“Global (International) development lacks a clear definition, but it is often linked with human development and international efforts to reduce poverty and inequality and improve health, education and job opportunities around the world. A variety of data can be used to describe what is also often referred to as international development, including a country’s gross domestic product or its average per-capita income, literacy and maternal survival rates, as well as life expectancy, human rights and political freedoms. While humanitarian aid and disaster relief are meant to provide short-term fixes to emergencies, international development is meant to be long-term and sustainable.
...International cooperation and development aid remain catalysts for global development, whether the assistance comes through debt relief, budget support, technical assistance or impact investing. The global development community – multilateral and bilateral donors, foundations, nonprofits, companies, consultants, advocates and entrepreneurs – work at the forefront of this cause: to boost worldwide prosperity and ensure sustainable development.” Source: Devex
Job Types
Global humanitarian aid and international development professionals represent a wide variety of disciplines from an even broader mix of academic backgrounds and experiences. Opportunities in this field can be found across nonprofits, NGOs, foundations, private sector organizations as well as within departments and agencies in government. Some examples of organizations that do this work include:
- ActionAid International
- Oxfam
- Chemonics (private sector)
- DAI (private sector)
- Millennium Challenge Corporation (government)
- USAID: United State Agency for International Development (government)
Within these organizations, you can work in a variety of different roles utilizing skills in communications, finance, technology, and more! A few examples of job roles include:
- Communications Associate
- Grant and Finance Administrator
- Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant
- Program/Research Associate
- Peace Corps Volunteer
Resume v. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
In many organizations, the term Curriculum Vitae (CV) is used interchangeably with Resume, and most employers will expect a one-page snapshot of your experiences. In the field of international development, however, the document requested is most commonly a CV, and the term is used to indicate that your resume can be more than one page in length.
Check out this International Development Resume Example and Devex Webinar: Development CVs That Make a Difference for more information on creating a CV for this particular field.
Gain Skills
Using your time at UVA to develop transferable skills can set yourself apart in an internship/job search. Global humanitarian aid and international development organizations like to see candidates with intercultural competency and international experience, including study abroad or fluency in multiple languages.
Learn More
*Any UVA student can request full Devex access by emailing Dreama Johnson at [email protected] or Elizabeth Wall at [email protected]).
Alumni Spotlight
External Affairs Coordinator, HarvestPlus
Katrina is an External Affairs Coordinator for HarvestPlus International, a nonprofit with the global mission of "breaking down silos between agriculture and nutrition to develop creative solutions to hidden hunger" by targeting some of the world's most vulnerable populations.
Major: Economics (Bachelor)
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