Five insider tips for acing a UN online job application

By Amy Lieberman amylieberman08 November 2010

The United Nations headquarters in New York. Photo by: USAID / CC BY

Chances are that if you’re reading this, we need not tell you that securing a job within the United Nations is tough — and with this struggling economy, it isn’t bound to get any easier. In the past six months, the U.N. Secretariat alone has had more than 100,000 applicants from 190 countries, for just 640 positions.

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 sat down for an exclusive interview with Martha Helena Lopez, director of the U.N.’s strategic planning and staffing division, and Victor Kisob, 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

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About the author

Amy Liebermanamylieberman

Amy Lieberman is an award-winning journalist based in New York City. Her coverage on politics, social justice issues, development and climate change has appeared in a variety of international news outlets, including The Guardian, Slate and The Atlantic. She has reported from the U.N. Headquarters, in addition to nine countries outside of the U.S. Amy received her master of arts degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in May 2014. Last year she completed a yearlong fellowship on the oil industry and climate change and co-published her findings with a team in the Los Angeles Times.