One Day, One Job » foreign relations

National Endowment for Democracy

Willy Franzen — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:54:13 +0000

I have to say that democracy is a pretty darn good thing—even if it is the only government system that I’ve ever known. It certainly has its flaws, but I’m not sure that we’ve found a better way to ensure the freedom of a nation’s citizens yet. I don’t think that there is a lot of debate about whether spreading democracy is a good thing—most of the debate centers around what are appropriate ways to spread it. The National Endowment for Democracy is a Washington, DC based “private, non-profit, grant-making organization” that aims to “strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts.” They’re funded through “an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress through the Department of State;” however, they are not a government organization. They make grants to pro-Democracy groups across the world with the goal of helping democracy evolve naturally in a way that suits the nations culture and history.

Do You Support Democracy?

I guess you could get into a pretty heated debate about how you define democracy, but I like the NED’s definition:

Democracy involves the right of the people freely to determine their own destiny.

The exercise of this right requires a system that guarantees freedom of expression, belief and association, free and competitive elections, respect for the inalienable rights of individuals and minorities, free communications media, and the rule of law.

The NED has been around since the early 1980s, and since then they’ve suffered criticism from both sides of the political spectrum (I guess that means they’re pretty balanced). They have an extremely detailed history on their website that goes into great depth about how they work and what they’ve done in the past. The long and short of it is that they spend their time finding the right groups to distribute money to in support of democracy. If you’re intrigued by the NED, you should check out their Jobs page. Current openings that might be suitable for new grads include Publications Coordinator and Program Assistant for Middle East and North Africa. Application instructions vary slightly, so pay close attention the job descriptions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of the NED?

Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates

Willy Franzen — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:59:15 +0000

This is a guest post by Heather R. Huhman. Heather is the media relations manager at a national health care professional association. She is also the entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com, a career expert for the CAREEREALISM Twitter Advice Project, the job search expert for Campus Calm and author of the e-book “Gen Y Meets the Workforce: Launching Your Career During Economic Uncertainty.”

Issue advocacy, media strategy and crisis and reputation management are three of my favorite areas of public relations—and three specialties of Washington, DC based corporate communications and public affairs firm Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates (CLS). According to their Web site, CLS works to “inform target audiences, change critical perceptions and solve high stakes problems.” So, whether you spend the day lobbying Capitol Hill with a worthy cause, keeping up-to-date with the latest media changes or stepping in when crisis erupts, I think you’ll find CLS a truly exciting place to work. With a median employee age of 27, CLS offers a mix of young, energetic co-workers and seasoned professionals from whom you can learn. Other perks? Working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit organizations to foreign governments. It’s a great environment in which to get your feet wet.

Where Politics Meets Public Relations

The CLS Careers page indicates they accept résumés on a rolling basis for all possible openings, including entry level positions; however, they are currently seeking an Associate. If you’re energetic, hardworking, good at multi-tasking, work well under pressure—all of which you should be if you desire an agency position—plus have a degree and a few journalism, public relations, public affairs or politics internships under your belt, this position may be for you. What can you expect on the job? “The opportunity to write, pitch stories to the media, organize press events, assist with presentation development and media monitor for relevant client news”—pretty standard for an entry-level position at a mid-sized agency.

Interested? E-mail your cover letter and résumé to Tabitha Johnson-Graham at tjohnson-graham@clsdc.com. Be sure to write “Associate Position” in the subject line. For consideration for future openings, upload your cover letter, résumé and writing sample here.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

If you’re in the DC area for an interview, feel free to stop by and say hi!

Need help with your cover letter and résumé—or your entire job search? Heather offers low-cost coaching packages specifically for students and recent graduates seeking careers in public relations. Click here to learn more.

Council on Foreign Relations

Willy Franzen — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:06:12 +0000

What happens when you put Angelina Jolie together with a suspected conspiracy to create a “one-world government?” No, it’s not an upcoming movie release. It’s actually a non-profit organization called the Council on Foreign Relations. They are “an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.” They can claim Angelina Jolie as a member, and because of their secrecy clauses and interesting membership requirements (and the fact that so many high-ranking government officials are members), people get all kinds of ideas about Council on Foreign Relations. In fact, Wikipedia says that “some believe it to be the most powerful private organization to influence United States foreign policy.” Ok, let’s cut through all the crazy stories and see what CFR is really about.

