How To Get A Job at The UN 2022 - NEW Full Guide - Version 06 - 04-1

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net
Content
Ways to become employed by the United Nations ............................................... 3

Working for the UN .......................................................................................... 4
The UN Internship Program ........................................................................... 6
United Nations Volunteers ............................................................................... 7
The Junior Professional Officer Program (JPO) .......................................... 9
The Young Professionals Program ............................................................... 10
UN System: the Basics .......................................................................................... 12
Getting Started: Contract Types ................................................................... 13
Staff categories and benefits .......................................................................... 14
Professional and higher categories ................................................................ 14
P-level professionals experience scale ................................................................. 21
General Service and National Officers (“NO”) .................................................. 24
General Service Staff (G1 - G7 or GS1 - GS7)............................................. 26
Contract types ....................................................................................................... 32
Recruitment Process in the UNDP and United Nations agencies, OSCE, and
other NGOs ............................................................................................................ 40
How to write a CV (Sample) ................................................................................ 43
Cover letter or Motivation letter for Inspira and UNDP Profile ..................... 55
Submitting your CV to the United Nations or how to create a successful
personal history profile......................................................................................... 60
Examples of answers on screening questions: .................................................... 62
Prescreening questions for UNDP - GIS Analyst............................................... 69
Interview guide ...................................................................................................... 79
Tips on how to prepare for a video interview with the UN............................... 84
How to Fill in Personal History Form ................................................................. 90
Annex 1. Written test samples ............................................................................. 96
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Ways to become employed by the United
Nations
An outline of careers for young specialists dreaming of getting into the UN.
“If the United Nations is to survive, those who represent it must bolster it; those who
advocate it must submit to it; and those who believe in it must fight for it.” Norman
Cousins
The UN seems to be a place in which almost everyone wants to get in to, but no one
knows how. It’s like Berlin’s exclusive nightclub Berghain - if it’s even appropriate
to compare.
In this case, just having good clothes won’t open all those doors. There are a
minimum of three factors that hold up young people from getting their foot in the
door of the UN.
The main problem is still the fact that the majority of young experts has great respect
for the organization and underestimate their chance of getting a job there. The
second issue is the UN is neither a consulting company nor a financial institution
which fish for young experts and students every year during job fairs on campus.
That is the reason why many students don’t have a chance to get all necessary

information as well as the whole range of opportunities from the UN’s
representatives.
And finally, there isn’t one central portal with clear and extensive information about
all of the programs the UN has to offer. Instead, there are several of them with bits
and pieces of information on different programs. So, there is definitely room to
improve the information policy of the UN.
If you want to find current job offers, visit our jobs page.
This article has been written with the purpose of giving you a precise review of
working opportunities at the UN so you could find a position that is just right for
you.
Working for the UN
Even though there is no straightforward or homogenous way to learn about entry-
level job opportunities for individuals who are eager to start their career at the UN,
there are several options. If you would like to know what it is like to work for the
UN, the UN Internship Program and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Program
are just right for you. However, if you already have some experience in the given
field and surely want to connect your life with this organization, the Junior

Professional Officer (JPO) Program and the Young Professionals Program would be
the best options for you.
Most common job requirements for the UN
1. If you want to have a career with the United Nations you need to have an
advanced university degree.
2. Since French and English are official languages of the UN, you are required
to be fluent in one of them.
3. You will benefit if you have a command of another foreign language.
4. Work experience is definitely one of the most important factors.
5. In accordance with previous work experience candidates can apply for
different categories of jobs. P-1 are positions where you are not required to
have any work experience; however, they are almost impossible to find. P-2
are positions where at least 2 years of experience are required. P-3, P-4 and
P-5 require a minimum of 5, 7, and 10 years respectively.
This article is not going to be about moral and values of the United Nations. Since
you have decided to read it you are already interested in the organization and most
likely share its values. That’s why this article is only going to concentrate on the
hard facts.

Employees of the UN are commonly hired from all over the world. Throughout their
career they are expected to work in different duty stations. Here you can find an
overview of all the criteria and characteristics necessary for the UN’s potential
employees. After that you’ll have a chance to read about specific programs focused
on young specialists.
1. The UN Internship Programme
2. The United Nations Volunteers Program (UNV)
3. The Junior Professional Officer Program (JPO)
4. The Young Professionals Programme
The UN Internship Program
When compared to other UN programs, the UN Internship Program has the lowest
requirements for candidates to get into. You only need to be enrolled in either a
Master’s or Ph.D. program, or be in the final year of a Bachelor’s. That’s why the
number of UN interns has so drastically increased in the last several years. There
are more than 4,000 people in the New York headquarters alone. The length of this
internship is normally between two and six months.
The main disadvantage here is reimbursement. Even your travel expenses are not
going to be covered.

Luckily, there are some organizations that are trying to change this. The Fair
Internship Initiative in New York and the Pay Your Interns initiative in Geneva are
among them. There are also some quite autonomous United Nations funds and
programs that have their own reimbursement policy and pay their interns. According
to the International Labor Organization (ILO), "Where an intern is not supported by
an institution (university, government or other institution), a stipend to cover basic
subsistence costs will be paid by the ILO."
Such national programs as the German Carlo-Schmid-Program supervised by the
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Studienstiftung des
Deutschen Volkes are backed by national governments.
Another important point that needs to be mentioned here is that if the budget of the
organization allows for some interns, after finishing their program, to be offered to
work as consultants. It’s normally a short-term contract and it usually doesn’t
provide nearly as good benefits such as those which the permanent employees get
to enjoy.
United Nations Volunteers
The United Nations Volunteers program (UNV) is currently active in 86 countries.
80% of 7,700 volunteers come from developing countries. They are annually

mobilized to assist in national and international developmental, humanitarian and
peacemaking projects.
The main idea of this program is to transfer knowledge and gain better understanding
of development work right there in the field. UN Volunteers point out, “Although
UN Volunteers from diverse professional and technical backgrounds are always in
demand, there are particular areas of expertise where potential volunteers with
relevant backgrounds and skills are more frequently requested.” One of the things
that applicants must be able to do is to adapt to a rapidly changing living and working
environment in quite difficult and remote places.
UN Volunteers is a UN agency that uses a simplified approach to hiring people. In
some cases, there will be only one interview without a written test. Why so? Firstly,
because it is volunteering. UN needs volunteers around the world; it is not that you
need a job. It is the UN that needs you. Secondly, is more bureaucratic - volunteers
receive much less than UN international staff but do not be sad. These amounts are
quite good for beginners and middle management positions. How about 5000 USD
per month for international experts? Or 4000 USD per month for international
specialists? In addition, a good health insurance from Cigna for 200 000 USD+,
training/learning possibilities, and so on. Also, it is important that UN Volunteers
hires you as a volunteer for a host agency. It can be UNICEF, UNDP, OHCHR,
IOM, and other UN missions. It gives you a wonderful opportunity to get experience

at the UNICEF or UNDP, which is extremely good for your future career in these
organizations.
International UN Volunteers have to be at least 25 years of age. International UN
Youth Volunteers have to be between 18 and 29 years of age. Well-qualified and
suitable older candidates can serve as international UN. Volunteers up to an age
covered by the life insurance carrier.
In May 2021 UN Volunteers started a big reform in the hiring staff. You may read
a full book how to get a job in the UNV with test samples here.
The Junior Professional Officer Program (JPO)
Another option to enter the UN system is the Junior Professional Officer Program
(JPO). However, it is way more competing than the first and the second options
mentioned above. Not all UN organizations offer JPO positions and you will have
to serve in the office of one of the developing countries.
You will only be able to apply for one of the JPO positions if any of them are offered
by your national government, since they are fully sponsored by them. So our advise
to see what nationalities are allowed to apply for such positions.
At first, you will be offered to sign a one-year contract, and after you complete it
successfully, you’ll have a chance to renew it. Some government sponsor

assignments can be up to four years long. If we talk about salaries, they are similar
to those of entry-level UN professional employers (P1 - P2).
JPO participants must be 32 or younger. Some of the other requirements are usually
a Master's degree, or possibly its equivalent in a related discipline and at least two
years of working experience. They will definitely prefer someone who has worked
in a developing country. You also have to be fluent in two of the three languages
French, English or Spanish since they are the official languages of the UN. Some
extra requirements such as advanced computer skills, strategical thinking, and
commitment to development might be added to each particular position.
The Young Professionals Program
If you want to begin your career as an international civil servant with the United
Nations Secretariat, the Young Professionals Program is a great choice for you. You
will be required to pass an entrance exam in the beginning as well as take
professional development programs once you start working.
The list of countries participating in this program varies every year. So, the first step
would be to check to see if your country is on the list. Then you’ll need to carefully-
analyze the job openings for the exam area you are interested in. The entrance exam
can be taken only once a year. Next, you need to check to see if you meet the subject-

specific requirements. On the YPP website you can find the list of all job openings
they offer at the moment.
Finally, you can use the online portal Inspira to apply for the position you’ve chosen.
They will determine if you qualify to take an entrance exam in the area you are
interested in. If everything goes well, you’ll be notified and invited to the
examination.
As well as in the JPO program, you have to be 32 and under. You need to have a
Master’s degree in one of the examination areas. Those areas are: Administration,
Finance, Legal Affairs, Public Information, Social Affairs, and Statistics. You have
to fluently speak English or French. Requirements for this program are not as strict
as for the JPO program. However, your work experience will be taken into
consideration, according to the YPP’s policy, “Where more than 40 candidates of
the same nationality apply for the YPP, relevant work experience will be used to
rank candidates.”
To conclude, it’s no surprise that if you want to get your dream job at the UN you’ll
need to be persistent and dedicated- and put a significant amount of effort into it.
Now you know that even though there is not enough clear and homogenous
information about entry positions at the UN, they do indeed exist.

If you are thinking about the first two options, then you probably just want to dip
your toes into the water and see if it’s the right kind of job for you. The last two
options are for someone who is eager and is absolutely sure that they want to connect
their life with the UN. Therefore, they are more demanding and have stricter
requirements.
Here is one final piece of advice for you. Make sure you understand that most of
jobs for newcomers are not going to be in New York, Geneva and Nairobi. You will
most likely be sent to one of the program countries. If you have your heart set for
working at the UN and serving global development, it might be better to apply for a
job in the field.
To find all the current development job offers, visit our jobs page.
UN System: the Basics

The “main organs” are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic
and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and
the UN Secretariat. (The UN Secretariat in New York is where representatives from
the 193 member states gather.) In addition, there are 40 UN programs and
specialized agencies, plus another 28 peace operations. These organizations are
known informally as the “UN Family.”

The UN employs thousands of aid workers, dedicated to emergency relief and
international development. It also employs lawyers, translators, communication
officers, IT and HR staff, experts in trade, business, agriculture, environment,
education, economics, finance, security, and more.
The UN Secretariat alone (encompassing the “main organs” plus the 28 peace
operations) employs some 32,000 staff in organizations around the world. The
agencies and funds range in size from a few dozen staff to several thousand. And
that’s not even counting consultants and interns. In other words, there are plenty of
job opportunities.
Getting Started: Contract Types
When looking at job postings, focus on the ones that fit your residency status. “NO”
(National Officer) and “GS” or “G” (General Service) positions are exclusively for
locally-recruited staff. “Professional” category contracts are open to international
candidates, and often come with benefits such as housing and education assistance.
If you are an expat living overseas, you do not qualify for local recruitment unless
you already have the legal right to work in that country. More information can be
found at this helpful blog on contracts and job grades in the UN system. Most jobs
start as contract positions rather than staff. Often, there are temporary and consultant
positions available as well.

Staff categories and benefits
UN staff are 'International Civil Servants' and classified into various categories, each
reflecting different levels of responsibilities and remuneration.
UN staff contracts either fall in the 'Professional and higher categories', or the
'General Service and related categories'.
Professional and higher categories
UN staff categorised as 'Professionals’ (P) or ‘Directors’ (D) are generally recruited
internationally and expected to serve in different duty stations throughout their
career with the UN. Work in the Professional category generally demands a high
degree of analytical and communication skills, substantive expertise and/or
managerial leadership ability.
Typically, these positions require judgment in analyzing and evaluating problems as
well as in decision-making involving discretionary choices between alternative
courses of action. They also require the understanding of an organized body of
theoretical knowledge at a level equivalent to that represented by a university
degree. While this knowledge is customarily and characteristically acquired through
formal education, it may, in some fields of learning or specialized disciplines, be
acquired through other training, self-study, or practical experience.

