Students pursuing careers in foreign policy often lose their way in a competitive job market, Josh Marcuse '04, president and founder of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, told an audience of about 40 students on Friday afternoon. Marcuse, who founded YPFP to help students enter the field of foreign policy, offered students advice and shared personal experiences from his work in Washington, D.C.
"We prepare the nation's brightest people to face the world's toughest problems," Marcuse said. "In your case, that means getting a job."
There are many types of careers in foreign policy, ranging from jobs in small non-profit organizations to larger federal agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency, but the field is becoming increasingly difficult to enter, Marcuse said.
"Why are young, idealistic people eager to make a difference not able to get these jobs?" he asked the audience. "Why do so many of us end up frustrated and disappointed with our job search?"
One explanation, Marcuse said, is the lack of a defined career path for aspiring foreign policy professionals. Unlike the legal profession, for example, where people often work in entry-level jobs at law firms after graduating from law school, there is no standardized system for beginning a career in foreign policy, Marcuse said.
"It's all about you -- you have to talk to people who have done it before and get out there shaking hands and handing out business cards," he said. "There is just no organized recruiting process for foreign policy jobs."
Marcuse spent much of his speech discussing strategies to increase students' chances of getting a job in foreign policy.
"These are tough, tough jobs to get," he said. "There is a very high barrier to entry, and it is highly competitive."
He recommended that students remember that job changes will be common and frequent, he said.
"These careers will most likely take you through work in government, the private sector and civil society, changing jobs as often as 17 times throughout your career," he said.
Marcuse emphasized the importance of avoiding activities that could jeopardize obtaining security clearance, which is required for many jobs in the intelligence field.
"Use the grandma test -- don't do anything you wouldn't want your grandmother to find out," he said. "Basically, don't get arrested, especially for stupid things."
Such activities include acquiring and sharing pirated music and movies, and displaying compromising material on Facebook, he said, as well as more obvious offenses like public drunkenness and drug use.
"The [Federal Bureau of Investigation] is really unforgiving about anything like that -- I mean, it's a law enforcement organization," he said. "But they're more likely to bend rules for someone who speaks, say, Urdu. Such a person is extremely valuable for them."
Students who speak critical languages like Mandarin, Arabic and Russian can gain an advantage, Marcuse said, in addition to those who speak more "rare" languages like Urdu and Farsi. He encouraged students to study these types of languages at Dartmouth, which would be far less difficult and expensive than taking courses outside the College's foreign language program.
Certain jobs in American organizations are unavailable for people without American citizenship, he said, regardless of their language skills or security clearance.
A female student from Kazakhstan asked if her nationality would be problematic if she applied for a foreign policy positions in organizations like the CIA.
"Yeah, you're screwed," Marcuse said, fulfilling his previous promise that he would not "sugarcoat" reality in his talk.
Social networking is the most important skill that students must learn, Marcuse said.
"I know it has a negative connotation because it seems like an old boys' network that is not based on merit, but it's a reality," he said. "People are your most valuable resource, and a measure of how good you are at life includes managing relationships."
Being punctual, presentable, well spoken and "detail-oriented to the point of feigning [Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder]," provide the foundation for success, Marcuse said.
"First impressions matter," he said. "It may seem superficial and shallow, but I have news for you -- so is the world and everyone in it."
Shanel Balloo '11, who attended the event, said Marcuse's down-to-earth approach helped convey his message effectively.
"I liked the fact that he was very blunt and didn't try to coddle any of us," she said. "I thought he genuinely wanted to give us a realistic perspective on what it takes to jump-start a career in foreign policy."
The event, "How to Get a Job in Foreign Policy," was held in the Rockefeller Center and sponsored by Career Services.