Join the Council

If it’s not already obvious, Council on Foreign Relations is the place to be if you’re interested in foreign affairs. They’ve been promoting “understanding of foreign policy and America’s role in the world since its founding in 1921.” The need for understanding foreign policy isn’t going anywhere, so I think the Council on Foreign Relations is going to continue to be an exciting place to be (at least until they accomplish that goal of a one-world government). That’s why you should consider a job with them. Right now their job listings include two positions that are perfect for new grads. These entry level jobs are Washington, DC based and include Research Associate – International Institutions and Global Governance and Research Associate – Asia Studies. They sound like fascinating jobs, and you can apply by sending a cover letter and resume to humanresources@cfr.org with the position name in the subject of the e-mail. And if you’re not interested in the jobs, you should still check them out. Maybe you’ll unravel a global conspiracy.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you believe in conspiracy theories?

Independent Diplomat

Willy Franzen — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:02:32 +0000

Since diplomacy is “the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states” according to Wikipedia, one would assume that a diplomat is a representative of a group or state. Independent Diplomat is a non-profit organization that is trying to live outside that definition. Their mission is to provide the knowledge and experience of long time diplomats to countries that are disadvantaged or marginalized to the point that they don’t have the resources to effectively practice diplomacy. Started by a former British diplomat, Independent Diplomat has worked with nations that include Somaliland, Western Sahara, Kosovo, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to prevent and resolve conflict. They’re kind of like management consultants for diplomacy.

Working for Diplomacy

If you majored in International Relations, you’re probably already really excited about the possibility of a job with Independent Diplomat. They’re a unique organization that takes a very different approach to foreign affairs. They are currently looking for a Program and Development Assistant in their New York City office. This position is closely intertwined with the Executive Director and the Director of Development, and requires someone who is truly committed to changing the practice of diplomacy. There are certainly some administrative tasks involved with this job, but there’s also a lot of room to grow and learn. You can find an extremely thorough job description here.

This is the only job that Independent Diplomat currently has that looks well suited to new college grads, but it seems like a perfect fit. To apply you should send an e-mail to newyork@independentdiplomat.org with “Program and Development Assistant” in the subject line. Your e-mail should include: a cover letter of no more that one page stating why you are interested in the job and why you believe you are qualified for it; a resume of no more than 2 pages; a sample of your writing of no more than 2 pages; and contact details for 2 references for whom you have worked in a professional capacity and who are willing and available to be contacted.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Does the idea of an “independent” diplomat seem strange to you?

World Learning

Willy Franzen — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:59:41 +0000

Did you spend any time abroad when you were in college? Did you love it? If you answered yes to those questions, then you can probably see the value in World Learning, a non-profit organization that “fosters global citizenship by connecting over 3,000 young ambassadors annually across cultural differences and social barriers.” They do this through three programs that they offer – The Experiment in International Living, SIT Study Abroad, and SIT Graduate Institute. World Learning also runs International Development Programs in 20 countries to “work with communities to design and implement development programs that address some of the main obstacles to human development.” If you terribly miss your abroad experience and want to help other students gain similar experiences, a job with World Learning might be the perfect solution to your post-graduation job search.

World Learning in Your Job

Right now, World Learning appears to have two entry-level job opportunities available. The first we found on Idealist, and it’s a position as a Program Associate for the World Learning Visitor Exchange Program. To apply for this position, you should send a resume and cover letter to vladimir.spencer@worldlearning.org. The other job we found with World Learnign was listed on their website (we’ll never understand why non-profits mix their job listings between their own site and Idealist, but don’t cross post them). This is a Finance Associate position. To apply for this job, you should send your cover letter and resume to recruitment@worldlearning.org. Both jobs are located in Washington, DC; however, World Learning also has a location in Brattleboro, VT.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you go abroad? Did you love it?

