New to WSO, working at IFC

Hi, I'm new to WSO and wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. I'm currently working at IFC as an Investment Officer, specialized in insurance. Prior to joining IFC, I worked at the Inter-American Development Bank's Multilateral Investment Fund, which is essentially the 'innovation lab' of the Bank that engages with the private sector to promote innovative solutions to development challenges. Before that, I spent four years living and working in Latin America in various consulting gigs and jobs with local organizations gaining 'field experience'. And in what now feels like a lifetime ago, I worked at as a Risk Management Analyst at a energy company in NYC. I found WSO when I was doing interview prep for my present position at IFC, and hope to help share my experience and inspire others that want to break into microfinance and international development work. Cheers!

 

Thanks! The easiest way to break it down is to say that the World Bank focuses on public sector/government projects and capacity building; IFC works with the private sector to address social and economic development issues (broken down into Technical Advisory and Investment Services); and the IMF works on fostering sound monetary and fiscal policy, as well as international trade development.

 

Very cool, thank you for that breakdown! As someone who is interested in this line of work and graduating soon, I have a couple more questions. 1.) Is international experience or multilingualism a base-requirement? 2.) Do any of these groups offer entry-level (fresh out of undergrad) positions?

 
Best Response

Of course, happy to help out. I am actually planning to do an AMA on how to transition from traditional finance jobs over to microfinance/development work in the near future, so keep an eye on this space. In the interim... 1) In short, yes. There are exceptions, as with anything, but the key to getting into these organizations (and pretty much any job, in general) is to be able to very clearly demonstrate your value-added. In the context of these organizations, that's typically in the form of a subject-matter expertise (in my case, it's designing insurance products for clients in emerging markets; how I got into that I will elaborate in the AMA) combined with experience working with your boots on the ground (i.e.; field experience). Being able to communicate with locals and your end-users/clients helps make the work much more seamless, and immensely more enjoyable, so language skills are important. You'll see, however, that not every job has a language requirement other than English, so it's not a hard rule. 2) Yup, they all do, as do many of the other multilateral and development banks. They're called Young Professional Programs. Extremely competitive, but worth applying for. Also, if you look into academic year internships, those are other easier (and less competitive) ways to get in.

 

Thanks for the info! What would you recommend an MBA student to do in order to transition into a career in micro finance and international development? What particular classes or internship should one be on the lookout for?

 

I'd begin by doing desk research to narrow down what exactly you'd enjoy doing in microfinance or development. The industry is so broad and can span from working at an NGO to working at an impact investing fund, that it's really important to learn as much as you can about the types of jobs available and how your skills and interests align. For example, if you want to work in a more 'traditional finance' job but want to know that you're making an positive social impact at the same time, perhaps you want to look into working at a fund such as Blue Orchard Finance or Developing World Markets. If you want something similar, but even more socially-minded, you can look at places like Calvert Foundation or MicroVest. MBA's are in high demand at international development consulting firms like Dalberg and DAI, which would afford you the opportunity to get to work with a wide range of clients. Finally, don't discount working with foundations, such as Mastercard Foundation, Rockefellar Foundation, Clinton Foundation, or an NGO. NGO doesn't (always) equate to super low salaries and being worked like a horse; especially if you can intern with one of the big players in microfinance like Finca, Accion, Women's World Banking, etc. As far as classes go, I would say to throw in a class related to international affairs or public policy if you can; understanding the impacts of regulation and policy is critical.

 

How competitive is the investment analyst program? If I work in investment management, would I be at a disadvantage to other applicants (who might have been in banking for example)? Also, are candidates in the US at a disadvantage when applying to an international position? Thanks for your help.

 

Because I came in with 8 years of experience and applied for a role I had specific industry expertise in (insurance for emerging market customers), I unfortunately can't offer much insight into the analyst programs. I do know, however, that the programs in general are highly competitive. The IFC has a very comprehensive on-boarding process with many trainings that all analysts go through regardless of their previous experience (I know this because a friend of mine got hired as an analyst in IFC's Kenya offices), so once you're in it's an equal playing field in that sense. That also touches on the final question you ask; My friend who got hired in Kenya is Venezuelan, so it doesn't seem like any nationality is preferred over another in terms of applications (unless, of course, a specific position is funded by a particular country and therefore the selected candidate needs to be of that nationality. This is rare, however, and not the case for investment analyst openings). Hope this info helps!

 

Thanks for this info, really interesting! Wondering if you could talk about the culture at the IFC? Also wondering if there are many travel/relocation opportunities and do people usually stick around for a while or go on to do other things? Thanks for your help.

 

Thank you! Glad to help out. I'm still fairly new, so I am still learning the culture myself, but the new CEO really is a breathe of fresh air (from what I've heard) compared to the old. He is much more open-minded and well-respected, a bit less 'old school'. The IFC views the Investment teams and Relationship Managers as the gatekeepers to clients, so it's still a bit old school in that sense, and there's definitely a lot of quirky personalities, but in a good way. Within your job, you will travel quite a bit. The investment teams are frequently traveling to meet clients, even though there usually is a local IFC presence. It's a good balance and allows for extra face time. If you're staff at IFC, you typically stay, unless something very, very, VERY enticing comes along :)

 

Hi i have a 3 hour test scheduled with IFC. Would really appreciate if you could let me know what kind of test it is

 

How much does the IFC brand name help in pulling chicks? Genuinely curious

 

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