Truths and misconceptions: The leap from a domestic to an international career

A statistician who ended up in human resources, Ray Juan made the leap from the private sector in his native Philippines to United Nations Volunteers in 2004, and then UNOPS in 2009. Getting that first overseas job is challenging for anyone who wants to work in international development. And while the push to hire local staff is creating more opportunities for professionals in country, it’s also making it more difficult to find work in countries outside of their own. But Juan said his own foray into the field both confirmed a few facts — namely, that finding employment with a notable international development institution is as competitive as ever — and helped him correct a few misconceptions along the way, too. After finishing his undergraduate degree, Juan, currently a human resources manager for UNOPS in Kabul in charge of the operational hub covering Afghanistan and Pakistan, worked in the Philippine private sector in statistics, data analysis and research. Meanwhile, his brother, who had spent time stationed at the U.N. mission in Kosovo, suggested he look at employment with the United Nations as well. While maintaining his job at a local financial institution, Juan created an online profile with UNV and received an email from them shortly thereafter asking if he would be interested in a position as an information officer within its human resources office. “I saw that there was a very close match to what I was doing before,” he said. “A month later, I was in Kabul.” Juan spent two years in Kabul, then accepted another UNV assignment and spent his next two years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “At the time, I was looking for a challenge,” Juan said. “I didn’t expect the challenge I would be taking on would also include a hazardous assignment.” Often, though, fragile states like Afghanistan, South Sudan or Papua New Guinea receive a large portion of foreign aid funding, meaning a lot of jobs are available, but organizations might struggle to recruit professionals to work in these areas. Organizations will often overlook requirements like prior overseas experience to fill these posts, and with less competition, it’s one way to break into the field. Juan was surprised, too, that he was offered multiple positions, as he was under the impression that the United Nations would only employ experts, or those with master’s and doctorate degrees. But the work, he realized, was quite similar to what he’d been doing in the private sector: data analysis and information management. He was able to bring his private sector knowledge while cutting his recruiting skills. “Here and there I started to be thrown into HR-related functions, and finally started conducting full-cycle recruitments, which is now one of my strengths,” he shared. Admittedly, competition in entering the U.N. System has always been a great factor, so knowing someone who can speak on your behalf or encourage a recruiter to take a look at your profile would be useful, he noted, although he managed to get placed without this help. But it’s certainly not getting any easier, Juan acknowledged. “With UNOPS, all expats are considered experts in their fields,” Juan said. “Competition is getting tighter by the minute.” After his post in DRC, Juan moved back to the Philippines to pursue his own business venture. But when capital became too tight, he decided to let it go and look for another job with the United Nations. After tapping into connections he had made with directors and others in the organization, he was reposted to Kabul with UNOPS. And though U.N. agencies are trying to adopt more of a revolving-door policy and encourage employees to return with skills from the private or NGO sectors, “I myself found it really difficult to re-enter,” Juan said of the 11 months it took him to find another job with the United Nations. Even without a family to worry about and with the ability to tap into all of his connections, “just think of someone who has never been in the system, who has never worked in HR … it’s very difficult.” Have you successfully made the leap from local development — or private sector — to international? Share your experience and advice in the comments section below.