Where to find “non-traditional” overseas contracting jobs
Washington Technology recently published its Top 100 Government Contractors list. One of the sidebar stories for the list was called Contractors find fertile fields abroad which talked about some of the contractors who were having success supporting the United States Agency of International Development and similar organizations. This led me to think about the opportunities available overseas that aren’t usually what people think of when looking for contracting jobs.
According to the article: “Each year, according to the USAID website, the agency awards approximately $4 billion in federal contracts, grants and cooperative agreements to U.S. contractors, primarily for technical assistance but also for commodities, equipment, transportation and humanitarian services.” Read more
Is your passport in order?
One of the biggest complaints I hear from employers concerns people who apply for jobs but when offered a position are not ready to deploy overseas.
Company reps say “people are looking for overseas jobs but don’t have the most basic thing they need: a valid passport.”
Job offers have been canceled because of this. Waiting to apply for a passport until you’re contacted by a company is a major mistake mainly because of how long it can take to get one. Read more
25 Books & DVDs for the Contractor’s Bookshelf
This is a collection of books and DVDs concerning contractors that I have on my own bookshelf (plus one coming out this fall).
Hopefully you'll find something that interests you quicker than just browsing on websites. This list includes DVDs, non-fiction and novels.
Please note that I have also included a few of the more expensive academic books about the subject. Please feel free to comment below if there are other books or DVDs you think contractors would be interested in. Read more
Contractors in Iraq by the Numbers
The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) presented its Quarterly Report to the United States Congress on April 30, 2010.
Included in the report were a number of charts detailing numbers of contractors in Iraq by national origin and service provided, a comparison of contractor support for various military operations, a sample cost comparison between a government and contractor analyst, and a chart of private security contractors in Iraq as of March 31. I have extracted the charts and presented them here for your information. Read more