Staff members in the Professional and higher categories (P and D) are normally
internationally recruited and are expected to serve at different duty stations
throughout their career with the Organization. Openings for professional jobs can
be found at all duty stations across the global United Nations Secretariat.
What education do I need?
Normally, it is required that you have an advanced university degree for the
professional and director level positions. It is, however, frequently accepted that if
you have a first-level university degree, combined with qualifying work experience,
you meet the educational requirements.
Positions in certain job families, including military, civilian police, medical,

conference services may have different standards for the minimum educational
requirements, which are accordingly reflected in their respective job openings.
Positions from job families that require specialized studies, e.g. Medical Doctors,
require an advanced university degree, which cannot be substituted by a
combination of a first-level university degree and experience. Positions in some
other areas, mainly language positions, might require only a first-level university
degree for the minimum educational requirements.
Academic reference check
All selected candidates will be required to submit evidence of their academic

qualifications and may be subject to academic reference checks. Candidates found
to have falsified their academic credentials, or to have submitted qualifications from

non-accredited academic institutions (sometimes referred to as ‘diploma mills’) is a
basis for withdrawing the offer of employment, or, if the employment has started, to
terminate it without notice or indemnity.
The authority to determine whether degrees presented to UNDP by staff members

and applicants constitute recognized academic qualifications lies with the Director,
OHR. In making such determinations, the Director, OHR, is normally guided by the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO)
listing (referred to as “the UNESCO list” of higher education institutions recognized
or otherwise approved by competent authorities in participating countries.
UNDP will normally recognize only degrees obtained from institutions on the
UNESCO list, except where the Director, OHR, has explicitly, in writing, confirmed
the degree as acceptable. Degrees requiring little or no actual course work, degrees
awarded for payment of fees only, and degrees granting substantial credits for
“lifetime achievements” or “life/work experience” will not be recognized.
Incomplete degrees are unacceptable to UNDP as proof of academic qualification,

regardless of whether they are associated with a recognized higher education
institution.
If an academic degree was obtained from an institution that is not in the UNESCO
list, the candidates, including internal candidates are obliged to provide supporting
evidence that the degree is legitimate. Hiring managers or staff members may
request a review by the Director, OHR, who will confirm, explicitly and in writing,

whether the degree is recognized. Without proper documentation and until this
confirmation is received, no offer of appointment cannot be made to the candidate.
Staff members who, in their P.11 and other application documents, misrepresent
their qualifications or present a degree that is determined to be illegitimate, are
subject to disciplinary proceedings or any other appropriate administrative action.
What work experience do I need?
Your work experience should be relevant to the job for which you are applying; each
job may also have specific requirements, which are specified in the opening. For
mid-career and senior level positions, progressively responsible work experience is
required. As you acquire more relevant work experience you can progressively
apply for higher positions.
Combined with academic qualifications are the number of years of relevant work
experience required for the grade level of the post. Relevant work experience and
minimum academic qualifications form the basis for UNDP’s standard of a
professional workforce.
The minimum academic standard for all recruitments and selections to Professional
and higher level category posts (IP, and National Officer (NO) is normally a
completed, advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent, and also inclusive of
professional certifications (CPA etc.) and military/police rank equivalents).

In some instances, where specialized job requirements do not require a Masters’
degree or the local labour market makes it impracticable, UNDP jobs may be
advertised without the Masters requirement. In these scenarios, candidates holding
a completed Bachelors’ degree with two additional years of relevant work
experience may be considered. This determination must be made prior to advertising
the vacancy announcement. There is no longer any possibility to request a waiver of
the minimum academic requirements after the vacancy has been advertised with the
Masters’ degree or equivalent requirement.
Hiring Managers are accountable for ensuring that similar posts are advertised with
similar requirements. It is important to avoid any inconsistencies in the approach to
filling posts in order to respect the guiding principles of competition and
transparency.
The minimum standard for all support GS is completion of high school (secondary
school) combined with a number of years relevant work experience. Selection to GS
Fixed-Term Appointment (FTA) positions at Headquarter locations requires passing
a UN administered Global General Service Test (GGST), unless conditions are met
allowing the waiver of such a requirement.
For GS positions in New York and D.C, the UN GGST test will be waived for
current UNDP staff members on FTA/CA/PA appointments and external applicants
who have a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from a recognized educational
institution.

Applicants under serious consideration for posts requiring accountancy and finance
skills must take the UNDP Accountancy and Finance Test (UNDP AFT) prior to
short-listing.
Determining relevant experience
In determining the number of years of relevant work experience, HR practitioners

must take into account any relevant experience gained after completion of the first
university degree (Bachelors or equivalent) unless the candidate has undertaken
‘mid-career’ studies, in which case some flexibility may be exercised. Compulsory
Military Service completed prior to a first university degree may also be taken into
account provided that it is directly relevant to the position being recruited for and
may be counted as 50% Full Time Equivalent (FTE). Determination of relevance of
Military Service will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
In determining the ‘relevancy’ of experience, HR practitioners will make a

determination based on the nature of the functions and the competencies required
for the position as articulated in the vacancy announcement, or more generally on
experience in the UN Common System.
In recognition of a candidate currently in, or having previously had a Professional

post for more than one year in the UN Common System, UNDP will recognize that
service and the candidate will be eligible for consideration for Professional and
higher level posts.
Promotion of local hired staff

In support of National Staff career progression, a UNDP GS staff in Country Offices
with a first level university degree in combination with at least 10 years of
continuous service with a FTA /CA/PA contracts (you will find information below)
may be considered for National Ofiicers (NO) posts that have been advertised with
the Masters’ degree or equivalent requirement, provided they meet all other
selection criteria.
In support of career progression of UNDP GS staff in Headquarters locations, staff

possessing a first level university degree in combination with at least 10 years of
continuous service with a FTA/CA/PA, may be considered for Professional posts
that have been advertised with the Masters’ degree or equivalent requirement,
provided they meet all other selection criteria.

P-level professionals experience scale
P-1 very rarely position, one year of relevant professional work experience. As
usual, this is JPO position.
P-2 minimum of 2 years of work experience, No experience is required if applying

to the young professionals programme
P-3 minimum 5 years of work experience
Mid-level professionals
Senior level professionals

P-6/D-1 minimum 15 years of work experience
P-7/D-2 more than 15 years of work experience

What if I have recently graduated from university and have no relevant
work experience?
If you recently graduated from university and you have limited or no work
experience, you may qualify to take the young professionals programme
recruitment examination (YPP).
What are the language requirements?
There are six official languages at the United Nations: Arabic, Chinese, English,
French, Russian and Spanish. Two of these, English and French, are the working
languages. To work for the United Nations you need to have excellent command

of either English or French. Knowledge of an additional language is an asset but
is not required for most jobs.
If there are additional language requirements, as may be the case for some
language positions, they are specified in the respective job openings.
What kind of jobs are there in the Professional and higher categories?
There is a wide range of jobs in the eight job networks: management and
operations support; economic and social development; political, peace and
security; information systems and communication technology; legal; public
information and external relations; conference management; and safety and
security. You can learn more about the different jobs in the section on job
networks.
What is the nature of the work in the Professional and higher categories?
Work in the Professional category generally demands a high degree of analytical

and communication skills, substantive expertise and/or managerial leadership
ability.
Typically, these positions require judgment in analyzing and evaluating problems

as well as in decision-making involving discretionary choices between alternative
courses of action. They also require the understanding of an organized body of
theoretical knowledge at a level equivalent to that represented by a university
degree. While this knowledge is customarily and characteristically acquired

through formal education, it may, in some fields of learning or specialized
disciplines, be acquired through other training, self-study, or practical experience.
What do the jobs at the Senior professional level entail?
Directors (D-1 and D-2 levels) represent the highest level on the career staffing
structure of the Organization. As a Director you manage a programme of the
Organization. You are also expected to provide leadership in formulating and
implementing the substantive work programme of an office, determine priorities,
and allocate resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
Senior professionals hired for positions at the P-6 and P-7 level typically work as
senior advisers or experts, bringing several years of analytical and research
experience to the United Nations.
General Service and National Officers (“NO”)
Staff falling within the 'General Service' (GS) or related categories carry out support
functions, including administrative, secretarial and clerical work. They are largely
recruited from the area of the office's location but can be of any nationality. As a
result, they are not expected to relocate to other duty stations. While moving from a
'GS' to a 'P' level position is possible, it rarely happens.
What functions are assigned to the General Service and related categories?

General Service posts (GS-1 to GS-7) include administrative and support functions
as well as some specialized skills. At the New York headquarters, you find also posts
that require specific skills under the ‘related categories’: Security; Language
Teachers; Public Information Assistants; and the Trades and Crafts (a group of jobs
such as drivers, electricians, building management and printing staff). In other duty
stations these functions are within posts of the General Service category for the most
part. National Officers (NO-A, NO-B, NO-C, NO-D levels) are recruited locally and
serve only within their home country. NOs perform functions in the areas of
development assistance and public information that require knowledge and
experience at the national level.
How are the salaries in the General Service and related categories determined?
Salaries are determined by comparing the net salaries paid by the United Nations
with the after-tax salaries of comparable staff employed by selected employers in
the locality where duty stations are located. The salary scale in each area is set to be
in the range of the best existing compensation being paid in that the labour market
by organizations with similar structures and functions to the UN work. To make the
comparison with other similar employers in the area, local salary surveys are
conducted in each duty station using a comprehensive methodology approved by
ICSC. At headquarters duty stations, ICSC carries out the study. At non-
headquarters duty stations, a committee of local staff from the duty station work
with compensation professionals from OHRM or one of the common system
organizations designated by the ICSC to conduct the surveys of employers
comparable to the UN.

Are General Service and related categories salaries global or local?
The salaries are set according to local salary scales established in each country.
There is normally only one local salary scale per country, with only a few cases
where more than one salary scale is in effect in the same country, when prevailing
conditions necessitate it.
What are the key components of salaries in the General Service and related
categories?
The salary of staff in the General Service and related categories is made up of a base
salary as per the relevant salary scale for the local area.
When are the General Service and related categories salary scales updated?
Salary survey specialists from ICSC and OHRM periodically conduct surveys of
employers comparable to the UN and review the salary scales in each location in
keeping with changes in the local labour markets.
General Service Staff (G1 - G7 or GS1 - GS7)
The functions in the General Service and related categories include administrative,
secretarial and clerical support as well as specialized technical functions such as
printing, security and buildings maintenance. There are jobs in all the eight job
networks: management and operations support; economic and social development;
political, peace and security; information systems and communication technology;
legal; public information and external relations; conference management; and safety
and security.
The work carried out by General Service staff supports the functioning of the
Organization and is typically procedural, operational or technical in nature. The
work in these categories ranges from routine duties to varied and complex

assignments. The knowledge of the subject matter and higher-level skills are
generally developed through long experience and familiarity with applicable
procedures, regulations and precedents or projects of the Organization in a narrow
technical field or in an administrative support activity. The higher the level of the
job, the more complex the functions become along with higher levels of
responsibility.
What is the United Nations looking for in a candidate for a G position?
Because General Service staff support the functioning of UN, we are looking for
candidates who achieve results in operational, procedural and technical capacities.
A commitment to making UN successful is essential! We want someone who is

analytical and can handle routine to complex tasks with dedication.
We also want an excellent teammate who embraces diversity and is eager to provide
creative ideas for improving UN processes.
What education and work experience do I need for General Service (G) category
positions?
Completion of secondary (high school) education is a requirement.
These are the work experience requirements for each level:
G1 - No work experience required
G2 - Minimum of 2 years of work experience

Who is eligible to be considered for a G position?
General Service personnel are recruited locally from the area in which an office/duty
station is located. They can be of any nationality, but should be legally permitted to
work in the country where the office/duty station is located. Staff members are
usually not expected to move between different duty stations.
At the Organization’s Headquarters in New York, jobs such as drivers, electricians,

building management and printing staff fall under the related category called Trades
and Crafts (TC). Similarly, Security Officer jobs in New York are advertised as a
separate category called Security (S), and tour guides in New York as Public
Information Assistants (PIA). Another related category is the Language Teachers
(LT), for which positions can be found only in New York and Geneva. In all other
duty stations these jobs are included, and listed, under General Service.
Currently, the following General Service Tests are administered in the UN

Secretariat (some of them in New York only):
• The Global General Service Test (GGST)
• The Security Officer Test
What qualifications do I need to work in the General Service and related

categories?

