Impact Tuesdays
The latest from humanitarian and early impact-careers coach, Daniel Higgins
Hey Everyone!
Welcome to your weekly dose of Impact Tuesdays, your go-to roundup for students and recent grads ready to launch a career that matters.
Each edition, I’ll share 4 quick wins, fresh tools, and real-world lessons to help you move from “just thinking about it” to actually building your impact career. Expect practical tips, honest reflections, and a few shortcuts I wish I’d known when I started out.
Something new with me
Someone sent me an interesting opportunity at the UN the other day, but with a catch.
3-years experience, P3 position, for Partnership Analyst. Maybe some of you saw it?
The catch?
Well, it was a UN Volunteers contract.
That accounts to around 40% of the compensation package (salary) as a normal P3 position. For the same position. For the same freakin’ job.
I thought it must be a mistake, so asked my spies behind the scenes.
Alas, it was a valid posting. A workaround for the hiring freezes and to get some cheap labour.
Not impressed is what I can say. Opportunities are coming up in the field, but please don’t get conned into these kinds of contracts.
Know your market value.
Something cool for you
Personal Challenge
While we all know that networking is the key that will unlock a long and happy life of career success and joy, I do not see many people doing it very well.
They get pissed off when advised to network (and possibly more reluctant?), because they are tired of hearing about it.
Yet… many do not try very hard in these endeavours. Probably, because it is easy to ignore and carry on blaming the unfair world on why you didn’t get that last job opening.
If you find yourself in that pot, then why not consider this challenge for yourself.
10 Coffee Challenge
In 30 days meet with 10 impact workers
Target: 4 practitioners (INGO/UN), 3 doers (consultancies/DFIs), 2 researchers (think tanks), 1 ops/HR.
Prep a few questions: “What is your role like on the daily?”, “What got you promoted?”, “Do you have 2 or 3 people you think I should meet?”
Send a 3‑line thank‑you with 1 action you took after the coffee.
VITAL: try to make as many of the coffee dates to be with people in the same career niche as you.
Don’t be scared to reach out. This is far from a networking masterclass, but you never know who might be hiring next! Maybe you already had a coffee with them.
Something useful you might not know
Behavioural Economics
My love hate topic.
Behavioral science studies how people actually make decisions—and uses those insights to redesign choices, nudges, and environments so desired behaviors become the easy default.
Covered in controversy, proceeding the Obama campaign and books like Nudge, Influence or Hooked.
All more or less saying the same thing, and coming off the back of some weak data arguments.
Yet, our pseudoscience friend has made a resurgence in the sub-conditions and sub-strategies of impact projects, and organisational strategies liikek UN2.0 (UN Behavioural Science).
It’s probably best to go beyond the newsletter and learn a tad about it, just incase it comes up in conversation or during programme design.
So go learn the basics: biases (present bias, loss aversion), choice architecture, and good A/B testing.
Quote from the sector
“The truth is you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed.”
— Eminem
Interested in hearing more?
0 comments