James Morris, intern at UNRIC for the Director in Brussels
Part 1—The Basics
Establishing your UN career is not easy. Having researched this article, it’s absolutely clear to me that there’s no one-stop shop for getting in, but I’m hoping that this article might give you a few quick pointers.
If you’re aiming for the very top of the UN hierarchy, start amassing higher degrees and good experience anywhere you can find them. These are political posts, so it wouldn’t hurt to have prime minister as a line on your CV either. Looking at the profiles of the top UN officials on the next page, you’ll see most of them have been senior government officials or diplomats, have doctorates and have achieved something truly impressive in their professional careers. But political posts aren’t the only option, as we all know. UN staff are categorised as G, P and D levels: (G)eneral, (P)rofessional and (D)irector. Because G level positions are locally recruited for clerical tasks and D-level are for older, more experienced professionals, this article focuses on the P-level which is the career level most of us are aiming for – for now. P-level positions cover various job types and a wide range of levels of experience, though advanced university degrees are required in all but the P1 level.
You can apply for P2 through to P5 positions directly via the UN’s online recruitment system called Galaxy, where jobs are also posted every day. Although I couldn’t find any figures on the number of people that apply for these positions, it seems that hundreds of people apply using this system. Jobs on Galaxy are usually online for 2 months. You’ll also see that there are ‘non-specific duty station’ jobs. These are jobs advertised for a roster of candidates, rather than for a specific job. Don’t put all your hopes in the roster basket, though. It certainly happens that being on the roster actually leads to jobs, but it doesn’t happen often.
Which category are you?
· P5: Advance Uni Degree with 13 to 17 years experience
· P4: AUD with 8 to 12 years experience
· P3: AUD with 4 to 8 years experience, under 40 years old
· P2: AUD with 2 to 3 years experience, under 33 years old
· P1: Recent grads that have passed the UN exam, under 33 years old
In terms of applying for jobs generally, it is a good idea to do a test application first (i.e. start the application on Galaxy but don’t click ‘submit application’) to work out the logistics of making your application. Check the job advertisement carefully and thoroughly, and in your cover letter make sure you give evidence of how you meet each quality, skill or competence that is required. In Galaxy you’re restricted to a certain number of characters (including spaces) so find out what this is before you write the perfect letter that’s 150 characters too many. Don’t bother with complex formatting, this just disappears in Galaxy, but try simple text formatting texts such as using asterisks or dashes as bullet points, for example. You’ll be asked to fill out a comprehensive ‘personal history profile,’ requiring you to state exact start and end dates and your salary for each position, so have your CV nearby so you don’t forget anything. You also need contact details for someone in each of your previous positions as well as three additional and overall referees that you haven’t already included. In general, it is advisable to write the core texts ‘outside’ of Galaxy in for example Word and then cut and paste the text into the form.
Some positions are advertised only on a specific UN agency’s website, and the recruitment process may be through their Human Resources department rather than through Galaxy. However, the process used is usually very similar to Galaxy, using Word document-based versions of the ‘personal history profile.’ Applying for a P1 position is done exclusively through the UN National Competitive, which is aimed at attracting people from countries under-represented among the UN secretariat staff. The exam can also apply to P2 and P3 positions. The exam takes eight hours in total, split into two equal parts, and includes tests to determine your analytical and drafting skills as well as your knowledge of international affairs. Like non-specific duty station jobs, if you pass you go on a roster, so while your chances are slim, it’s worth a shot. Check their website to see if you’re eligible.
Where to look for UN jobs?
· www.reliefweb.org
· jobs.un.org
· icsc.un.org
· The website for each UN body
Another option is the ‘Associate Expert Programme,’ which offers young professional graduates an opportunity to acquire professional experience in technical cooperation of the United Nations Secretariat. Candidates don’t need professional experience and are recruited under bilateral agreements between the UN and the donor countries for development projects, regional projects or regional activities within the UN's wide fields of competence. The programme is thus available to nationals from: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Internships are also a start. Getting to know the UN, having proven experience from the inside and getting to know people in the system are all advantages. Getting to know people keeps you in the loop, and having the guidance and mentoring of a UN professional has its advantages.
Going on a mission for the UN or an NGO can also help your chances, and moreover many UN agencies promote mission experience because of the reality-check and understanding that comes from direct contact with issues that they engage in. Internships are available on missions, sometimes through national governments working closely with UN agencies, so you should check how your government’s getting involved. Also check out the UN Volunteers’ (UNV) website.
I started off by saying it’s not easy, and I can’t stress that enough. It seems that working for the UN brings its own trials and challenges, but overall I hear that the experience and exposure you can get is unparalleled. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of jobs, so keep applying, keep checking the job specifications and keep advancing your career. ■
• More information on the competitive exams: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/examin/exam.htm
• Link to a (somewhat outdated) UN careers booklet available in PDF. (Flick straight to page 33 for information about job opportunities.) unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/UN/UNPAN000153.pdf
• More info on UN volunteers: http://www.unv.org
• Salary information as set by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC): http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/salary.htm
Part 1—The Basics
Establishing your UN career is not easy. Having researched this article, it’s absolutely clear to me that there’s no one-stop shop for getting in, but I’m hoping that this article might give you a few quick pointers.
