How development consultants can stay competitive in a crowded market

With thousands of development professionals out of work due to USAID’s dismantling, many are considering whether a pivot to consulting may be the best next step on their development career path. But this is coupled with concerns about an increasingly saturated job market. “The number one thing that I’m saying to people right now is that this is a period of time, and things feel saturated and they feel impossible, but they’re actually not,” Kelsi Kriitmaa, a social impact coach, said during our recent digital event for Devex Career Account members. “There are still jobs out there. There are still consulting gigs, but a lot of it is going to come down to personal networking and personal branding.” Kriitmaa was joined by Loksan Harley, a veteran development consultant and the co-founder of the Impact Consulting Hub, in offering insights on the current state of development consulting. While there are actionable ways for development consultants to remain competitive, there is also no getting around the fact that the development consulting recruitment landscape is quickly evolving and growing more competitive. “It’s hard to see anything but a net decline in funding, which is going to mean less work, and it will, I think, in the short- to medium-term, mean more people looking for the same work,” Harley said. “[But] if you’re smart … there’s going to be opportunities.” Here are some of the key takeaways from the event, including guidance from Harley and Kriitmaa on how networking and diversifying your skills can help you stand out from a crowded field of consulting talent. Networking, from micro to macro No matter your personality type or the strength of your existing network, there are several ways for consultants to tap into the power of networking during their job search. “If you haven’t used LinkedIn in 10 years, because let’s face it, a lot of people from development and humanitarian work haven’t used LinkedIn traditionally … start small. Start with something, like, ‘I’m going to update my LinkedIn tagline, and I’m going to update my bio section, and that’s going to be my task for this week,’” Kriitmaa said. No matter how long it takes you, the goal is to make “sure that you are findable” by those looking for talent, and you achieve this by “setting really tangible goals,” Kriitmaa said. Another effective approach to LinkedIn networking and building your online presence is to post content that is relevant to those you are hoping to connect with. Harley spoke of his podcast and its dual purpose of providing him with effective opportunities to connect with new people while producing relevant content for his broader network. “I think what turns most people off is when they get a LinkedIn message just to say, ‘Hi, I'm looking to get work,’” Harley said. “I think the way to reframe that is [to say] ‘I’ve got an opportunity [and] I would like to profile you,’ or ‘I’m working on this project, and I would like to get your expertise and then profile you in whatever I'm creating.’” If you’re not in a position to launch a work-intensive side project such as a podcast, there are other, lower-lift options. “If you're more inclined to do LinkedIn posts, you can do that. You can do a blog. You can do whatever kind of goes with what you like to do,” Harley said. Hone your skills for hybrid roles “Being able to diversify what you’re doing, for sure, is very, very important,” Kriitmaa said. “What we’re going to see … [as] head counts are diminishing, organizations are not going to be able to hire full-time staff, so they’re going to need consultants, and [positions] are going to be phrased differently.” Kriitmaa expects there will be more development jobs characterized as “fractional” and “part-time.” Therefore, “one of the things you should be looking for is not just the skill set or the role or the title, but looking for the type of work [itself],” she said. “Maybe they’re looking for somebody to come on as like a project coordinator, but it’s actually project management coordination — [with] a little bit of M&E. There’s going to be roles that are going to be hybrid now, in-house, outhouse, and multiple functions. So [consider] pitching yourself to organizations that are also doing that to be an independent consultant or a fractional role,” Kriitmaa said. “If you are a consultant, and you’ve typically been providing grant writing skills, [think of how] that can be transferable to strategic planning or other things,” Kriitmaa added. Harley said that a shift toward more hybrid roles requiring a diverse skillset seemed “very feasible,” but that the riddle of how drastically development consulting work will change is still “a big question mark.” “Just take into account that things are still changing quickly. [Development consulting] might not be the same space as it has been in recent years, and we may have to do this a bit differently,” Harley said. For those who ultimately decide to transition into the consulting space, Kriitmaa encouraged the audience to “find your community, find your support, and give yourself some grace during this period of pivoting.” Ready to stand out from the crowd and get noticed by the recruiters who matter most? Update your Devex profile and start connecting with top global development recruiters now.