There are several ways to become a member of the UN team:
- employment;
- work as a young professional;
- internship;
- volunteering;
- work in the regional office of the UN Development Program.
Interested in working at the UN or other international organizations, but don’t know how to make your resume more impressive? The competition is tough, vacancies are attractive, and those who want to get them will be found in all parts of the world. So, what do you need to do to get your application into the hands of the HR manager?
Here are some tips about how to get a job at the UN
Your statements should correspond to the positions that you like the most. Applying for a job at the UN can be quite a time consuming, so devote more time and effort to the positions for which you are most qualified. Such organizations usually receive hundreds of resumes for each vacancy, so they immediately exclude applicants who do not have the necessary qualifications: whether language, education, or experience. Apply for the positions you are interested in and fill out the online application form very carefully. It may not be possible to add a separate resume file, so use the space provided to you to best describe your skills and experience.
You should not underestimate yourself
In addition to your achievements, you need to emphasize the ability to work in a team
Yes, the employer must know about your career achievements, but the latter should be balanced by some specific examples of your participation in teamwork, cooperation with other people. UN policy says that the best candidate for the position is one who can easily demonstrate success as a member of the team.
Focus on specific skills and experience, not on your strong desire
No matter how much you dream of working for the United Nations, your statement should focus more on specific examples of how you will perform your daily duties in the office, and less on clarifying your aspirations.
Language, language, language!
There are 6 official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish), and the most competitive applicants speak more than one language. Refresh your language skills and don’t forget that when filling out an online application, you should not underestimate yourself. HR managers do not expect every candidate to have a perfect command of languages, but the demonstrated interest in studying will play in your favor.
Expand your scope
International organizations need workers who have experience working abroad and successfully working with people from different cultures, so be sure to describe it in your statement, paying attention to foreign curricula. Also, think about employment not immediately at the headquarters, but in the regional offices: there is less competition for these positions, but at the same time you can get the necessary experience to become competitive in the future.