Questions and answers about the United Nations

Patience is key as my last UN supervisor used to say ‘good things come to those who wait’.
It is best to start by clarifying the UN is not just one organization but rather a family of different organizations as well as specialized organizations of the UN such as the WHO or IAEA, forming the UN. Consequently, there is also not only one recruitment experience, so things can vary from UN organization to organization and even within organizations based on another layer of separation such as department, section etc.

First things first check the advertisement period announced in the vacancy/job description (most of the time at the end of the document).

What are the internal UN application steps

Typical steps in the UN application process are to first sort through applicants that do not possess the necessary skills or experience , for example not having the correct years of experience, the educational requirements, and/or relevant work experience. Long listing as it is sometimes known is carried out by a panel of staff, with some vacancies having hundreds and even thousands of applicants you can imagine this can be a very long time consuming exercise; additional time may be added in the process to simply coordinate the panel members’ schedules to carry out this review.

What is UN short listing?

Once the long listing is done, short listing starts and with that the challenge to ensure that the most suitable candidates are invited for e.g. knowledge-based test or another type of simulation exercise, technical and/or written test or a UN competency-based interview.

And not forgetting the post interview processing such as an independent review of the application process and many more steps before the lucky candidate gets contacted.

The process sometime also depends on the nature or funding of posts, humanitarian-related jobs for example can be delayed due to sudden emergencies, institutional or political considerations.

Please be informed that the above outlines what can happen in cases when we are talking about a standard recruitment. The process may differ from vary widely from organization and to country where the organization operates. 

The UN Secretariat is aware that its recruitment processes can be lengthy and is actively trying to reduce the timeframe. However, in most cases it can take several months for the application process to be completed.

So be patient and don’t give up, having been through it ourselves we are keen to share our tips and guidance as success can be achieved with hard work. Reach out for career advice, un job applications or simply to learn more. Take a look at our application guidance to see the common reasons for UN applicaton screening rejection.

How can I get an entry level UN post?

Do entry level jobs in the UN exist? Yes, start by considering the type of specialzed agency you wish to apply for and then start to review each UN job and its associated specific requirements, which are specified in the job opening.