If you’re aiming for the very top of the UN hierarchy, start amassing higher degrees and good experience anywhere you can find them. These are political posts, so it wouldn’t hurt to have prime minister as a line on your CV either. Looking at the profiles of the top UN officials on the next page, you’ll see most of them have been senior government officials or diplomats, have doctorates and have achieved something truly impressive in their professional careers. But political posts aren’t the only option, as we all know. UN staff are categorised as G, P and D levels: (G)eneral, (P)rofessional and (D)irector. Because G level positions are locally recruited for clerical tasks and D-level are for older, more experienced professionals, this article focuses on the P-level which is the career level most of us are aiming for – for now. P-level positions cover various job types and a wide range of levels of experience, though advanced university degrees are required in all but the P1 level.
You can apply for P2 through to P5 positions directly via the UN’s online recruitment system called Galaxy, where jobs are also posted every day. Although I couldn’t find any figures on the number of people that apply for these positions, it seems that hundreds of people apply using this system. Jobs on Galaxy are usually online for 2 months. You’ll also see that there are ‘non-specific duty station’ jobs. These are jobs advertised for a roster of candidates, rather than for a specific job. Don’t put all your hopes in the roster basket, though. It certainly happens that being on the roster actually leads to jobs, but it doesn’t happen often.
Which category are you?
· P5: Advance Uni Degree with 13 to 17 years experience
· P4: AUD with 8 to 12 years experience
· P3: AUD with 4 to 8 years experience, under 40 years old
· P2: AUD with 2 to 3 years experience, under 33 years old
· P1: Recent grads that have passed the UN exam, under 33 years old
In terms of applying for jobs generally, it is a good idea to do a test application first (i.e. start the application on Galaxy but don’t click ‘submit application’) to work out the logistics of making your application. Check the job advertisement carefully and thoroughly, and in your cover letter make sure you give evidence of how you meet each quality, skill or competence that is required. In Galaxy you’re restricted to a certain number of characters (including spaces) so find out what this is before you write the perfect letter that’s 150 characters too many. Don’t bother with complex formatting, this just disappears in Galaxy, but try simple text formatting texts such as using asterisks or dashes as bullet points, for example. You’ll be asked to fill out a comprehensive ‘personal history profile,’ requiring you to state exact start and end dates and your salary for each position, so have your CV nearby so you don’t forget anything. You also need contact details for someone in each of your previous positions as well as three additional and overall referees that you haven’t already included. In general, it is advisable to write the core texts ‘outside’ of Galaxy in for example Word and then cut and paste the text into the form.
Some positions are advertised only on a specific UN agency’s website, and the recruitment process may be through their Human Resources department rather than through Galaxy. However, the process used is usually very similar to Galaxy, using Word document-based versions of the ‘personal history profile.’ Applying for a P1 position is done exclusively through the UN National Competitive, which is aimed at attracting people from countries under-represented among the UN secretariat staff. The exam can also apply to P2 and P3 positions. The exam takes eight hours in total, split into two equal parts, and includes tests to determine your analytical and drafting skills as well as your knowledge of international affairs. Like non-specific duty station jobs, if you pass you go on a roster, so while your chances are slim, it’s worth a shot. Check their website to see if you’re eligible.
Where to look for UN jobs?
· www.reliefweb.org
· jobs.un.org
· icsc.un.org
· The website for each UN body
Another option is the ‘Associate Expert Programme,’ which offers young professional graduates an opportunity to acquire professional experience in technical cooperation of the United Nations Secretariat. Candidates don’t need professional experience and are recruited under bilateral agreements between the UN and the donor countries for development projects, regional projects or regional activities within the UN's wide fields of competence. The programme is thus available to nationals from: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Internships are also a start. Getting to know the UN, having proven experience from the inside and getting to know people in the system are all advantages. Getting to know people keeps you in the loop, and having the guidance and mentoring of a UN professional has its advantages.
Going on a mission for the UN or an NGO can also help your chances, and moreover many UN agencies promote mission experience because of the reality-check and understanding that comes from direct contact with issues that they engage in. Internships are available on missions, sometimes through national governments working closely with UN agencies, so you should check how your government’s getting involved. Also check out the UN Volunteers’ (UNV) website.
I started off by saying it’s not easy, and I can’t stress that enough. It seems that working for the UN brings its own trials and challenges, but overall I hear that the experience and exposure you can get is unparalleled. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of jobs, so keep applying, keep checking the job specifications and keep advancing your career. ■
• More information on the competitive exams: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/examin/exam.htm
• Link to a (somewhat outdated) UN careers booklet available in PDF. (Flick straight to page 33 for information about job opportunities.) unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/UN/UNPAN000153.pdf
• More info on UN volunteers: http://www.unv.org
• Salary information as set by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC): http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/salary.htm
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