The following requirements have to be met to be considered for General Service
jobs:
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum age of 18 years.
• Required number of years of work experience relevant to the job and its level,
as specified in the job opening.
• Language requirements depending on the job and the location of the office.
Most jobs require fluency in one of the two working languages, English or
French.
• There might be additional requirements which are listed in the specific job
opening. Always check to make sure you meet the minimum requirements for
the job for which you are applying.
• Pass the Global General Services Test (GGST) and any specialized test
required for specific functions. The test is taken at the duty station in the
locality where you wish to apply. For more information on the test, please
refer to the GGST section on this page. You may also contact the United
Nations offices in New York (email: ggst@un.org), Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi,
Santiago, Bangkok, Beirut, Addis Ababa, Arusha or The Hague, or contact
your nearest United Nations Information Centre or United Nations
Development Programme office.
What work experience do I need?

Your work experience should be relevant to the job for which you are applying and
each job may also have specific requirements, which are specified in the job
opening. For mid-career and senior level positions, progressively responsible work
experience is required. As you acquire more relevant work experience you can apply
for higher level positions.
You can move from the General Service and related categories to the professional
category only by passing a special competitive examination subject to certain
conditions.
National Professional Officers
For higher positions UN use category National Officer (NO). National Professional
Officers perform very similar roles to those found in the Professional and higher
categories. The difference is that they’re always nationals of the country in which
they serve, and are usually recruited locally.
The reason for this is that National Professional Officers perform roles which have
a strictly national content; this means that they must have experience or knowledge
of the national language, culture, institutions, and systems.
Positions in the National Professional Officer category include human rights officer,
political affairs and legal officers and interpreters.

National Professional Officers are normally locally recruited and perform functions
at the professional level. The qualifications for National Professional Officers are
the same as for the Professional category and require as a minimum a first-level
university degree. Jobs for National Professional Officers can only be found in non-
headquarters duty stations.
National Professional Officers are nationals of the country in which they are serving
and their functions must have a national context, i.e. functions that require national
experience or knowledge of the national language, culture, institutions, and systems.
Examples of these positions include human rights officers, political affairs officers,
legal officers, medical officers, child protection officers, humanitarian affairs
officers, interpreters and civil engineers.
There are five levels of National Professional Officers, A through E. The higher the
level, the more responsibilities the job requires and the more work experience is
necessary.
• NO-A minimum 1 to 2 years of work experience
• NO- B minimum 2 to 3 years of work experience
• NO- C minimum 5 years of work experience
• NO - D minimum 7 years of work experience (very rare position)
• NO - E over 7 years of work experience (very rare position).

Contract types
There are three types of staff contracts:
Temporary Appointments (TA) for less than a year, seasonal or peak workloads, and
specific short-term requirements. This contract type may be closest to what used to
be “Assignment for limited durations (ALD)” or “Temporary Fixed Term (TFT)”
but is strictly limited in terms of duration (both ALDs and TFTs don’t exist any
longer). Temporary Appointments carry a “break in service” blackout period to
prevent a series of TA contracts. Temporary contracts such as “Assignment for
limited durations (ALD)” or “Temporary Fixed Term (TFT)” are still staff contracts
but are clearly time-bound and typically don’t carry all the benefits of Fixed Term
contracts. And even though these contracts can be extended there is usually a limited
(e.g. up to 2 years) after which the same person is not allowed to be in the post any
longer. If you are on an ALD and you hit the limit you have to take a “Break in
Service” of a time determined by the organization. They cannot be renewed beyond
2 years, but staff with TAs may apply for a subsequent FTA.
Fixed-Term Appointments (FTA), usually for 1 or 2 years with possibility of

renewal. This type of contracts is most common among UN staff. FTAs do not carry
any expectation of renewal there is no limit and/or break in service in case the
organization decides to extend an FTA. Fixed terms mean without expectation of
renewal. However, quite often after finishing one contract you may get a new one.
Typically, FTA contracts are very good in terms of job security. So while they are
not guaranteed you should have more than enough time to adjust if anything
happens. An interesting curiosity with Fixed Term Contracts is that some of these

can be project-funded by some country or donor organistion. These contracts have
then slightly different terms and benefits.
Continuing Appointments for an unlimited period of time.
The UN system rarely offers long-term employment with open-ended contracts

(Continuing Appointments). Most UN staff serve on FTAs or TAs, which provide
opportunities for interesting assignments and movement across the globe.
Individual Contractor (IC) and International Personnel Services Agreement

(IPSA).
IPSA staff are not UNDP staff members, but are considered affiliate personnel and,
as such are not governed by or subject to the United Nations’ Staff Regulations and
Rules. Nor is this contract modality governed by national legislation in countries
where UNDP operates. Given that the services covered by the IPSA may only be
provided by natural and not legal persons (e.g., duly formed/registered companies),
and by non-incorporated partnerships, the IPSA falls within the overall scope of
UNDP Human Resource management framework.
The IPSA may also be used by UNDP to contract individuals on behalf of entities
to which it may provide such services (“partners”), whereby the personnel so
contracted are supervised by such partners. Such contracts are then administered by
UNDP. This facility is provided for in the related policy on Partner Personnel
Service Agreement (“PPSA”).
An IPSA Holder is normally a person engaged to perform specialist functions in a

country other than their home country or place of permanent residence. However,

IPSA Holders may undertake an assignment in their home country provided they
have multi-country responsibilities as per the terms of reference and is expected to
travel on official business outside the home country for more than one-third of the
service period.
The IPSA is to be used when engaging individuals in any of the following

circumstances:
a. When undertaking the performance of specific task(s) or delivery of work for

the implementation of project(s) or other activities of a business unit which is
funded by a project (or projects) or a non-continuous source of funding, and required
for a defined period of time (for example, for the duration of the active project(s)
carried out by UNDP or its funding);
b. When undertaking the performance of specific task(s) that is/are needed

because of the variable business volume due to the nature of UNDP’s business
model;
c. When the services require specialized technical, peculiar or unique skills, that
are not part of UNDP’s staff capability or may not be needed long-term by UNDP.
An IPSA may be issued for up to 12 months at a time (and not less than 6 month),
and may be renewed for up to 4 years, however, not to exceed the maximum duration
of the project. The maximum period for the use of an IPSA is normally for the
duration of the project and/or its expected funding period. Analog of IPSA for
national staff is NPSA.
Classification of IPSA categories

IPSA8 (equivalent to P1)
IPSA11(equivalent to P4)
IPSA13 (equivalent to D1)
IPSA14 (equivalent to D2)*
Individual Contract (IC)

The IPSA and the NPSA will replace all international and local ICs as of 31 March
2022 (extended from 31 December 2021), except those which are of lumpsum
deliverable-based arrangements. After this date, the use of ICs will be restricted to
lump-sum deliverable-based arrangements only.
Other UN Agencies:
The IC policy is still available in its current form, covering both daily and lump-sum
based ICs; for use by all other UN Agencies until 31 December 2022.
General Principles
Summary comparison of appointment and contract types and their conditions of

service

Fixed-term, Temporary Individual International
Permanent Appointment Contract Personnel Services
Appointments (TA) (IC) Agreement
(FTA/PA) (IPSA)
Legal basis Career staff member, Staff members Governed by IC Personnel governed by
contracted under the governed by the UN Policy and explicit explicit terms of
UN Staff Regulations Staff Regulations and terms of IC International Personnel
and Rules. Rules Services Agreement
Duration A fixed-term Up to 364 calendar Lump-sum based. 1 day to 1 year at a
appointment may be days maximum. Up to 36 months, time, and Up to 4 years.
granted for a period of Duration can be with special Extensions beyond the
one year or more, up to exceptional extended approval beyond 24 maximum of four years
five years at a time ; beyond the first 364 months is possible but subject
A permanent calendar days for up to to review and
appointment is an 1 year confirmation of the
open-ended criteria applicable to the
appointment. use of IPSA
Regular IPSA:
Min. 6 months
Retainer IPSA:
Max. 6 months in any
calendar year
Remuneration Local remuneration Based on the Depending on level Based on best
basis scales based on best applicable UN of complexity; daily comparator civil
prevailing local Remuneration scale for fees in excess of service.
conditions; the relevant staff $1,350 require IPSA Fee calculator:
International category. approval; fee table • Basic salary
remuneration scale is developed by BU • Cost of living
based on best • Hardship
comparator civil Element
service
Hardship Yes, as per ICSC and Yes, as per ICSC and No Yes (for duty stations D
Allowance duty station duty station & E) Lump sum fixed at
$1,000 per month
Danger Pay/ Yes ($1,600) Yes ($1,600) No Yes (where applicable)
Allowance and in form of a lump
sum fixed at $1,000 per
month
Taxability of Tax-exempt (or subject Tax-exempt (or subject Not exempt; no tax Not exempt unless
salaries to reimbursement) to reimbursement). reimbursement through decision of
relevant national
authorities; no tax
reimbursement
Recruitment Reviewed by CR Competitive process Procurement Delegated to Business
procedures Panel/Board required but CRB/CRP Process categorized Unit Heads
not required. by thresholds

(FTA/PA) (IPSA)
Medical UN Medical Service UN Medical service For >65 years of Medical certification
clearance age by a UN issued by a certified
medical physician if physician for fitness.
available; travel
Performance PMD PMD Upon extension, IC Annual; Performance
review evaluation form Evaluation
Annual leave 2.5 days/month A staff member who None 2.5 days/month for
A staff member who holds a temporary IPSAs of 6 months or
holds a fixed-term or a appointment may longer
continuing accumulate and carry An IPSA may
appointment may forward up accumulate and carry
accumulate and carry to 18 working days of forward up to 24
forward up annual leave by 1 April working days of annual
to 60 working days of of any year leave by 1 April
annual leave by 1 April
Pension UN Pension Fund UN Pension Fund for None None
staff members on TAs
of six months or longer
or who complete six
months of service
without interruption of
more than thirty days
are eligible for
participation in the UN
Joint Staff Pension
Fund.
Sickness After less than three 24 days full pay per None Regular IPSAs (issued
Sick leave years of continuous year for a duration of 6
service: three months months or longer): 2
on full remuneration days per month or 24
and three months on days per year
half remuneration in
any period of twelve
consecutive months
Permanent appointees
or FTA with more than
three years: up to nine
months on full
remuneration and nine
months on half
remuneration in any

(FTA/PA) (IPSA)
period of four
consecutive years.
Parental leave 16 weeks 16 weeks None 16 weeks
for birth (eligibility is after 12
parent months of service)
Parental leave 4 weeks, or up to 8 4 weeks, or up to 8 None 4 weeks (eligibility is
for non-birth weeks if in a non- weeks if in a non- after 12 months of
parent family duty station. A family duty station. A service)
minimum of 6 months’ minimum of 6 months’
continuous service is continuous service is
required before PL required before PL
maybe granted. SM is maybe granted. SM is
expected to continue at expected to continue at
least 3 months upon least 3 months upon
return form PL return form PL
Medical Local office staff – Local office staff – None Medical Coverage is
Benefits UNDP scheme (MIP); UNDP scheme (MIP); mandatory for IPSA
holder. UNDP provides
International staff in International staff in subsidy in form of lump
the field: CIGNA; the field: CIGNA. sum in the amount of
International staff and USD 250 per month.
GS in New International staff and Enrolment and
York: AETNA, GS in New administration is
Empire Blue cross, York: AETNA, between IPSA holder
HIP medical plans Empire Blue cross, and service provider
made available HIP medical plans directly.
made available;
Eligibility S/M and recognized S/M N/A Open at own cost

(Medical dependents
Benefits)
Subsidy S/M and recognized Appointee only None IPSA Holder only.
(Medical dependents UNDP provides lump
Benefits) sum subsidy of USD
250 per month.
Medical S/M and recognized Staff member only IC fully responsible IPSA Holder fully
evacuation dependents Eligible only in case of for costs. responsible for costs.
occurrence of acute UNDP may facilitate
life-threatening and assist with
medical emergency. arrangements

(FTA/PA) (IPSA)
Death Coverage for service- Coverage for service- Service-incurred Corporate
and disability incurred injury, illness incurred injury, illness only Global Group plan
or death in accordance or death in accordance (non-contributory) for
with App. “D” of Staff with App. “D” of Staff death and disability
Rules. Rules. (any cause)
Malicious Acts Coverage for Coverage for Coverage for ICs Coverage for IPSA
Insurance S/M located at, or S/M located at, or located at, or Holder located at, or
(MAIP) travelling to, a travelling to, a traveling to, a traveling to, a
designated hazardous designated hazardous designated designated hazardous
duty station subject to duty station subject to hazardous duty duty station subject to
compliance with compliance with station subject to compliance with MAIP.
MAIP. MAIP. compliance with
MAIP
Salaries and benefits
The pay level for staff of professional and higher categories is based in accordance
with the highest-paying national civil service. The base salary is supplemented by a
post adjustment that varies according to the cost of living in the duty station and the
US dollar exchange rate.
Staff may be entitled to other allowances and benefits such as education grants for
their children, rental subsidy, medical insurance, and relocation expenses, which
may add up quite substantively to the base salary. UN salaries, grants and allowances
are income tax exempt.
To calculate the estimated salaries and benefits of international UN staff members,

use UNDP’s salary estimation tool.

