Five insider tips for acing a UN online job application

Chances are that if you’re reading this, we need not tell you that securing a job within the United Nations is tough.But there are some tips that job seekers can keep in mind when applying to any position that will be sure to pay off in the long-run, and help place them in prime standing to make the final cut. Devex spoke with Martha Helena Lopez, assistant secretary-general for human resources management at the U.N. and Victor Kisob, former chief of the U.N.’s staffing service, who filled us in on the five most common mistakes applicants make when applying via the United Nations online application platform. 1. Look past the job title The Internet makes applying for jobs both easier and potentially more dangerous, said Kisob, who emphasized this point first and foremost. “Because it’s so easy and you are basically replicating the form, it is so easy to click and apply that sometimes people don’t appreciate what the job is all about,” Kisob said. “They look at the title of the position without reading the responsibilities. They get driven by the title and say, ‘Ah this is what I want to do,’ but they don’t really bother to read and understand: What does this job entail?” The result is 24- and 25-year-olds applying for positions that have, for instance, the word “secretary” in it, which could be U.N. lingo for a top committee post, not a typist. “They are clearly not taking the time to read and see, ‘Is this the best match, or my profile?’” Kisob said. 2. Honor listed requirements All listed requirements — from language skills to education and work experience — are mandatory, said Lopez. There are no exceptions, so don’t waste your time in thinking that extraordinary work experience that is a year shy of the requirement might help you get in. “If you have four years of work experience and the position requires seven years, you are already out,” said Lopez, referring to the automated computer scan that sifts through the initial rounds of applicants. “The first screening will weed you out with that, looking at if you meet the base requirements. If we get 2,000 applications for a position we will not go through them all.” The U.N. categorizes its requirements for work experience through the terms P-1 through P-5: P-1 is an entry-level position, and P-5 requires a minimum of five years experience. After that come director-level positions, classified D-1 through D-3. Posts advertised online tend to be for positions P-3 and above. The U.N. hiring system first considers the minimum number of years of general experience, and then once the applicant pool has been narrowed, hiring managers will “appreciate the relevance or similarity of the experience and breadth and depth to your experience,” Kisob explained. The same goes for language and education requirements. “If you don’t have that, then it is literally impossible to do the job,” Kisob said. “If the position calls for a statistics background and you don’t have a degree in that, how can you work as a statistician?” 3. Don’t bother with attachments, links to written work or additional supplements in the initial application If you survive the initial screening of applicants, there may come a time when writing samples or project reports can help to support your bid for a position. But in the first stages of the process, there’s no need to try to squeeze extra information about yourself into the resume template that the U.N. provides online. “It wouldn’t work, pasting links, really,” Kisob said. “The application form we have is quite comprehensive as to be able to determine whether you are suitable or not. There will be some positions where your writing ability will be a pivotal piece as to whether you get considered but not for the initial screening.” Simply put, don’t waste your time compiling the information that may never be opened, and will not help give you a leg-up as you are competing on language skills, education, work experience and other requirements. 4. Treat your online profile like an interview Spend time to complete your online profile and tell whoever is on the receiving end of your submission all the relevant details you think might be pertinent. Don’t hold back; utilize the space that is provided to you. “You have to dedicate time to complete your profile. You are competing with thousands and thousands, so you need to attract me and tell me briefly,” Lopez said of the online application form’s sections covering job experience. “We don’t want long, long paragraphs, but briefly give me a good picture of what you did in the job and how did you achieve it.” It sounds simple, but many applicants overlook this factor and deliver one or two sentences when prompted for a job description. That isn’t enough, Lopez said, and Human Resources won’t spend time guessing your achievements. “It can be one or two paragraphs, so that when I read it, I don’t know you, but I can know what you can do and can know with those achievement how you were able to achieve those responsibilities,” Lopez said, noting that the United Nations wants to get a sense that an applicant has, for instance “achieved this within the budget [and is] conscious of delivering within budget or within time.” 5. Start thinking like you’re a part of the U.N. system Rumors abound about cronyism and outsiders struggling to break into the U.N. system. Lopez and Kisob maintained that the U.N. isn’t opposed to dipping into outsider pools. “We get quite a few external recruitments a year,” Lopez said. “It’s really how you present yourself.” The trick is finding a way to make your past experience compliment the skill-sets that the U.N. post calls for. And that doesn’t mean that your job has to perfectly mimic a U.N. post. Kisob gave the example of someone he spoke with who worked as a flight attendant for five or six years. Under the description of duties, she wrote, “Served drinks and sold duty free.” But when Kisob pressed the woman on her work, he learned that she also gained CPR and first aid training and had experience in checking identification. Kisob remembered: “It was a question of, ‘Where is all of that stuff?’ She was selling herself short. She may be eligible for certain positions but we can’t see that with the skills she put down. We have several functions working in the pass and ID office, and with first aid training and CPR.” First-time applicants should take the time to familiarize themselves with existing U.N. positions, programs and initiatives as much as possible, and think creatively about how they could contribute to any position. It may take time to see progress and eventual success, but the jobs are out there, Lopez and Kisob said. Applicants should be as flexible and open as possible to relocating and shifting careers based on available vacancies. Looking to make a career move? Visit our career center for expert advice on how to navigate your job search - all you need is a Devex Career Account to get started.