Interested in Working for the Civil Service? Job-hunting in the Post-Covid-19 World? WiFP is here to help…

As we all come together to find the strength to face the Covid-19 pandemic, an increasing concern among graduating students is the question, what happens next? For many, including myself, post-graduation plans have come to a standstill. As a master’s student of International Relations and Strategic Studies in Singapore, I was expected to finish my education by the end of May and soon start an internship. However, the uncertainty of the next few months increases day-by-day, with increasing restrictions enforced all over the world. Not only have my university and travel timelines shifted, but the long-awaited internship opportunity is now indefinitely on hold.

At Women in Foreign Policy, we recognise the extraordinary and challenging times that we are living in, especially for new job seekers. As we hear about the economic implications of this virus, students are understandably worried about a weakened job market. It is considerably more difficult to look for jobs as fewer companies are looking to hire. There are also disheartening cases of job and internship offers either being put on hold or cancelled all together. Foreign Policy jobs in particular have a set of challenges of their own. Some positions may have been withdrawn due to the nature of the jobs themselves which could require travelling, community engagement, are security based, etc. This also applies to research positions at universities and affiliated think tanks that are likely closed for the foreseeable future. Jobs which require security clearance certificates or any other documents as part of the final step in the application process may now no longer be available if the relevant organisations are currently unable to process these documents. Some embassies around the world have also suspended their services and thereby any opportunity to work with them. This is all of course in addition to the added pressure faced by many international students with regards to their visa status and accommodation. There are some who are unable to go back to their families in their home countries and have no idea about where they will be in a month or two.

In a time where it feels like everything is out of your control, it is important to remember that we are surviving this as a community and so to turn to each other for help. WiFP would like to extend our support to our subscribers as best we can during this time. Our first step is a virtual catch-up session with graduating students to hear about your concerns. We hope that this allows us to come up with solutions to our subscribers’ unique situations collectively. This will take place on the 1st of May at 5.30pm BST. Register by clicking on the button below, which will take you to the Eventbrite registration page. 

Ramya Karuturi is WiFP's LinkedIn Community Manager.