Berlin Day 1 - September 2005

Here are some photos from Day One in Berlin, more will follow.

Landing your first job with the United Nations… helpful suggestions in pursuing a UN career

***Source: ICTY In-House Lecture: 6 Oct 05***

Three UN employees gave a short talk to a group of ICTY Interns about their careers with the United Nations. One has worked in administration and management, another worked in human resources, and the third worked as a legal officer. All seem to have had fascinating careers opportunities.

These are just a few of the things they shared with the interns about their careers and landing a post with the UN:

Pros – The UN gives you many opportunities to grow and gain practical work experience. You don’t have to have seniority to be responsible for an important project. You have opportunities to travel and work around the world at various UN missions. You will work in an international environment with persons from every corner of the globe.

Cons – The UN can be very political, especially in Geneva or New York City. Sometime people are appointed to positions, not because they are best qualified, but because they are a political appointee. The wrong person in a position of authority can make life miserable for those they attempt to manage. With living abroad, it becomes difficult to visit your extended family or parents. You might travel home once a year and this is especially difficult as your parents age or when children attend university. International living can be very hard on spouses and children, especially at isolated postings, because they are far from home, might not be allowed to work, and lack the connection with their home culture.

A UN Career
Getting your foot in the door – you must first apply! There are three principle ways of securing a position with the UN. 1) Applying directly to the various agencies of the UN for vacancies; 2) via the Junior Professional Officer Program; and 3) via National Competitive Exams. The first option is by far the most difficult, because so many qualified people apply for each vacancy, but willingness to take a position with a Peace-Keeping mission or hardship post, will increase your chances of securing a post. The reason: Most people want to work in NYC, not southern Sudan.

The second option, unfortunately not open to American citizens, is the Junior Professional Officer Program. Several nations participate in this program, but not the US. The selected applicant’s salary is paid by his host nation for two years while he/she works at a UN posting. This is a fantastic way to gain work experience while making connections that will further one’s career. He/she may apply for a permanent position with the UN at the end of their term of service.

The third option is taking the National Competitive Exam. This option is open for nationals from underrepresented nations who have certain skill sets. If you pass this exam, then you have a good chance at a securing UN job. Ironically, the US is underrepresented at the UN. Therefore, any US citizen who has the skills that the UN is seeking may sit for this exam. However, one must do so prior to age 32. For listings of UN vacancies and the National Competitive Exam, go to the UN’s website (or google it).

Becoming a good applicant: According to these UN professionals, the UN looks for people with education and work experience. You must have education in the field in which you are applying and to be competitive, some extensive work experience. One gains work experience by interning, either with a UN agency or an NGO (non-governmental agency). Research and publishing academic articles in the field for which you are applying also helps distinguish you from others. A good place to look for fulltime or intern NGO positions is www.reliefweb.int – it has become a clearing house for vacant international positions. In addition, having fluent English or French is a must, but having additional languages is definitely distinguish your application.
Networking: Wherever you intern or work, be sure to meet the people who do the hiring. Introduce yourself to them while you are there and maintain contact once you leave, because chances are, they will remember you when you start applying for a vacant position later. Also, every department head has a special assistant to the Director. Be sure you introduce yourself to this person in the location where you wish to work. He/she might put in a good word for you or do the initial vetting of candidates for a position. Moreover, he/she (or the office secretary) may tell you whether the vacancy has been pre-selected. Even then, apply anyway. You might excel in your interview and still land the position.

Last bits: Be willing to work part-time or take short-term assignments. It’s an ideal way to get work experience WHERE you want to work and MEET the people you hope one day will help further your career. Apply for a field post, not a position at UN HQ. There are fewer people applying for field positions and you stand a better chance of landing the UN job of your dreams.

Bus 100 Berlin - the starting point of a four day adventure

Upon arriving in Berlin on 22 September, Jana* and I embarked on a four day sightseeing adventure, and visit to Jana's old friend Fritzi. We started our adventure by taking Bus 100 from Zoo Station... the same Zoo station that U2 made famous years ago. This photo is taking from the top of the bus near the Memory Church (Gedaechtniskirche) which was heavily bombed in WWII. Enjoy a sample of the photos from our little adventure.

* For those who don't know Jana, she is an old friend of mine from Bellingham, WA. We have known each other for nearly 5 and half years. She was a student in the college ministry at Western Washington University, called Campus Christian Fellowship. I first interned with CCF and then spent 2 years on staff with CCF, a nationally known Chi Alpha ministry and training center for college ministers. Jana was one of several reliable CCF office volunteers (she's an expert in making tapes, copies, announcements, etc.) and later we co-lead a small group for young adults at Hillcrest Chapel. The year I headed back to Florida, she interned with CCF. The year following her internship, she moved to Austria to pioneer a Students For Christ college ministry. Since it had been over two years since we last saw each other and since neither of us had visited Berlin, we planned this trip.

Needless to say, we had a BLAST!