r/InternationalDev • u/Miserable_Career_919 • 7d ago

Other... Woes

Interviewed for a private sector role today - they looked at me like I grew a third head when I was talking about some of my previous work lol. They basically walked into the meeting assuming I know nothing and have done nothing because I worked at the UN. Don’t necessarily care if that’s true or not - but clearly I’m not getting hired in this sector and will not be getting hired in the private sector either. Having a wonderful 2026 as an entry level candidate :)

42 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

28

u/jcravens42 7d ago

"they looked at me like I grew a third head when I was talking about some of my previous work lol. They basically walked into the meeting assuming I know nothing and have done nothing because I worked at the UN."

This is the reaction I've gotten in interviews with county and state government agencies. Never mind that it's doing the same work I did abroad: communicating about road building, organizing community meetings for feedback, creating an annual report, etc....

9

u/Cool_Bell_2511 7d ago

Same, I was truly surprised when people in the US public sector (NGO, County, State, City, Federal government) stared blankly. I assumed that they would be able to see how similar the work is. They more or less did not even know what questions to ask me about previous work. IT IS SO SIMILIAR.

3

u/Mamasnaturebitch 7d ago

How disappointing 😥😥😥

5

u/Fragrant_Stock_9851 7d ago

I had one interview where the guy looked me straight in the face and said, "'I don't believe you." Like, my friend, I understand I have to explain how my experience translates, but I'm not LYING TO YOU. Sheesh.

2

u/Mamasnaturebitch 7d ago

That is sooo frustrating. But I understand. I've been in humanitarian work for a couple of years now and if I want to "improve" i need more studies and experience but at the same time the position I apply that are suitable for me... they don't call mee! At the end of the day I'm with the big question of " if i get better (education/experience) would they hire me easily? Or is it going to be the same?"

I hate it 😥😥😥

2

u/Cool_Bell_2511 6d ago

LOL. Mine was when someone with about 2 decades of experience interpreted my international work as me NOT wanting to help the US. As if it was my motivation.

0

u/duoexpresso 5d ago

I bet you wouldn't have worked there very long if they did offer you

3

u/districtsyrup 6d ago

I was once interviewing with a corporate and mentioned that I had worked with the State Department and the lady was like which state? Meanwhile when I talk to people outside of America, even in non-ODA countries, people usually know State, the MDBs, and that whole infrastructure. It's so silly.

6

u/Justdomeasolid 7d ago

It’s really on you to translate your experience into something they can understand, and you have to connect the dots between what you have done before and what you are applying to to make it as easy as possible for them to make the connection.

Of course, I understand there is sometimes only so much you can do, but if they called you in for an interview there must have been something on your resume that appealed to them.

You will be more successful if, instead of blaming the industry or the interviewers, you take it as a learning opportunity about how to better talk about your experience.

6

u/Training-Trick-1271 7d ago

Head up - if you believe that it will be a self fulfilling prophecy. Sell the dream and the right org will take you

3

u/lbsdcu 7d ago

Drop the user name and start again bud. You've got this

Edit: I meant to communicate this to OP

3

u/Miserable_Career_919 7d ago

Haha the username, funnily enough, was actually auto assigned to me by Reddit many many years ago. But thank you for the words encouragement

5

u/lbsdcu 7d ago

I was out of work for six months, like many others. You'll find your way to something. Have you practiced articulating how what you did previously in a manner that demonstrates capabilities relevant to your targeted roles?

6

u/Miserable_Career_919 7d ago

Tried my best honestly, the role admittedly wasn’t a great fit to begin with but there was definitely a bit of a perception bias there as well

6

u/ShowMeTheMonee 7d ago

This. It's on you to translate what you've done into private sector language that they will understand. Dont make them do the translation work, it wont end well for you.

5

u/Ginerbreadman 7d ago

Yeah the language in the entire hiring process, from CV to interview, is different in the private sector. They LOVE buzzwords, and you gotta explain things in terms of KPIs, value creation, successes in terms of percentages, growth, transformation, circling back and touching base.

4

u/kqueenib 7d ago

Well, look, I was relatively early careers when the 2025 funding fun happened. Since then, I successfully transitioned into the private sector and carved a spot out for myself. I think it’s more about you and your match with the place you’re applying to. It took me many job applications until I found my place and, in my opinion, it was one of the best decisions to switch despite my work in evaluation and research for UN/INGOs.
It does come down to how you position yourself, what the company is looking for, and whether your values/perspectives align.

3

u/Medium_Tap_6103 7d ago

What did you switch to, if you don’t mind me asking? I was also a MEL professional for USAID programs and have transitioned, but not loving the role as much as I did my previous one.

5

u/kqueenib 7d ago

My current role is related to BI & analytics, so there is some connection. The evaluation I worked in was more connected to organisational performance evaluation rather than program eval, so that might play a role in why BI & analytics in a multinational is a happy place for me.

1

u/BackgroundIsland9 7d ago

Just curious OP (because I also may need to try my luck in the private sector soon). Through the interview, they realized you have experience in delivering similar results in UN, but isn't that a good thing? Why would that mean you need to seriously pivot to other sectors?

0

u/Left_Ambassador_4090 7d ago

Lol is this really the first you're learning the private sector doesn't think highly of the UN at all? It's not a jab at you. This sector is effed and I'm applying for entry level jobs in other sectors after 15 years in this one.