Recruitment Process in the UNDP and United
Nations agencies, OSCE, and other NGOs
Formal criteria
The first step is to find a vacancy that is suitable for your background and your
knowledge. The UN job system is quite complex and the official UN website doesn't
provide all available jobs and vacancies. This is a real surprise, but it's true. The UN
website provided some international vacancies, but really not all of them. There a
lot of national vacancies that are missed. So we advise you to use our service to find
a suitable job for you.
You may use search criteria like Organization, Location (Countries, Cities),
Contract level and so on.
The first common mistake is to apply for the job that is not relevant for your past
professional or education qualifications and experience. Always read carefully
Duties and Responsibilities, Competencies and Required Skills and Experience. If
it is mentioned that a candidate needs "Education: A Master's degree or higher", you
really need the Master’s degree or higher. If in vacancies mentioned at least 5 years
of experience developing and managing user management systems - you really
should have 5 years of such experience and this experience should be described in
your P-11 form (special Personal History form - analog of CV of UN purposes. More
detailed information about P-11 you may find here). So carefully read Qualifications
and Experience criteria in the vacancy description. It saves your time and the time
of an HR Officer. Updated. In 2022 Personal History Form (P-11) is needed only

as CV in some UN agencies as UNDP. Almost all UN agencies is using now a
digital format of application. It is using the same information as you fill in P-
11 form. So all tips for filling in P-11 form works for digital application. Below
we will describe application in the United Nation system Inspira.
Some vacancies require the knowledge of two and more languages (for example
English and French) so pay attention to Language Requirements.
Also, if you would like to know the position salary, please read this article - UN
Salary Scale in UN, Types of UN contracts.
Application
Step two - Now you are sure that your qualification, education, and experience is
relevant for the published vacancy. You may press apply now button and our service
will open the page with the vacancy details on the official website of UN or other
NGO.
Warning. At the bottom of the vacancy description, there may be mentioned special
requirements for the application process. Some UN agencies, NGOs have different
application rules. These are the most common: 1) the email of HR is mentioned in
the bottom, and your CV and cover letter should be forwarded to this email, 2)
sometimes, it is also required to send Personal History form, P-11), 3) no special
requirements are mentioned and you can apply via Apply Now button.
So do not hesitate and press Apply Now button and fill in all boxes with a red
asterisk *. Fill in your actual email address, because you will receive a reply on this
email. In the Resume and Motivation letter - you may copy-paste your CV and Cover

letter. Attention: there may be special requirements like Maximum 1000 Characters
for the Motivation / Cover Letter.
Submit
After you have filled in all the boxes - you should press the Submit an application
button. But this is not the end.
After this, you will be offered to attach your resume or CV. Attention. Here you
should attach your completed Personal History form ( P-11). This is very important
because the P-11 form is the most important in your application process. Different
UN agencies (UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR) have different versions of P-11 form, so
you should download P-11 from an official website of a UN agency that published
the vacancy. After you have attached your P-11 form, press the button to send /
submit your application.
What's next?
The complete selection process in UN agencies takes from 2 weeks to 4 months.

There is even a joke that if you would like to find a good job in the UN, you need
half a year.
If your application is successful, you will get an invitation to the next step of a
selection process. Usually, it is a written test. How to prepare for a written test you
may read here. The next step is the interview. If you've been invited to an interview
- your chances to get a job are quite good. Usually, not more than 10 candidates are
invited to the interview. As a rule, the interview is arranged via Skype, but it can be
also in person. Examples of interview questions you may see here.

If you succeed, you will receive a job offer on your email after 1 - 2 weeks
(sometimes it may even take a month).
How to write a CV (Sample)

We would like to discuss how to write a good CV. Most of UN agencies use Personal
History forms, which includes all the elements of a CV such as education,
experience, skills and trainings. Here is an example of a CV with an explanation
which elements are important. Rule #1 – NO mistakes. Double check yourself and
check grammar with MS Word. Below you will find a successful CV for a UNDP
mission for a position of Manager Adviser.
Name Surname
email@adress.com
HIGHER EDUCATION (always start from the latest degree you’ve obtained).
West European University, Geneva. Master of Arts in Politics and the Political
Economy of the Post-Communist Transition (2001-2002).
Main course of study: Post-communist Transition, Foreign Policy and Political Party
Development.

Geneva Institute for Graduate International and Diplomatic Studies, University of
Economic Sciences Geneva. Master of Arts in International Relations (1995-1998).
Main course of study:
International Relations and Security Studies.
College of Foreign Trade/Economics, Geneva (1992-1995). Main course of study:

Economics and Foreign Trade.
Next block of information is a short summary about your skills and proficiency.
This is very important. It’s a new trend to give short summary before
experience description.
SUMMARY OF SKILLS AND STRENGTHS
Strong management and leadership experience in post conflict environments.
Extensive policy and coordination expertise with international organizations such as

the OSCE, the United Nations and the European Union.
In-depth knowledge of capacity and institution building, as well as monitoring.

Strategic planning and program design and implementation experience in the areas
of rule of law, good governance, democratization and human rights.
Ability to manage several tasks simultaneously and consistently meet deadlines.

Strategic thinker able to conceptualize complex issues; excellent research and
analytical skills. Excellent oral and written communication skills with extensive
drafting/reporting experience.
Next block is Professional experience – start from the latest job you have. Try
not to mention your routine work obligations, or TOR. Try to highlight you
biggest achievements. See below
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Trainer, Consultant 05/12-present
Self-employed
European Union Civilian Crisis Management
• Conceptualization, implementation and evaluation of European training programs
• Training and mentoring of professionals assigned to EU civilian crisis management

missions within the framework of pre-deployment and core courses;
• Trainer for specific subjects including monitoring, reporting, information flow,

role of international organizations, inter-agency cooperation, CSDP/EU Policies in
Western Balkans, Good Governance, Democratization, Gender, Human Rights,
Conflict Transformation, etc.
• Team leader for comprehensive role-plays and simulation exercises
NATO/EUROCORPS exercise

• Governance Advisor in the Commander Advisory Group at NATO/EUROCORPS'
Joint Spirit Exercise 2013
Law Advisor 06/08-10/10 EU LEX, European Union Rule of Law Mission in

(place here a region or city) Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP)
Mission.
• Provided policy advice to the EULEX Head of Customs Component, Kosovo

Customs and the Kosovo Ministry of Finance and Economy in relation to customs
issues including fight against organized crime and corruption, Integrated Border
Management, inter-agency and cross-border cooperation.
• Drafted assessments and customs specific plans/policy papers for the ethnically
divided city and region of Mitrovica, the single most important hot spot in Kosovo.
• Wrote sectoral assessments and progress reviews; supporting the Government of

Kosovo in its efforts to implement best international practices by identifying gaps
in capacity.
• Liaised with the civil society, business communities and with all agencies relevant
to the work of the customs component including the Kosovo Police, Ministry of
Internal Affairs, KFOR, the European Commission Liaison Office, UNMIK, the
Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency and the Agency for Coordination and
Development of European Integration.
• Ensured that mission policies are adhered to during the implementation of

EULEX's mandate and programs in the area of customs.

• Responsible for drafting all reports emanating from the Customs Component
including daily/weekly/monthly and analytical special reports.
Law Advisor/ Administration Expert (place here a region or city)
European Union Planning Team for Kosovo, 07/06 – 06/08
• Responsible for the strategic guidance of the civil administration planning

component of the EU's future Mission in Kosovo with a special emphasis on
Customs and the Ministries of Internal Affairs and Justice.
• Produced detailed capacity assessment reports of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

and Customs; drafted the Concept of Operations and several sector specific
Operational Plans and strategies; developed relevant programs including mission
build-up, entry and exit strategies, monitoring an evaluation and drafted over 100
specific job descriptions.
• Formulated recommendations to the Head of the Planning Team regarding

UNMIK's
transition to the Kosovo Government and future EU mission in the areas of

decentralization, civil registration, forced return/repatriation, missing persons,
organized crime, Customs and anti-corruption.
• Team leader for the development of the EU strategy and contingency planning
covering the areas of Police, Justice and Customs for the ethnically divided city and
region of Mitrovica.

• Additionally, in charge of specific strategies designed to address the needs of
minority communities with a special focus on the implementation of the
decentralization process. Responsible for the liaison with local and international
NGOs and civil society actors engaged in the broader field of Rule of Law.
• In charge of developing cooperation agreement between the OSCE Mission in

Kosovo and the future ESDP mission. Liaised with other international agencies to
assure synergy with their programming.
• Identified issues requiring follow-up and supported UNMIK and the Government
of Kosovo in its efforts to implement best international practices by identifying gaps
in capacity. Drafted background papers, briefing materials, talking points, defensive
lines, and correspondence for the Head of the Planning Team.
• Provided comprehensive training to incoming mission members on various

subjects including the mission's structure, Kosovo's political context and IOs and
the EU in Kosovo.
Head of Office (place here a region or city)
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) 01/06 - 06/06
Responsible for the day to day activities of the Regional Center and supervision of
75 international and local staff members.
Coordinated and monitored the implementation of OSCE's institution and capacity

building mandate in the region, which included the main city, i.e. Pristina
municipality.

Appointed by the Head of Mission as the sole field representative to the Steering
Committee which developed and managed the OSCE's mission wide restructuring.
Piloted the implementation of the revised operational guidelines, drew lessons
learned which would be applied throughout Kosovo.
Oversaw the preparation of all reports emanating from the Regional Center to ensure
accuracy, neutrality and impartiality.
Ensured that all policies and guidelines were properly implemented through the
activities of the Municipal Monitoring Teams, the Security Issues Section, the court
and police monitors and the Administration staff.
Developed municipal specific action plans in line with the Mission Implementation
Plan.
Coordinated activities with the representatives of international organizations and

NGOs, as well as liaised with local government officials, community leaders, police,
media and other stakeholders.
Designed specific strategies/projects and advised on mission policy planning.
Drafted background papers, briefing materials, talking points for the OSCE Head of
Mission.
Head of Field Office, (place here a region or city) 06/03 - 12/05
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Responsible for the day to day activities of the Field Office and supervision of 25
international and local staff members. Throughout the ethnically motivated riots in

March 2004 managed the Field Office during and in the immediate aftermath of the
crisis, including office evacuation.
Managed and coordinated the office's election activities for the October 21XM
parliamentary and local elections.
Served as the local representative of Head of Mission within the designated Area of
Responsibility.
Coordinated and monitored the implementation of OSCE institution and capacity

building mandate which included democratization, good governance, human rights
and police/court capacity building and monitoring.
Coordinated activities with the local government officials, community/minority

leaders, police, media and other stakeholders and liaised with representatives of
international organizations and NGQs.
Assessed the capacities of local governments in various areas and designed specific
strategies/projects/trainings accordingly.
Drafted background papers, briefing materials, talking points for the OSCE senior
management; advised on mission policy and planning.
As the focal point for Return facilitated the design and implementation of
sustainable return projects and implemented projects in the framework of the Ethnic
Community Sustainability
Fund; provided advice to municipal governments on minority return and re-

integration.

