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Almost everyone who contemplates an international career at one time or another envisions working for the United Nations (UN). While the organization has been criticized for its bureaucracy and some unsuccessful peacekeeping operations, it is also held as the pinnacle for promoting social development and peace as well as alleviating world poverty.
The United Nations was established on October 24, 1945, by 51 countries committed to preserving peace through international cooperation and collective security. Today, nearly every nation in the world belongs to the UN. Membership now totals 192 countries.
As a work opportunity, employment in the United Nations Secretariat still holds unquestionable value. As one professional working in the Secretariat said, "The chance to be a part of a truly global workforce, travel the world and most importantly, contribute to the mission of the UN charter has provided a terrific, rewarding work experience."
The Reality of UN Employment It is exceptionally competitive and very difficult to penetrate the UN system. This is the case for several reasons:
- The UN, in response to criticism (especially from the US Congress), has trimmed its staff and thus has fewer jobs.
- It's mostly only highly skilled specialists in need.
- The important caveat that the UN be representative of the constituency it serves, so it must balance its hiring with nationals from all over the world. This means you have a much better chance of getting a job at the UN if you are from an underrepresented country, or better yet, are a woman from an underrepresented country.
Where Would I Be Working? The UN Secretariat is based in New York, but there are also UN Secretariat offices and related agencies in Chile, Geneva, Vienna, Bangkok and Nairobi. The staff is expected to rotate through different offices and spend a significant amount of their career in the field.
How Do I Get Started? Junior professionals (aka P1 and P2) may only enter the UN system through National Competitive Recruitment Examinations. These exams, given annually, are administered to country nationals who are underrepresented in the UN system; consequently the countries where the test is offered can change from year to year. To find out where the exam is offered this year, go to the exam’s
Web site.
Internships Students may have the easiest time gaining access to the world of work at the UN, because there is a large internship program. However, undergraduates are not eligible to apply; UN Secretariat internships are only available for graduate students currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program. Internships are offered three times a year: fall, spring and summer. Information on the internship program and how to apply is available through the
UN Web site.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs The UN Secretariat has opportunities in several different areas, but social development and political affairs are two of the first areas that come to mind when considering work at the UN. Jobs in social development focus on everything from humanitarian assistance and institutional development to support for civil society, be it elections monitoring, popular participation or social welfare. Political affairs officers monitor political events in order to report to the Secretary-General on a variety of relevant issues.
Beyond those two fields, there are positions in administration, including human resources, logistics, procurement, telecommunications, technology and finance. Statisticians and economists are also needed to design and conduct research in a variety of areas relevant to the UN's work. And if you have a law background, the Secretariat’s legal division employs lawyers from a variety of countries.
Do you love language? The UN has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The working languages of the Secretariat are English and French. If you are fluent in any of these languages, translators and interpreters are often needed. If not, librarians provide assistance managing the large amounts of literature and archived documents. There are also public information specialists needed to educate citizens and promote the UN by explaining and publicizing its activities around the globe.
Peacekeeping Operations Many individuals are interested in participating in one of the UN's peacekeeping missions abroad. The opportunities vary, from political affairs officers to back-office jobs in finance, logistics and human resources. However, as with other jobs at the UN, these positions are highly competitive.
As is the case with many jobs in the Secretariat, jobs are often filled through word of mouth. It is incredibly hard to enter the system if you don't know a UN employee who can walk your resume through the UN hiring maze or someone on the outside with a great deal of influence who can make a telephone call.
On the Web More information on UN employment and internships can be found here.
Each UN agency has its own recruitment office and procedures; see each agency Web site for more information. A few have been listed below; for a complete list, see the
UN's list of other offices, programs and regional commissions.
- UNICEF: The United Nations Children's Fund.
- WHO: World Health Organization.
- ILO: International Labour Organization.
