2020 Young Professionals Programme YPP Tips

International Organisation such as the United Nations, UNICEF, or the World Bank Group offer special recruitment programs designed only for young professionals.

We hope below Q & A will help you to prepare for the 2020 application cycle. Please note, although we create our contents with care, make sure you always visit the official websites for the latest information.

Q. Do I need to have work experience to apply? No work experience is required. Relevant work experience however will be taken into consideration as one of the additional screening criteria when more than 60 candidates from the same country apply to the same exam subject.

Q. When should I apply? Our advice would be to apply as soon as possible; the application period is open. Find out more information on the UN Careers Portal.

Our tip create an Inspira (the UN talent portal) account and set up your profile as soon as possible. 

Q. What does the exam look like?

This will be a 4-hour long online exam. The exam requires candidates to read through large pieces of text in a short period of time, and then analyse and critically respond to the text. 

Our tip: Have a look at the reading lists that are made available in the online UN library well in advance, so you have enough time to read the documents before the exam!

Another top tip is to be familiar with the writing style of official UN press releases and publications.

Don’t miss UCC’s blog post on your 2020 YPP checklist!