Reported regularly/weekly on political and mandate implementation developments.
Criminal Affairs Officer (place here a region or city)
United Nations Mission in (place here a region or city) 01/02-01/03
• Advised the International Police Task Force and the local police on political and
civil developments with a special emphasis on anti-corruption policies and
separation of the executive and legislative mandates.
• Advanced the implementation of UNMIBH's mandate through facilitating inter-

entity and inter-state police cooperation including the first post-war meeting
between Tribune and Dubrovnik police.
• Assessed the capacities of the local police in the area of community policing;
designed community safety strategies with local communities including minorities,
aimed at strengthening the links between the Police and their constituency with the
aim to ease ethnic.
Drafted background papers, briefing materials, talking points and defensive lines for
the UNMIBH regional and HO management; prepared daily, special and spot
reports; liaised with civilian organizations including the Office of High
Representative, UNHCR, OSCE and others.
Election Advisor/Democratization Officer/Head of Field Office, Doboj, 06/00 -

12/01
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Based on OSCE provisional election rules facilitated the power sharing negotiations
between political parties following the 2000 local elections.
Monitored political developments in 14 municipalities, as well as Tuzla Canton.
• Advised the Municipal Election Commissions in the transition from international

to local election management.
• Designed, developed and implemented democratization programs aimed at

strengthening municipal capacities including good governance practices,
cooperation with the civil society, budget planning and implementation.
Coordinated activities with the representatives of international organizations and

NGOs, as well as liaised with local government officials, community leaders, police,
media and other stakeholders.
• Designed AoR specific strategies/projects and advised on mission policy planning.
Drafted background papers, briefing materials, talking points and defensive lines for
the OSCE regional and senior management.
Researcher, Geneva- Switzerland 06/99 - 05/00
NATO Information and Research Center.
Set up the new research center, under the auspices of the Switzerland Academy of
Sciences.
• Made presentations to possible donors.

Conducted initial research on security and defense issues in order to support the
Center's efforts to contributing to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' policy/decision
making.
Assisted the research work of the Head of the Center on the development and
implications of the Kosovo conflict in Central and Eastern Europe.
Organized related lectures/seminars to students of international law and

international studies. Prepared and conducted a one-semester course titled "The
Euro-Atlantic Institutions" to Switzerland university students at the Aron Marion
University. Institutions included the EU, OSCE, UN, Council of Europe and NATO.
Information Assistant
United States Information Service Geneva
United States Embassy 06/95 - 09/98
Prepared daily press briefs and summaries for US State Department employees
Assessed and analyzed political trends with special focus on Switzerland's accession
to NATO the establishment of SFOR's support base and issues linked to the region's
post communist transition including transition to a multi-party system, elections,
media issues free market economy and public administration reform.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Nationality: Serbian (It’s very important, if you have double citizenship, you should
mentioned both of them).
Languages: Fluency in English, Working Knowledge of Serbian/Bosnian/Croatian,

good understanding of Spanish, Russian and French.
Additional short-term employment: OSCE election supervisor (BiH, 09/1998),

OSCE election monitor (BiH, 04/2000) and ODIHR election monitor (Albania,
06/2001)
Additional training: OSCE courses on (i) Management/Advanced Management, (ii)

Project
Design and Implementation, (iii) Project Writing, (iv) Negotiation/Diplomatic

Skills, (v) Change Management (vi) Risk Management and,(vii) Coaching and
Mentoring. Office lor Democratic Institutions and Human Rights course (ODIHR)
courses on Human Dimension including Tolerance/Non-discrimination, Human
Rights Monitoring, International Human Rights Systems, Anti-trafficking and
Gender Mainstreaming; and United States Institute of Peace course on Negotiations
and Diplomatic Skills. Channel Research course on Monitoring and Evaluation for
Unstable Environments and Complex Interventions.
The last page is references – you must mentioned minimum 3 personal persons
and their contact details that may give their opinion about your personal and
proficient experience.

Cover letter or Motivation letter for Inspira
and UNDP Profile
As the name suggests, a cover letter serves as a “cover” of your skills and
professionalism and motivation of your application. It should provide a summary of
a candidate’s skills, professional experience, and qualifications that meet the needs
of a job opening, emphasizing why the candidate should be selected. Cover letters
are usually seen as a personal marketing tool. Typically, they are meant to “sell” the
candidate by showing recruiters the qualities and skills that s/he possesses that are
in line with the prospective job. This way, evaluators are able to gain a better
perspective on the candidate’s attributes and their main motivation for applying. The
text should represent the candidate positively and objectively. It should be short, yet
contain enough information to keep the reader interested in reading the rest of the
application. When well written, such a document immediately demonstrates the
participant’s abilities in written communication and the organization of ideas, as
well as their argumentative capacity. The important tip – do not write only about
yourself, mention also what you may give to the organisation and your contribution.
In the United Nations hiring system Inspira as well as the UNDP selection process,
the cover letter is a part of the candidate’s Personal History Profile, serving as an
introduction to the latter. Its main objective is to reinforce the candidate’s positive
qualities in order to arouse the evaluator’s interest and desire to know more about
the individual.
In order to write a strong UN cover letter, it is important to know what the recruiters
will be looking for, so here are some of the aspects the recruiting team seeks to
evaluate:

We recommend highlighting your next skills: competences that should be relevant
to the job description, your ability to work in multinational team (cultural fit) and
reporting and organizing activities.
Competencies: Competencies may be understood as the candidate’s set of

knowledge, abilities, attitudes and values. It is important for the candidate to show
that they have the main competencies the organization is seeking, such as
Professionalism, Teamwork, and Planning & Organizing. Since the United Nations
is indisputably a value-driven organization, your personal values and the manner in
which they are linked to the organization’s should also be highlighted.
Knowledge about the organization: It is expected that the candidate demonstrates
knowledge about the United Nations, such as its mission, its operational approach,
activities, and main objectives (knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals).
Cultural fit: Showing sound knowledge of the organization is not enough. The
candidate should highlight that there is compatibility between their values,
principles, objectives, and understanding of reality with those of the organization.
What to write in the Cover/Motivation letter?

First of all, keep in mind that recruiters do not have a lot time to read deeply every
cover letter. So when you describe your skills and competencies it is better stress on
the keywords and names of international organisation where you worked in the past.
Remember try to fit your CV to relevant duties and responsibilities from job
description.
“Taking into consideration the UN recruitment guidelines, prior professional

engagements are considered as ‘relevant’ if your duties are closely linked to the
‘Responsibilities’ outlined in the job opening you are applying for.”
Keywords from the UN job description must be used to display your knowledge of
the organization. You can even demonstrate awareness of any particular challenges
or developments the United Nations is currently facing within the specific area you
are applying for. Keywords or key phrases are some specific terms that are
mentioned in the job describtion ifor example “conflict prevention”, “peacebuilding

capacity”, “strategic knowledge management products”, “identifying success
stories/lessons”. Do not use them too much, follow the balance as 5-8 keywords or
key phrases in the Cover letter.
Please note that there is no single way to structure your UN cover letter. The
fundamental aspect of an effective structure is that the logical sequence of the parts
is able to tell your story.
Our recommendation made it in chronological order from the most recent experience
to the subsequent experience.
Long texts should be avoided—one page is a good length to cover the main topics.
The recommended length is 400-600 words. Since UN candidates are required to
enter their cover letter in a field on the Inspira platform, a good tip in order to get a
better idea of the length of your text is to write it in a separate Word og Google docs
document on your computer and then copy and paste the final version to the
designated field. This also serves the purpose of saving your document to your
computer prior to submitting it. Since your session on Inspira times out every twenty
minutes, this is highly recommended. Note! Do not forget to a push button save in
Inspira more often to avoid to miss your data. Avoid too complex and difficult read
sentences.
Checkpoints for a Cover Letter

In this section, some general checkpoints have been listed for you to pay special
attention to when writing and revising your cover letter. Make sure to go through all
of them prior to submitting your final version to Inspira.
Language
As far as “language” is concerned, here is a list of aspects you should pay attention
to:
– Avoid clichés, idioms and outdated language, use official language.

– Beware of errors in grammar, use of verb tense, and punctuation. Show that you
have an understanding of the language’s basic rules. If possible, use a spell checker
or have a proofreader analyze your content when you’ve finished writing your cover
letter. We strongly recommend to use Grammarly, it is free and easy to use.
– Give preference to writing out the full names of organizations, positions.
– Remember to use the first person singular to describe your personal

accomplishments and achievements.
– A broad vocabulary should be used, which is appropriate for the United Nations,
the competencies the program seeks. But avoid to build to complex and to difficult
sentences.
– Do not use words and expressions without being sure of their meaning. Although
it is important to have an extensive vocabulary, it is a mistake to think that you
should misuse elaborate words which are hard to understand.
– Avoid repeating words and expressions, as they make the text tiresome and
unattractive.
– Avoid slang, abbreviations (such as “asap” for example), or traces of the spoken
word (that is, informal expressions typical of oral conversations).
– It is recommended that you refrain from using general terms, which demonstrate
absolute certainty, such as: “always”, “never”, “every time”, “undoubtedly”, etc.
Organization
Read your cover letter and ask yourself why the sentences and paragraphs are
arranged in that order. If you cannot find a justification, it is likely that your cover
letter is not logically organized.

Review your Cover Letter
Double-check the grammar, spelling, verbal agreement, and cohesion, and
especially check that the information is consistent with what you have put in your
personal history profile (PHP);
You may ask your friend or your colleagues to review your letter.
Feedback
After finalizing your cover letter, show it to your colleagues and ask them to provide
a feedback on its content and organization of ideas. It is good if your colleague has
previous or present UN experience or experience working in international
organisation. In this way, any mistakes which you had not noticed in preparing the
document can be identified and corrected.
Ideally, you should ask for the opinion of someone who does not have a close
emotional tie with you or has enough maturity to be neutral, since, generally
speaking, people who are very close are embarrassed about being critical, even when
they have identified mistakes. Getting professional feedback is a plus in competitive
selection processes such as the UN, and can highly increase your chances of passing
the first screening round.
Using of a Cover Letter/Motivation Letter for different positions

Note that you will apply for different positions with different requirements. It is
highly recommended to adjust your Cover letter for the needs of a new application
– use new keywords and highlight you skills that corresponded to a new job
description. There is no need to rewrite the whole letter every time.

Submitting your CV to the United Nations or
how to create a successful personal history
profile
The UN Personal History Profile (UN PHP or PHP) or UN Personal History Profile
is the term given to the online application form for candidates to fill out with detailed
personal information in the global UN HR portal - Inspira. It is next step in
digitalization of Personal History Form. So all recommendations for filling P-11
are useful here too. The PHP must show that you have the technical knowledge and
skills desired by the UN; The filling in PHP profile is step by step process in your
browser and it is already structured by UN. Nevertheless all tips that were given for
Cover/Motivation letter should be used here too - it should avoid grammar, spelling,
punctuation, or eligibility criteria mistakes. We higly recommend you to use
Grammarly extension for Chrome (it is free) that helps to correct grammar mistakes
in the browser window. It is divided into multiple sections, all of which will be
presented individually in this part of the chapter. You can fill out your UN Personal
History Profile and save your application form without submitting it right away.
This way, you will be able to access and modify it, editing or adding information
multiple times before you submit it.
Screening and Fitness Questions
In the end of 2021 Inspira implemented a new stage of selection. It includes from 1
till 8 (it depends on you’re the level of the announced job) questions that are
connected with announced job. UNDP is using the same approach. Answers on these

questions become very important, because exactly based on these answers UN are
choosing the best candidate profile.
For each question, you need to explain how your experience or your qualification
meets the stated criterion, using examples. You need to provide complete answers
to each question, highlighting all relevant experience or qualifications in your
response, specifying the year(s) during which that experience or qualification was
obtained. Answers that just refer to the fact that relevant information is contained in
other portions of your application are not acceptable. These questions and your
responses are mandatory and may be eliminatory.
If your experience does not meet the stated criterion, please check the box “I do not
meet this criterion” or “None/Not Applicable” below the question.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Never select “I do not meet this criterion”, because it will
automatically will reject your application.
In this part of the PHP, you will be asked questions specific to the job opening you
are applying for. Questions in this section will only appear when you apply for a job
opening and must be answered before you submit your application. If you have not
chosen a job opening yet, this section will probably be blank. The screening
questions will appear later on when you click on “Replicate from an existing or
previous application” to retrieve the information from this application when you
decide to apply for a specific job opening. Important notice – do not hesitate to
push save button on the each page and every 15 minutes. Live session of Inspira is
20 minutes, if you don’t save your data it will disappear. So click save button quite
often.