Carnegie Corporation of New York

Willy Franzen — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:43:50 +0000

Although giving away money isn’t usually the first thing on people’s lists of things to do if they ever get rich, people who actually are rich seem to enjoy donating what they have. Since you’re reading a site about entry-level jobs, we’re going to guess that you don’t have vast financial resources to donate to charity. Still, it would be fun to give someone else’s money, now wouldn’t it? That’s what the Carnegie Corporation of New York does. The corporation was founded my Andrew Carnegie, himself, in 1911 with a $135 million. Since then the goal has been to put the money to use in ways that “promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding” for perpetuity. What is perpetuity? It’s forever. For many new college grads, making money last forever means until the next paycheck. At the Carnegie Corporation, they really mean forever. Their endowment was worth approximately $3.0 billion last year, and with a giving rate of “5.5 percent of the average market value of the endowment during the prior 12 quarters,” it’s not getting any smaller.

Free Money?

Yes! For philanthropic organizations that do extraordinary things in the areas of promoting international peace and advancing education. No, you can’t start some fake non-profit and start getting money. You can, however, work for the Carnegie Corporation and eventually help lead the direction in which Andrew Carnegie’s fortune is spent. Here’s the list of the most recent grants given by the Carnegie Corporation and here are all of the lists. The entire Carnegie Corporation website is extremely interesting and filled with information about the organization. If you find the amount of information a bit overwhelming, you can also look at Carnegie for Kids which really simplifies things. Don’t be ashamed about reading the version for kids, it’s actually really good.

Working for Carnegie

The Carnegie Corporation currently has three job openings. One is definitely entry-level, and another could probably be seen as such for the right person. They are looking for an Investment Information Coordinator and an Administrative/Research Assistant for their Scholars Program. The Investment Information Coordinator position is perfect for a new college grad who is looking for a non-profit job with a focus on philanthropy and endowments. The compensation for the job also appears to be excellent, especially for a non-profit job. You can apply for either position by sending a cover letter, résumé, at least two professional references by May 30, 2008 to: hr@carnegie.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Congratulations to all of our readers who are graduating this weekend or who have already graduated. To those of you who have another week or two, good luck!

Institute of International Education

Amy Gordon — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:00:20 +0000

What do John Hope Franklin, Paul Samuelson, Linus Pauling, and Jonathan Franzen have in common? Besides having last names that begin with a male first name, they were Fulbright Scholars who have gone on to acheive greatness in their respective fields. John Hope Franklin received a Presidential Medal of Freedom (America’s highest civilian honor), Paul Samuelson is a Nobel Laureate in Economics, Linus Pauling received the Nobel Prize for his work in Chemistry, and Jonathan Franzen is a novelist who just so happens to have an awesome last name.

The Fulbright Program aims to promote peace and understanding through educational exchange. It was created in the aftermath of World War II through the efforts of Senator J. William Fulbright, and today, is considered to be one of the most prestigious academic awards world-wide. In fact, more Fulbright alumni have won Nobel Prizes than those of any other academic program.

Institute of International Education, aka IIE, manages the Fulbright Program, along with 250 other programs worldwide, and serves over 20,000 people from 175 nations each year.

An independent non-profit founded in 1919, IIE is among the world’s largest and most experienced international education and training organizations. Their goal is to strengthen and link institutions of education across the globe, as well as to rescue threatened scholars and promote academic freedom.

And here is the great news, there are a few entry-level job openings available. One such job caught our attention immediately, IIE is hiring a Program Associate (dead link removed) for their Washington D.C. office to assist in the administration of the Fulbright Scholar Program for the Middle Eastern/North African world region. In this position, you would be responsible for tasks such as coordinating grant activities for applicants in the region, keeping abreast of foreign academic policy, and assembling and distributing pertinent program information to applicants, sponsors, etc.

To apply for this job, or one of the other Program Associate jobs, IIE asks that you send a resume and cover letter to Brandon Gee, whose contact info can be found in the link above.

If you are interested in international education, IIE would be a perfect place for you to start your career. To do more research before applying, take a look at the links below:

Note: On April 27th we revisited entry-level jobs at the Institute of International Education.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

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