Tip #4 Strategies for a UN Job Search: Identify the UN Needs

Part 4 of a 5-Part Blog Series

By Katarina Holm-DiDio

Last week we blogged about the variety of recruitment programs that you may want to consider when applying for jobs at the UN. If you missed that blog, you can find it at Tip #3 Strategic Job Search for UN Jobs: Review Recruitment Options, or you can review previous tips at Tip #2 Strategic Job Search for UN Jobs: Research the Duty Stations or Tip #1 Strategic Job Search for UN Jobs:  Learn about the UNCS.

We will cover a new tip each week to help you with your UN job search. So be sure to return next week for the next tip! The 5 Tips are:

1. Learn what the United Nations Common System (UNCS) is and does.
2. Diversify your job search and research the Duty Stations.
3. Review the different recruitment programs and options to work at the UN.
4. Identify what the hiring UN organization is seeking.
5. Submit well-written, appropriate job applications.

This week we’ll discuss what you’ll need to know about the UN organization if you want to be successful on your UN job search.

TIP #4:  Identify what the hiring UN organization is seeking.

The key question is: Do you have what it takes to do the job and succeed?

Don’t spend time sending in applications unless you have most of the specific skills and experience required. Competition is fierce, and each vacancy may receive hundreds of applications.

Make sure you know the organization values and have the soft skills required in order to fit in and succeed. For most positions, you will need cross-cultural skills and the ability to work with geographically and culturally diverse people from all over the world in a team setting while demonstrating personal integrity. You may need to be able to perform under stress and duress while being a life-long learner with the flexibility to travel where help is needed.

To learn more about the required soft skills, research the websites of UN Organizations, attend relevant meetings and conferences, volunteer (if possible), and talk with your fellow students, professors, alumni or colleagues.

Next week, we’ll conclude this blog series by sharing tips on how to make your job application stand out among the competition.

NOTE: If you are a member of Passport Career (meaning your organization or university/college pays for a license so that you have access), then you can access the all five tips immediately in the My Global Career Briefcase section. There are also many other tips and strategies available to you in this section. If your organization is interested in more information about how to purchase a license to access Passport Career’s 12,000+ pages of career information and resources for 250+ cities in 78 countries, contact info@passportcareer.com.

Katarina Holm-DiDio is a cross-cultural career consultant and trainer working with expatriates moving to the US and clients interested in global careers. She is also a cross-cultural trainer specialized in the US and the Nordic Countries and a columnist interpreting current events in the US for newspapers in Finland. She writes her own blog at KHD Consulting International’s Global Skills for Life and Work.