Lets explore what kind of questions on the position of Legal Officer, Human Rights
Officer, Administrative Assistant or Officer, reporting officer, Training Officer may
be asked and how to answers.
Examples of answers on screening questions:

Legal Officer (International law).
Question 1
Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational

institution in law, with specialization in public international law. Please explain how
you meet this criterion using examples.
Answer.
As you may see from my profile in 2007, I finished 4 years education in Hong Kong
Law University with specialization in International Law. In 2008, I obtained an
advanced degree Master of Law in Hong Kong Law University. Hong Kong Law
University is in top 10 Hong Kong Universities and is a major international centre
for legal research. The faculty has internationally renowned academic staff members
whose expertise range across a wide variety of fields. During my education I focused
on a wide range of elective options—including international and comparative
commercial law. I got excellent knowledge and developed legal writing, reasoning
and analysis skills. My tutors on the master’s course were legal professionals, former
judges and international academics.
I undertake a substantial research project in the area of public law “Legal regulation
of International organizations”.

I obtained diploma with honors from Hong Kong Law University.
Question 2.
At least 5 years of progressively responsible and relevant experience as a lawyer in

the United Nations, other international organization, government service, the
commercial/private sector or NGO, with a focus on international law. Please explain
how you meet this criterion using examples.
Answer
I have extensive legal experience workin on EU and International Organizations:
In 2009 – 2013 I was a Legal officer in EU-Twinning in Croatia on „Further

improvement of institutional capacity of all Misdemeanour Courts“.
In 2014 I became an advocacy trainer with NGO “Human rights Planet” and is now
an advanced advocacy trainer. In 2018 I led the first advocacy training programme
in Cyprus for the Cypriot Bar Association as part of an EU funded project to support
the rule of law among the Bar and judiciary of Cyprus.
I was asked to represent the UN Volunteers project in June 2016 at Child Justice
Guidelines Training for the Judiciary seminars for Parish Magistrates and defence
lawyers held in Egypt by the Office of the Child Advocate, funded by UNICEF. I
was asked to deal with the English experience of the development of procedures to
protect children and vulnerable adults as witnesses in, principally, sexual abuse
cases.
Question 3 (Human Rights Officer).

Experience working on human rights issues related to Africa and Central Asia region
is desirable. Please explain how you meet this criterion using example.
In 2016 I conducted a human rights analysis of an survey on ensuring the IDPs rights
in Vietnam, which was conducted by Human Rights Watch and UNOPS as a
technical partner. In total, 2192 respondents were interviewed. In 2017 I worked as
an expert of Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in
Thailand (providing psychological assistance to survivors of domestic and gender-
based violence and certified trainer).
UNDP Expert for Human Rights trainings in August 2020 – March 2021-
conducting ToT cource for local NGOs in Chad, Africa. (5 Sessions for every group
on human rights concepts for 60 future trainers (4 groups). The purpose of the
training to assess the applicability and usefulness of the draft ToT module, to assess
the skills and capabilities of trainees and authorization to conduct trainings for civil
servants, conducting TOT for improvement of training skills of trainers).
Question 4 (Reporting Officer).
Experience in drafting official reports and organizing field visits is desirable. Please
explain how you meet this criterion using examples.
Answer.
During my work in Vietnam on ensuring the IDPs rights in Vietnam I drafted a

report on survey basis for Human Rights Watch. My part of the report were devoted
to fundamental freedoms as freedom of movement, freedom of opinion and
expression, freedom of association and freedom of religion or belief, rights of

minorities and indigenous peoples. The report includes cases of violation of Human
rights on the border points as incidents of discrimination against minority groups on
the basis of ethnic or sexual identity over the reporting period and highlighted the
ongoing need for measures to reinforce and build confidence that minority rights
should be protected by law and in practice. The absence of legislation protecting and
regulating freedom association has allowed local councils and courts to
arbitrarily limit the freedom of association.
Except this, prepare weekly operations reports on weekly basis from the field offices
about the process of survey obstacles and challenges.
Question 5 (Legal officer).
Some specialization in contract law, commercial law, administrative law and/or

employment law (desirable) Please explain how you meet this criterion using
examples.
Answer.
I have 12 years of professional experience as a Legal officer for

government/business/civil society, including convening, evaluation of legal
policies, monitoring, legal advising, mentoring on multi-sector partnerships, with
most recent experience in France and Central & East Europe, Asia –incl. Pakistan,
Bangladesh; Africa, including East Africa, Zambia. I conduct legal analysis and
research on various legal matters, as administratve issues on the procurement
contracts and employment disputes. On the position of legal Adviser provided legal
advice on different legal issues and assist in drafting legal opinions, memoranda and
other legal documents in Oxfam Canada. During my work for Human Rights Watch

I was actively involved in preparing different acts and legal submissions and draft
the authoritative legal opinions as well. Assist in reviewing the legal material and
any other relevant documents and to identify the most important issues that need to
be sorted out on a priority basis.
Question 6 (Administrative Officer).
Experience in international operations in a post-conflict environment is desirable.

Please explain how you meet this criterion using examples.
Answer
In 2003 - 2004: On the position of Administrative officer worked for United Nations
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). I prepared correspondence, special reports,
questionnaires, evaluations, and justifications related to specific and general
administrative tasks within the area of responsibility of the office in Pristina.
I monitored and coordinated the upkeep and maintenance of the premises with
services providers as per contracts, basic and lease agreements for the property.
Took care of duty cars and supervise staff assigned to the Administrative Team.
In 2009 – 2010 worked as Administrative coordinator to United Nations Mission in

Timor Leste (UNMIT). My main duties were: conduct timely and effective
performance appraisals, provide coaching and feedback, and support staff
development opportunities; Administer and manage the logistics and contacts for
services with service providers such as travel agents, hotels and office suppliers etc;
Question 7 (Training Officer).

Experience in organizing trainings is desirable. Please explain how you meet this
criterion using examples.
I was contacted expert at the Integrated Training Service, Department of

Peacekeeping Operations – ICRC, Geneve. As a training Expert, the main
responsibilities were:
To provide strategic guidance to ICRC staff on the planning and delivery of training
in the field miisions.
To collaborate in the organization and delivery of integrated courses (civilian

security sector) for high-level officials.
To undertake regular engagement with member states, international organisations

and institutions involved in peacekeeping training.
To provide guidance and standards in alignment with DPKO requirements through

activities undertaken for police trainers in the field.
To provide strategic guidance to ICRC staff in the application of different adult

learning methodologies in training delivery.
Question 8 (Administrative officer).
Working experience in the United Nations or similar international organization is

desirable. Please explain how you meet this criterion using examples.
From Author: you may see in Question 6, that we already cover question about
experience in the United Nations. Do not hesitate to copy the answers from your
previous questions with some small changes.

I have Un working experience in the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), where I
worked for two years on the position of the Administrative officer. Also as you may
see from my profile I have two years experience in United Nations Mission in Timor
Leste (UNMIT) where I had position of Administrative Coordinator.
In 2003 - 2004: On the position of Administrative officer worked for United Nations
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). I prepared correspondence, special reports,
questionnaires, evaluations, and justifications related to specific and general
administrative tasks within the area of responsibility of the office in Pristina.
Except Un experience I have advanced experience working within different

international NGO as ICRC in Geneve, where I hold the position of Adminitrative
assistant and undertaken the recording and processing of invoices, receipts and
payments; administered the daily office operations and coordinate logistic
requirements for the project office; take care the petty cash system and ensure
appropriate record keeping.
Question 9 (Programme Officer).
A minimum of six years of progressively responsible experience in project or

programme management is required. Please explain how you meet this criterion
using examples.
Answer.
As a program assistant in UN Volunteers in Ethiopia I was responsible for overall

programme management which includes implementation and monitoring of
programmes and activities in the region as “Road Safety”, “Domestic Violance”,

“Safety on the border”. In implementation of these projects, I develop and sustain
liaison with key professionals and NGOs engaged in the field civilian security
sector.
On the position of Programme Officer in World Food Programme, I was responsible

for the program of the food security, which has operated for 4 years. I develop a
program about recommending improvements on partnership effectiveness and
impact in relation to the goal of improving nutrition. The project included informant
interviews with key players across the globe and two field visits to Zambia
and Bangladesh to examine multi-sectoral collaboration between business,
government and the World Food Programme in relation to nutrition and
agricultural development programme.
Prescreening questions for UNDP - GIS Analyst

Additional Questions
* Do you have fluency in English language (written and spoken)?
* Do you have a Masters Degree in geography or earth science, or related field; or a

Bachelors degree with additional 2 years of experience?
(100 words or under)
* Do you have experience of GIS systems and tools such as ArcGIS, QGIS; and
experience in geo-localized statistics, geographic information systems, remote
sensing and projects’ information gathering and analysis?

* Do you have experience in Satellite Imageries processing?
* Do you have in-field experience collecting GIS data and experience with GIS
software to collect, compile and analyze satellite imagery?
Education
In this section, you must provide all the information related to your academic
background. Remember that it is crucial that you meet the education requirements
of the exam area you are applying for, and that you add relevant academic
information. Therefore, it is more efficient for you to fill in these fields only after
you have decided which job opening you are interested in and whether or not you
have the required educational qualifications. You must list all formal education
institutions attended from age 14 onwards (high school information). Do not include
short-term, non-degree studies (e.g. short online courses)
Higher Education/University Degrees
List all of your degree studies—whether completed, in progress, or incomplete.

Select the name of your university from the dropdown list. Try different
abbreviations to find it if you don’t succeed on the first try. Selecting “Other” and
typing the name manually is not recommended and should be your last choice. Also,
if you cannot find the exact match for your degree name in the dropdown list, select
the closest option.
Note that for your university and/or higher education degree(s) to be recognized as
eligible for the UN, you must fill out the sections “Main Course of Study” and/or

“Field of Study” exactly as they are stated in the job opening of your exam area of
choice. Certain UN job openings may also require a specific selection of “Field of
Study”.
Example:
Candidates applying to in the area Legal Affairs exam area had to select “Law” in
the “Main Course of Study” area and choose a “Field of Study” from the ones listed
in the job opening:
Legal Affairs Education Requirements:
At least a first-level university degree (i.e., Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent

degree of at least three years) in the main course of study “Law” including any of
the following fields of study: General Law, History of Law, International Law,
Jurisprudence, Labor Law, Local Magistrates, Maritime Law, Law of the Sea,
Comparative Law, International Commercial Law, Human Rights Law,
Humanitarian Affairs Law, Environmental Law.
High School/Secondary Education
Name the institution from which you received your high school diploma.
Non-UN Certificates/Diploma
List all diplomas granted to you as a part of your official education. If you have
taken a summer language school/course or Inter-University Program, for example,
this is the place to list it.
Work Experience

In this section, you must add your previous work experience in chronological order.
Taking into consideration the UN recruitment guidelines, prior professional
engagements are considered as “relevant” if your duties are closely linked to the
“Responsibilities” outlined in the job opening you are applying for. That is exactly
why the use of keywords and key phrases (what is keywords and key phrases you
can read in part about Cover Letter) from the corresponding section of the job
description are very important. This will help you in describing your past
experiences in line with the position you are applying for, confirming that you have
previously taken on similar duties to the ones successful candidates will be assigned.
If you have been or still are employed by a UN agency/entity, this is the space to
add these details. Some examples of what you can include in this field: Volunteering
experience with the organization (not online, though), internships, and
consultancies. Note that work experience will be relevant to your application if it
falls within a category from the “Field of Work” dropdown menu showing fields
closely related to the exam area you are applying for.
As for the “Description of Duties and Achievements” field, the UN advises

applicants to be precise and succinct when reporting prior experience. The best way
to do so is by using short paragraphs or bullet points focused on describing the main
duties and achievements in each role performed. Use the UN vocabulary from the
job opening, especially from the “Responsibilities” section.
Remember that description of achievements can always be enhanced through being

more specific and providing numbers where possible. Take a look at the example
below:

- 2009 – 2013 I was a Legal officer in EU-Twinning project in Serbia on „Further
improvement of institutional capacity of all Misdemeanour Courts“.
In 2014 I became an advocacy trainer with NGO “Human rights Planet” and get a
certificate of advanced advocacy trainer. In 2018 I led the first advocacy training
programme in Cyprus for the Cypriot Bar Association as part of an EU funded
project to support the rule of law among the Bar and judiciary of Cyprus.
- I represented the UN Volunteers project in June 2016 at Child Justice

