Overview:
The International Monetary Fund has a key position in promoting the health of the world economy. Established in 1944 as a part of the United Nations system, the IMF's primary purpose is to ensure the stability of the international monetary system—the system of exchange rates and international payments that enables countries and their citizens to buy goods and services from each other.
This is essential for sustainable economic growth and rising living standards. To maintain stability and prevent crises in the international monetary system, the IMF conducts surveillance of national, regional, and global economic and financial developments. It provides advice to its 190 member countries, encouraging them to adopt policies that foster economic stability, reduce their vulnerability to economic and financial crises, and raise living standards.
The IMF also serves as a forum where its global membership can discuss the national, regional, and global consequences of their policies. The IMF makes financing temporarily available to member countries to help them address balance of payments problems—that is, when they find themselves short of foreign exchange to meet their payments to other countries. Finally, the IMF provides countries with training to help them build the expertise and institutions they need for economic stability and growth. Supporting all of these activities is the institution's work in economic research and statistics.
How do we select?
EPs are selected through a multiphased process. Dates for the 2019 selection process and mission schedule can be found here.
1. Application
Candidates must complete an online application through the IMF Current Vacancies Website
If we are visiting a campus near you, we encourage you to submit your application at least one week in advance of that campus visit, so we can coordinate interviews in the event that you are shortlisted.
Before submitting your application, you may find it helpful to review the general information for applicants in the Current Vacancies section.
Please note: we will only contact candidates who are short-listed. Due to the large volume of applications, unfortunately, we are unable to offer feedback.
2. Preliminary Interviews
Shortlisted candidates participate in a 30 to 40-minute preliminary interview. During this interview, candidates are asked to provide a high level overview of their job market or key research paper, and to answer questions on macroeconomics and related fields.
Preliminary interviews are either in person – during campus visits, at IMF headquarters, and at the American Economic Association Annual Meeting— or by phone.
Following the preliminary interview, we may also request the following to support our assessment
3. Panel Interview
Candidates invited to this stage will participate in a full-day selection process at IMF Headquarters in Washington, DC, comprising:
Candidates invited to the interview stage are required to submit the following: A-sole authored research paper (ideally of publishable standard) or one or two chapters of their dissertation. The document submitted should be 25 pages or less.
Offers
The IMF will consider each candidate’s performance in each component, as well as their overall rating, to determine which candidates will receive offers. In addition, other factors, such as diversity and particular skills sets needed by the institution, may also be considered.
Candidates who are offered a position in the EP typically need to respond within a few days. Offers are only binding for the current recruitment year and do not extend to the following year. Ratings and rankings are not shared with candidates.