Introducing Humanitarians of Development: Sophia Haughton

What an international recruiter learned from thousands of jobseekers and placements

What’s one misconception about your work?

I am Sophia Haughton. Although I’m an HR professional by experience and education, for the past 15 years, I’ve focused on business development recruitment (positions contingent upon program award), primarily for Institutional/US government solicitations.

As some of you reading this know, as a BD recruiter, one is recruiting for positions that will only exist if your organization wins the solicitation. It was difficult for my family and friends beyond our development community to comprehend that these were not (what they called) ‘real jobs,’ and that candidates often had to wait months until they heard the outcome of the solicitation (and even then the donor/client would need to approve not only their candidacy, but often their salary, benefits, and allowances).

That’s a LOT of contingencies!

Fortunately, most of the candidates I recruited were highly ‘career mobile’ – willing to take that risk for an opportunity that could mean their first posting outside of their country or region or the opportunity to lead or contribute to a mission that aligned with their own professional goals or would have an impact in a technical area they felt passionately about.

What sparked your interest in working internationally?

When I was about 4, my parents took me to a World’s Fair – I vividly recall, to this day, going through the Walt Disney ‘It’s a Small Word’ ride, where we rode in a little boat through a vast, cave-like space, and all around were dolls, in their national dress, singing ‘It’s a Small World After All.’ (Watch on YouTube if you’re curious.)

I was entranced, and I remember saying to my father that ‘I wanted to go to the places where those dolls were from.’ I was too young to articulate it any other way.

In time, of course, I learned and my engagement and interest in the world outside of the US grew. I was fortunate to spend my formative years just outside of New York City, with its many opportunities to engage cross culturally.

For university, I eschewed the usual international choices and enrolled in the American University in Cairo, establishing my life there independently and earning an undergraduate degree in Political Science. Eventually, my path took me back to New York, and soon after to Washington, D.C., where a temping assignment took me to PATH, the global health organization.

I was later hired and stayed for 16 years and never looked back! It’s been a privilege to have served with several development and humanitarian-focused non-profits, including my most recent organization, Pact.

What’s one placement you made that still stays with you and why?

Early in my business development trajectory, I recruited a Chief of Party candidate (AKA Project Director) for a USG solicitation.

This candidate was heavily recruited by other organizations, but ultimately decided to join our team – something I attribute to a combination of factors: a clear articulation of our competitive advantage, our commitment to partnerships with national organizations, and perhaps most importantly, alignment of the position with what the candidate was looking for.

And how did I know what the candidate was looking for?

Because I’d taken the time to build a relationship with the candidate, discovering their interests, motivations, preferences, etc. and after submission, continuing to stay engaged with the candidate during the long procurement process.

Ultimately, my employer won the solicitation – and subsequent follow-on project - which over time, brought in significant funding to the organization. This demonstrates the power of building and maintaining relationships, even when they’re virtual relationships – interestingly, only occasionally have I met the candidates I’ve brought into organizations!

How do you cultivate relationships and what can current jobseekers learn from you?

Curiosity is my superpower! (Although, truth be told, I’d prefer that time travel be my superpower!)

When I reach out to a candidate for the initial screening, I try to discern something in their CV or LinkedIn profile that could create a connection (maybe it’s someone we both know or a country we’ve both traveled to, or a hobby we share).

Spending a few minutes on ‘small talk’ and finding something unique or special about that person is an essential first step in building that relationship (and I’ve frequently cultivated relationships with candidates for years before having the right opportunity for them). Investing in that relationship is key.

For current job seekers, networking and building your ‘circles’ off line is just as important as growing your LinkedIn network, even if the relationship isn’t explicitly for career networking.

I recently joined the Rotary Club of Washington Global, and while we’re primarily an ‘e-club’ (anyone can join, regardless of location) and meet twice monthly online, there are opportunities to connect with other Rotarians on service projects (and other gatherings) managed not only by the Washington Global Club but also in the Washington D.C. region and of course nationally and internationally. (I’ve met Rotarians on my work trips too.)

One of the wonderful things about joining an organization like Rotary is that even if development work is no longer your vocation, it can still be your avocation. (Rotary has made significant contributions to eliminating polio, for example.)

I also joined an online career coaching group this summer, and it’s been so helpful not only for the advice from our coaching leads but also the connections and learning from others.

Do your best to stay connected with colleagues AND cultivate new connections – you never know where that next new connection will lead. Be curious about others – chat for a few minutes with the person ahead of you in line at the grocery store or strike up a conversation with someone who’s viewing the same painting in a gallery – or whatever interaction feels most natural to you.

I know, it can be hard (I’m a shy person sometimes too) – but it becomes easier with practice. Consider any interaction as an opportunity to learn – not only about the other person, but something about yourself. I’ve learned so much from speaking with candidates from many corners of the world – not only about the projects they worked on, but the lessons they learned in their own journeys.

It’s humbling to discern that the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.

What have you learned through the thousands of CVs and conversations?

I’ve reviewed thousands and thousands of CVs and had calls with hundreds of candidates! Two things immediately stand out to me:

1. the golden rule, ‘treat other people the way you want to be treated,’ and

2. as Maya Angelou wrote, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

In conversations:

Listening is an under-rated skill – one of the things I’ve learned is to listen to understand – and not just to respond. Too often we’re already formulating a response before the person is finished speaking, and we miss the opportunity to truly engage. Empathy and finding shared values are important.

Recognize the power of a well-thought out question – one that makes you dig deeply and test your own assumptions.

Remember that culture impacts communications. For example, in some cultures, it’s considered boastful to talk about one’s accomplishments. In my career coaching sessions, I learned that those of us in the development sector, including in the US, tend to talk about what ‘we’ accomplished, rather than what “I” accomplished, which is not the norm in the for-profit business world.

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