Guidelines Training for the Judiciary seminars for Parish Magistrates and
defence lawyers held in Egypt by the Office of the Child Advocate, funded by
UNICEF. I was asked to deal with the English experience of the development
of procedures to protect children and vulnerable adults as witnesses in,
principally, sexual abuse cases.
In the case of results, which cannot be expressed in numbers, qualitative indicators

can be introduced to show what was achieved.
A practical method to present your professional accomplishments on your

curriculum is called C.A.R. Using this, the context you experienced at work should
be presented, mentioning the Actions the individual took and, lastly, demonstrating
the Results which these actions produced. This should take between two and three
lines per position and focus on your individual part and performance, which will
demonstrate self-confidence and make the candidate’s individual role clear.
Note: sometimes in the job description mentioned among duties and responsibilities
mentioned “highly desirable….” requirements. Pay attention on this highly desirable

requirements and try correspond your past working experience with this
requirements.
Languages
In this section of your UN Personal History Profile (UN PHP), state all the languages
you have knowledge of, including your mother tongue. Remember that since fluent
knowledge of English and/or French is a basic application criterion for the UN, it is
crucial that you indicate your proficiency in at least one of these languages as
“Fluent” in all four fields: reading, speaking, understanding, and writing—otherwise
you will be considered unqualified and will be automatically filtered out by the
platform. In case you need to know to two languages, but you know only one (for
example it is need to English and French, and you know only English) it is better to
skip this vacancy.
List all other languages you know besides English and/or French, choosing from the
levels “Basic”, “Confident”, or “Fluent” offered as options in the dropdown list
provided. Knowledge of another UN official language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian
and/or Spanish) is an advantage. NOTE: Sometimes in the job description
mentioned that one specific language is highly desirable as Spanish. If you know
Spanish you must mentioned it in the Cover Letter and Working experince. It
increasy your chances to get a job significantly. Remember to save your progress
as you fill out the fields.
Skills and Training
This section will ask you to list any training and/or learning activities that you have
completed, whether related to the United Nations or not. This is the place for you

to show off all of the differentials and skills which, along with your work experience,
could make you stand out from the other candidates. Remember to save your
progress as you fill out the fields.
This section will ask for details on:
UN Training and Learning
This applies more commonly to current and former United Nations staff members.
Indicate any UN courses you attended or UN training certificates obtained. If this
does not apply to you, this part should be left blank.
Non-UN Training
List any training and learning activities you completed that are not linked to the
United Nations, such as online/short courses that do not fit into the “Education”
section. It is good if you had training courcses that were delivered by well
recognized organization as The World Bank, Amnesty International, Transparency
International, Freedom House, etc.
Licenses, professional certificates or UN exams
Indicate any licenses or certificates obtained from recognized authorities (that are
not part of the United Nations). If you have successfully passed any UN examination
in the past, it must also be indicated here. Remember: use appropriate English
translations or acronyms for certificates/ licenses that were issued in a non-
English speaking country and could be written in other languages.
Publications

If you are the author of any publications—books, articles, journals, reports—this is
the place to list them. Add the title and date of your publication as well as the
journal/publisher. This step adds relevance to your application but is not a
requirement.
Cover Letter & Attachments
In this section, you will find a designated space to write your cover letter. Note that
this text should NOT be attached as a .pdf or .word document, but actually
WRITTEN in the field. A good tip in order to get a better idea of your cover letter’s
length is to write and revise it in a separate document on your computer and only
afterwards copy and paste the text in the field. How to write a Cover letter you may
see in the chapter devoted to Cover/Motivation Letter above.
You may be asked to attach relevant documents in the “Attachments” field. This
depends on the job opening you are applying for and whether or not it requires
special documents such as Academic Credentials, Work Certificates, or e-PASes
(for UN staff).
Remember that in order for your UN PHP to be considered, you must attach the
following documents:
Passport or a valid identification document issued by a state authority, showing your

name, birth date and nationality, including a clear photograph
Documentation of University degree(s) (e.g., diploma, transcript or similar official

document), reflecting the main course of study selected. If you have any kind of

disability, attach a medical certificate in this field as proof. CVs and resumés are
not accepted in the application processes carried out through Inspira.
References
This part will ask you to provide contact details for 3 people who can supply details
about your work/educational history and qualifications. Family members or personal
friends should not be included as references. On the other hand, mentors, colleagues,
supervisors, and professors are great choices of references to include in this field.
It is important to choose your references carefully and wisely. These people will be
contacted by UN staff to check information about you. It should be people who can
give positive feedback about you and your performance in written form in email or
by call. Make sure to add up-to-date contact information so that recruiters can easily
get in touch with the people named.
Also, remember to contact the 3 people you have chosen to let them know that you
are taking part in the UN selection process and have appointed them as your
references, so they are not caught off-guard if they get a call or email.
Last Questions
In this section of the UN Personal History Profile, there will be questions about
previous misconduct and convictions. If you happen to mark “Yes” to any of these
questions, further details and information will be requested of you.

Review “My Profile”
Indicate your nationality at birth and, in case you have more than one that figures on
the UN list of invited Member States, enter the nationality you wish to be considered
in the field “Country of Nationality”. If you completed your Inspira profile as you
were guided to do in this chapter, these fields should already be filled out with the
information you added to your profile. Take into account that some nations are
underrepresented in the UN and they have priority.
Remember that you can only apply under one nationality. In case you have more
than one, your decision as to which to use could give you an advantage in the
selection process. If you take into consideration, for instance, which country (of
those you are a national of) is underrepresented in the UN Secretariat or by the
number of nationals applying for the program, you could improve your chances of
qualifying in the exam. That is an important strategy, considering that out of the
total number of applicants, only the best 60 per country in each area are invited to
take the written exam. You must prove your nationality by presenting a passport or
national identity card. A driver’s license or birth certificate is not a valid form of ID
for the UN.
Review/Submit
In this section, the system will give you an overview of your application and all the
information you have submitted. Review and confirm that all the data provided by
you in the previous sections of your UN Personal History Profile are accurate and
up to date and only then click on “Submit Application”

Interview guide
I attended a lot of interviews in UNDP, UNHCR, EU Council, Transparency
International, OSCE. Sometimes my role was an interviewer and a panel member of
the HR committee and sometimes as a candidate. Almost all interviews are the same,
and the majority of questions are typical. There 3-6 panel members who ask you
questions. Panel members are - 1 HR Officer, 1 Project Coordinator, 1 Head of the
Department that announced vacancy, 1 Head of Country office. The atmosphere of
an interview varies from being neutral to friendly.
How to give the right answers at the interview
My recommendation is to use CAR approach. The CAR approach highlights your

proficient experience and your ability to manage different situations. CAR is
Context, Action, and Result. For example, a popular question: describe the situation
when you worked with a difficult colleague and it impacted negatively on the results
of the Project. A bad answer is to say that you have never had a difficult colleague.
A good answer is to give a CONTEXT of such a situation, what happened and what
negative influence was caused by this colleague. ACTION - what you did to solve
the problem. RESULT - what result did you achieve?
Tips for an oral interview:
Communication positive indicators:
Speaks and writes clearly
Listens to others and correctly interprets messages

Ask questions to clarify and exhibits interest in two-way communication
Tailors language tone style and format to match audience
Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed
Creativity positive indicators:
Actively seeks to improve programs or services
Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs
Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas
Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas;
Thinks “Outside the Box”
Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things are not bound by
current thinking or traditional approaches
Client Orientation positive indicators:
Consider all to be ‘clients’
Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients
Identifies client’s needs and matches with appropriate solutions

Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the client’s environment to
anticipate problem
Keeps clients informed of progress and setbacks
Meets timeline for delivery of product or services to the client
Typical UN interview questions for an assistant.
1) What is your interest in applying for this position? Please provide us with 1
specific example from your professional career that illustrate your skills in
administrative assistance, travel management and/or Human Resources
administration.
2) The position you applied for implies working in a team that deals both with travel
and human resources management. What would be your course of action in case you
face several urgent requests, some of them of HR nature, others related to travel at
one time?
3) What professional qualities, in your opinion, characterize an efficient

administrative assistant?
4) When you are liaising with colleagues or others from different cultures, what sorts
of issues do you need to take into account?
5) Describe a time when you had to work in an effective team? How do you identify
yourself in a team?

6) Give us an example of when you had to explain something difficult to someone
who did not have your background/knowledge?
7)Briefly, enumerate the three strongest skills you would bring to this position that
may convince us to hire you. What are the professional areas you feel you would
need some improvement?
8) Tell us about a time you have observed others working in an unprofessional or

unethical manner? What did you do specifically about their behavior? What were
the implications?
9) Tell us about the last time a client made an excessive or unreasonable demand on
you? What did you do to assist them? What pressure did this put you under?
10) Do you have a working knowledge of ________(something proficient that

mentioned in vacancy details) to your or other computer reservations system?
Real Interview Questions in GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale

Zusammenarbeit ) for the position Information Management .
Instruction to Candidate: “This is a structured competency and knowledge-based

interview based on the Terms of Reference. We have allocated 45 minutes for the
interview.
1) What opportunities have you had to develop and apply Information Management
strategies within a disaster management/humanitarian response context?

Potential follow-up: Tell us about a specific occasion when you had to develop and
apply an Information Management strategy to a disaster or
development/humanitarian response situation.
2) What opportunities have you had to communicate Information Management

concepts to teams, clients or senior management?
3) What opportunities have you had to use creative solutions implementing

Information Management programmes and activities?
4) What opportunities have you had to serve clients in Information Management

programmes or activities?
More questions.
Why did you choose this career?
What aspects of your education/experience qualify you for this position?
How would you describe yourself?
What has been the biggest challenge you have dealt with and how did you approach
it?
How do you improve your professional skills?
Why did you leave /why are you considering leaving your present job?
What do you like best about your present job?
What did you learn in that (last/ present) job?

What are the most important rewards you expect to gain from your career?
Tips on how to prepare for a video interview

with the UN
This guide does NOT offer advice on the choice or use of different IT programs.
The principal systems currently in use are Zoom and Skype for Business.
Information on these programs is abundantly available.
This guide concentrates on the way in which candidates can most efficiently deploy
their professional skills in communication and persuasion in a new working
environment. It aims to distil existing experience into a set of principles that we hope
will enable everyone to approach a remote interview with confidence and do their
job effectively. It is acknowledged that not everyone will have multiple devices,
additional IT equipment or a private home office during ‘lockdown’ and candidates
may therefore need to adapt this advice to best fit their circumstances.
Liaise in advance
1) Confirm with the interviewer which software is to be used. Confirm the

scheduling, special arrangements and protocols.
2) Understand Software that you will use:

1) Test the technology prior to the interview, including the camera, microphone
and sound settings. Know how to turn the camera on and off, how to mute the
microphone and to adjust the volume.
2) Be aware that sometimes the camera/video can be turned off by the

interviewer and the sound muted by default when you join an interview
electronically.
3) Decide how many screens you intend to use during the interview. You may
use two screens: one for video connection and one for notes and prompts.
4) Join the interview in good time before it is due to start to resolve any
technological issues.
5) If something does go wrong (the interviewer drops offline, for instance, or

some connection fails) pause until it is sorted out. There are some distractions, like
people joining and leaving calls, that you may have to ignore. But you should not be
afraid, if that happens, to go back and repeat a statement or a question.
6) Should the technological problem concern the internet or Wi-Fi connection,

it is helpful to have an alternative method of communication, which is not reliant on
either such as 4G.
7) If there is a technical failure that cannot be fixed, send an email to the

interviewer and explain the situation.
Prepare yourself and your room/office for the interview

1) Avoid setting your device to the highest volume, since this is likely to cause
feedback when you are speaking.
2) Maintain eye contact with the camera. This will ensure you appear to be
looking at your audience. The thumbnail image of the person you are speaking to
may be at the bottom of the screen, when the camera on your device is above the
screen. If so, this will give the appearance that you are looking down or away from
your audience.
3) Ensure that you are clearly visible by maintaining a reasonable distance from
the camera, to show your head and upper body. Too close and your image may blur
and fill the screen, too far and you will appear distant and detached from the
interview.
4) Some cameras zoom in and out depending on the movement of the subject.
This should be avoided. Some cameras have “open-close” cup mechanical switcher
– open it.
5) Advise everyone to be mindful, if using Skype for Business, that the camera
records a wider area than one sees on one’s own screen.
6) If you are using the camera on your laptop, typing will be visible to
participants and may cause the camera (and your image) to shake.
7) Remember that others are watching even if you cannot see them. In cases
involving multiple participants, thumbnail video images may appear on screen, but

these thumbnails often move off screen to allow participants to see the face of the
person talking. Observers may also be present. As such, often there are people
present at the interview who are not visible.
8) Ensure that you are well light by natural or artificial light. Avoid sitting with
your back to a window or other light source. This can result in only your silhouette
appearing on screen.
9) Ensure that your background is appropriate for the interview. A neutral

background is best. Avoid revealing personal or distracting items, such as
photographs, ornaments and paintings. The camera may show more of the room than
you expect.
10) Close the door to the room in which you are appearing. This will prevent
unwanted visitors, sights and sounds from interfering with the interview. This and
the use of the mute button will suppress the noise of coughs, sneezes, doorbells,
coffee machines, dishwashers, dogs barking, typing, rustling of papers etc.
11) Dress professionally.
12) Limit yourself to a glass of water as you would when appearing in an actual
interview.
13) Organise your workspace carefully in advance. Clear it of anything that is not
related to the interview.

