanding of the different perspectives of issues that you are interested in can be very valuable.

• Is the internship a strategic choice? Some internships involve heavy administrative work assisting a senior official of an organization, which can be attractive based on the access to that official and potential payoffs down the line. As Anna Tunkel notes in the business consulting section of chapter 8, her internship with the CEO of APCO Worldwide led to a full-time position with the firm. She is now a vice president responsible for managing several global accounts. Not all internships provide such payoffs, and you should accept the position with your eyes open; but the potential plus side can be substantial.

Admittedly, not all internships are the same: Some are paid, but many are not; some involve travel; some enable you to bear witness to historic events; and some allow you to publish. Still other internships may be a total bust because they do not live up to their billing or your expectations; because the supervisor is ineffective or ignores you; or because your work is entirely clerical. But these bad experiences can be just as useful as the good ones. Although you may not get a job out of the internship, it may instead help inform your decision making about where you do not want to work or what career path you do not want to follow or, equally important, what sort of manager you do not want to be. These experiences can teach you valuable lessons about effective and ineffective leadership styles. And they can offer you an opportunity to advocate for yourself and seek out responsibilities when they are not provided to you. The bottom line is that the internship experience is what you make of it. Be proactive, energetic, and eager to contribute as well as to learn from your experience.

Achieving Your Goal

With careful selection, your coursework, educational experiences, and internships together can provide you with the necessary background, experience, and expertise to put you in a prime position to achieve your career goals. With the dissolution of the traditional international affairs career path, networking should be an essential element of your job search strategy. This will enable you to better understand the range of available opportunities, to gain information about the backgrounds and qualities that employers seek in prospective employees, and make connections with people who may be able to help you break into the international affairs field.

Overseas Experience

Jennifer E. Steffensen

Jennifer E. Steffensen is a 2013 graduate of the MSFS program in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and currently a Presidential Management Fellow with the US Department of State. Before attending graduate school, she worked in China as a marketing and admissions coordinator at the British School of Nanjing and as a broadcast journalist with China Radio International in Beijing. While in graduate school, she interned at the US Embassy in Singapore and the Office of the US Trade Representative in Washington. She graduated cum laude from the College of William and Mary with a BA in history.

We live in a globalized world with shrinking borders. Advances in information, communications, and transportation technology have increased the speed at which goods, money, and ideas circumnavigate the globe. Protests in Tunisia can spark uprisings in Libya, Egypt, and Syria. A student in South Korea can receive English lessons from a teacher in the Philippines. Products are no longer simply “made in America” or even “made in China”; they are made in the world, through complex global supply chains that cross national boundaries and complicate concepts such as outsourcing and exporting. Likewise, security and economic challenges—from the European sovereign debt crisis to international terrorism and climate change—have become transnational challenges that require international coordination and global cooperation. Although the sovereign nation still reigns supreme, the changing role of international organizations, and changing norms such as the responsibility to protect, will test the Westphalian system in the decades to come.

Such characterizations are undoubtedly simplifications. Globalization has been taking place for centuries not decades, and other trends such as growing regionalism and interstate conflicts are equally important subjects for students of international affairs. Still, globalization is occurring at an unprecedented rate. International travel and communications have never been faster or cheaper. Indeed, to many, it feels as if the world is spinning faster and faster.

In this changing environment the value of international experience has grown more important. Those who seek to survive in an increasingly complex, interconnected world must develop the foreign language skills, cross-cultural competencies, and flexibility to compete with global talent and to tackle complex international challenges. Thus, it is not surprising that students today are familiar with fervent calls from parents, policymakers, and university presidents urging them to study abroad, work overseas, follow the international news, and become comfortable with diversity. As the now-former assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, Ann Stock, described it, “Young people who study abroad gain the global skills necessary to create solutions to twenty-first-century challenges.”

Many American students have responded to the call. According to a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, one in four Americans expects to live, study, or work overseas in their lifetime. Rates of study abroad for American students have tripled over the past twenty years. A record 6.4 million Americans studied or worked abroad in 2011, according to e...