Four Lessons Learned Getting a New Contracts Management Job

My odyssey from losing my Associate Director of Subcontracts job to getting a new Contract Management role

I am Duncan Basson. I lost my position at DAI back in February. I was the Associate Director of Subcontracts. Then I was unemployed.

Since mid-February, I applied to about 60 jobs, had interviews with 8 employers, received two offers, and now I have a new job in contract management.

This is the story of how I managed my time. I hope it helps you too.

My Three Time Pillars

I organized around three ‘pillars’ each day so I could summon the will to work on jobs:

Pillar 1: People.

I kept a running list of people who could be helpful. I had grad school friends at far-flung employers, family, friends from older walks of life, etc. I even had a few productive conversations with parents I interact with at the daycare and bus stop.

LinkedIn and colleagues from former ID jobs were both helpful and supportive. However, the most helpful people were my ‘weak links’: people who I know for reasons other than professional.

In my case, I have a decades-old friendship with someone who has worked in finance for most of his career. He was instrumental in convincing me that I had relevant skills, and in building my confidence for interviews.

Pillar 2: Companies and Job Sites.

I focused my search in the ‘greater Boston area’, which is where I live. I know almost no one out here, so I started by compiling lists of companies in the area, and finding job sites. LinkedIn and Indeed were both good sources for me.

On LinkedIn, setting up a job search and applying for things released within the past 24 hours really worked well.

Pillar 3: Functions.

I came from Subcontracts at DAI and quickly learned that no one regards Subcontracts as a function or job outside of international development. So I had to pivot.

At first, I chased ‘sourcing’ and ‘procurement’ jobs. One of the Career Pivot events opened my eyes to the possibility of presenting myself by an alternate – but still accurate – title.

While my DAI function was about sourcing/procuring subcontracts, I have always been a part of the Contracts department. The market was much more receptive to regarding me as a Contracts person. I disagree, but I tried to meet the market where I found it.

My Four Lessons Learned

I came away with the following Lessons Learned:

1. Relationships Matter

Companies are more relationship-minded than I gave them credit for.

My new employer interviewed me all the way back in March. They said no 48 hours later. I applied to 5 more jobs with them; they stopped sending me emails to tell me I’d been rejected. I thought they’d forgotten me, and then they called in late June about a job.

I interviewed with a university for months. Probably a half dozen conversations in all, and they still said no. However, the hiring manager reached out a month after the process, and referred me to another employer she learned was looking.

I got an offer from an insurance company that wasn’t quite right. It was hourly, the money wasn’t quite there. I said I needed more time; they disappeared. I felt very stupid for letting go of a bird in hand. Yet, two months later, they reappeared with a better offer.

2. Learn to accept AI.

I hate and resent AI, and tech in general. But I was also unemployed.

Eventually, I put the job description I was going to apply to into ChatGPT, and then put in my resume and cover letter. ChatGPT produced resumes and cover letters that better mirrored the job keywords.

I got much better response rates after adopting ChatGPT as my co-author.

3. Assemble your Papers.

My screening process with my new employer was nightmarish. It took them more than three weeks to comb through my background.

The very worst part was validating my employment. Even though DAI still operates, no one is picking up the phone. Also, the title service my new employer used gave them the wrong title.

I would strongly recommend you gather any offer letters and other documentation to show your start dates, end dates, and exact job titles.

4. The World is a Stage.

I hated going through this.

I loved my old job and the international development world. I’m deeply angry and disillusioned that we are going through this, and I have very little enthusiasm (or energy) for re-invention.

I had long stretches of unproductive/depressive time over the course of my unemployment.

All that being said, I only needed one job.

I probably spent less than 20 hours of actual time interviewing with those 8 places. For those 20 hours, I had to act enthusiastic and motivated, and not pissed or cynical.

And I did it, and it worked, and you can do it too.