14) As far as you can, turn off or close any communications channels that are not
related to the interview you are involved in (email, WhatsApp etc).
Be prepared, then be brief and to the point
1) Your preparation needs to be more meticulous than it would be for a normal

interview. In a remote interview, time is at a premium. Remote communication has
less impact and less subtlety than face-to-face communication.
2) A lot of non-verbal communication (and aspects of “style”) are lost when

working remotely. Concentrate on the substance.
3) Brevity and precision are key. In the event that either sound or video quality
is interrupted during a question or answering, repetition may be required, a process
far easier to complete with prepared response.
4) Aim to present your competences in a low-key courteous and measured way.

Be careful not to have too much mental overload during the interview.
5) Be prepared for the fact that remotely-conducted interview are more taxing
than a conventional interview. Do not be shy of asking to repeat a question when
you don’t catch.
6) You may use connecting words like “Well…”, “In my opinion….”, “I would
like to share my experience….”, “I consider…”.
Avoid over speaking

1) In a remote interview, a brief delay typically occurs between the video image
of the person speaking and their voice being heard by the HR panel. This connection
delay may lead participants to believe a person has finished speaking before they
have, in fact, done so and is liable to result in participants inadvertently speaking
over one another.
2) Do not interrupt. Let a speaker finish before speaking. Be especially careful

not to interrupt the interview panel’s question.
3) When you are speaking, allow pauses for questions. You may even want to
invite them.
4) If you are speaking and become aware that someone else is trying to speak,
pause to allow them to do so.
5) Do not fill pauses. Gaps between speakers (e.g. while waiting for an
interviewer response) are more common with remote communication than when you
are together in real time interview.
6) If you feel compelled to interrupt and ‘get to your feet’, try to be patient and
explain your position on the asked topic.
More tips and advices on the video interview techniques see here.

How to Fill in Personal History Form
Personal History Form is also called P-11 form. A good P-11 form with a cover letter is the shortest
way to the interview.
First of all, you need to download the latest Personal History Form on the website of the organization
that announces job position. UNHCR. UNICEF, UNDP have a little bit different p-11 forms.
Here is some latest version of Personal History form.
UNDP
UNHCR
UNICEF
Here is a good example of how to fill in P-11 form correctly.
Updated: as we mentioned before almost all UN agencies, now use digital application form on their
web site. P-11 is used now in UNDP as CV application. Below you may see example of good P-11
form. It is old, but there are not many changes for now and it gives general understanding.

Annex 1. Written test samples
Written test/UN Office Africa Border Issues Coordination Officer
1. Do not put your name on the answer sheet as the test will be evaluated
anonymously.
2. You have 75 minutes to complete the test.
3. You may answer the questions below in any order you wish.
4. The use of internet or any USB stick is forbidden!
Written Test Questions
1. One of the biggest problems and challenges of Kyrgyzstan is the border

delimitation and demarcation with neighbouring countries. Why, in your
opinion, is a big challenge for Kyrgyzstan?
2. What is the difference between military type of border protection and
operational type of border protection?
3. There have been several border conflicts between Kyrgyzstan and its
neighbouring countries. Some of these conflicts have resulted in violence and
death. In your opinion, what are the root causes of these conflicts? Also in

your opinion, how can the UN as an Intergovernmental Organization help
reduce the violence?
4. Kyrgyzstan has adopted a National Strategy on implementation of Integrated
Border Management System. What is the main goal of this strategy or any
other IBM?
5. Following the withdrawal of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
troops at the end of 2014, what are the security risks for Central Asian
countries? How could these countries and the international community
mitigate those risks?

UNDP WRITTEN TEST
for the post of
Rule of Law Specialist, Rule of Law and Community Justice for Conflict-
Affected Areas (P-2)
Date: Month DD, YYYY
Applicant Number __________________

Dear candidate,
You will have up to 90 minutes to complete this exercise.
Tests will be assessed on the overall strength of the responses and quality of the
content/analysis:
• Task 1 (45 points)
Total 100 points.
Instructions
You are advised to read the instructions carefully before beginning.
• Please do not write your name on any part of the exam sheet;
• Please do not use external sources of information during the test (cell
phone, internet, etc.);
• All answers need to be original, and typed into the template. Applicants
found to be “cutting and pasting” answers or plagiarizing text will be
disqualified from the entire selection process for the above position.
• For your reference, a summary of the project document is attached.
Good Luck!

TASK 1
(45 points maximum)
The recent crisis in the east, has led to a great increase in criminality and a
breakdown in the rule of law. You are about to start your activities in introducing
community policing approach in one of the communities under your AOR. You
know that the government has just restored its legacy in this area. Additionally, the
location is characterized by the significant influx of IDPs.
Please draft a short report outlining the steps you are going to undertake in terms
of activities scope and timing.
Please answer in local language (highly preferable) or English
TASK 2
(35 points maximum)
You have been tasked to work with a local community, including IDPs and
identify with them what their key security and access to justice concerns are. You
have one month to report back to your manager about this.
a. Please describe how you would do this, using a participatory methodology.

b. Please provide a step-by-step workplan including proposed timelines and the
parties you would involve in the process.
Please answer in English
TASK 3
(20 points maximum)

You are a UNDP project officer at an outreach event in the community. At that
event, a female participant approaches you and asks you for legal help. She
becomes distressed and says that her son was taken away weeks ago by ATO and
she doesn’t know where he is, and that the police refuse to help her. She also has
bruises on her face but refuses to discuss how she got them when you ask?
Please draft a short report for your supervisor outlining this situation and the steps
you took/plan to take?
Please answer in English
This is the end of the test.

Thank you!
100 All rights reserved ©

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Written assignment Project Officer UNOPS
1) YOU HAVE 40 MINUTES TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING

ASSIGNMENT:
Please, create and calculate budget in Microsoft Excel using the following data
provided to you about an event to be held within the Project.
The training for legal professionals on application of the European Convention on
Human Rights and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights is to be
held in Vienna on 18-19 July 2018. Total budget of the event is EUR 27 000.
There will be 30 participants from all over EU, 4 experts and 3 UN officials
(including driver) present at the event. For participants accommodation and meals
(breakfast, lunch, dinner, two coffee-breaks and two bottles of water per person per
day) should be provided. The experts and UN officials (including driver) will be
paid Daily Subsistence Allowances in the amount of 90 EUR per night which are to
cover the costs for accommodation and meals.
NOTE: The participants are travelling by train (tariff 2nd class), experts are travelling
by plane from Warsaw (round trip) and UN officials are travelling by car with an
UN driver (round trip). The cost of expenses for fuel will amount to 30 eurocents
per 1 km of travel.
Participant’s handout package normally includes:
- notebook (needs to be printed);
- pen (need to be made);
- promotional materials of the Project (already available at Project’s stock);

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- Project’s manual on application of the European Convention on Human
Rights and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (already
available at Project’s stock).
2) YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES TO TRANSLATE THE FOLLOWING TEXT

INTO LOCAL LANGUAGE
The National Universities announce a call for participation in the ANNUAL INTER-
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL ON HUMAN RIGHTS LAW. The Summer School will
be conducted from 11 to 15 July 2016 in Milan. The Faculty of the School will be
composed of international and national experts.
Eligibility
The organizers invite students from EU Universities to apply for participation in its
study sessions. A group of 25 students will be selected for participation in the School
on the basis of a curriculum vitae and motivation letter submitted in English. The
motivation letter should not be longer than 1,5 pages of text . It should also contain
the full name of applicant and contact details.
The deadline for submission of a curriculum vitae and motivational letter is 30 May
2018. Only successful candidates will be informed of their selection to participate
in the School by 15 June 2018. The organizers will provide accommodation, meals
for the duration of the School and reimburse the cost of travel. Upon completion of
the course of studies at the School participants will be invited to prepare a written
essay on the basis of which Faculty of the School will select the best student-
participants.

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Written test - Training Officer UNDP
Written Test (90 Minutes)
UNDP
Position – Training Officer
Instructions:
• You have 90 minutes to finalise the 3 questions below.

• Your answers should be typed directly onto the test paper.
• Your paper must be anonymous.
Question No. 1
You are asked to develop a lesson plan on ethical and professional behavior in the
Kenya for both international and national mission staff. The aim of the course is to
ensure that all office mission staff is equally familiarized with the importance of
professional conduct for UNDP officials. In your opinion, how should this type of
lesson be structured and developed? Please also write which training methods you
would plan to use?
Question No. 2
According to the identified training needs, you are asked to deliver pilot training
course on Use of Radio Voice Procedure together with a colleague in one field

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office in the monitoring area. The aim of the course is to bring participants to a level
where they are confident to initiate and receive a radio messages using UNDP
recognised radio and voice procedure. The field office informed you and your
colleague that there are 24 nominations for the course. What are the next steps in
order to ensure successful delivery of this pilot course?
Question No. 3
You and your training colleagues need to prepare an overview of training activities
to be organized in the UNDP. How would you start in order to produce a sustainable
training plan?

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TEST FOR SECURITY COORDINATION
OFFICER, P2, UNITED NATIONS
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (90 Minutes)
ASSESSMENT DETAILS
The assessment will consist of 60 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).

You must pass this test in order to proceed to the next stage of the selection process.
The Test will be graded anonymously by United Nations subject matter experts.
Please DO NOT indicate your name in your response. Any tests that include
identifying information in the substantive elements of the test will be disqualified.
All candidates who attain the passing score will be invited for the next stage of the
selection process.
All candidates will be notified of the assessment outcome only once the process has
been finalized.
You are required to highlight in a color of your choice the answers that, according
to you, are the correct ones and return your test by return e-mail.

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1. What are the information classification categories used in the UN?
a. CODE CABLE, Secure fax, note verbale
b. Urgent and important-urgent-important-routine
c. UN restricted –UN confidential- UN secret
d. Unclassified- confidential- strictly confidential
2. A Country Security Plan is an essential requirement for every country with a

United Nations presence. The Plan itself:
a. Is mainly an Evacuation Plan

b. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning
c. Focuses on the Emergency Communications System and staff movements
d. Focuses on personnel
3. Each Duty Station must have a country-specific security plan which

establishes security response procedures to various security emergencies
a. Yes
b. No
c. In some cases
d. Only in the field
4. What are the four mitigation strategies the security decision maker should
consider:

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a. Accept, Control, Avoid, Transfer
b. Accept, Manage, Mitigate, Transfer
c. Reduce, Accept, Control, Avoid
d. Reduce, Manage Accept, Avoid
5. Who is responsible for preparation of the Security Risk Assessment, Concept

of Security and Operational Plan when a Senior United Nations Official visits a
mission?
a. Close Protection Coordination Officer

b. Chief Security Information and Operations Centre
c. Chief Security Adviser/Chief Security Officer
d. Designated Official
6. All offices of an organization must prepare and maintain contingency plans

to:
a. Comply with the list detailed in the security policy
b. Respond to any incident or accident
c. Be prepared to respond and recover from risks identified in the SRM
d. Comply with the requirements of the organizational Security Policy and
Framework of Accountability
6. If a person is victim of sexual harassment, what actions should they take?
a. Report the harasser to the media

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b. Keep written records of the event
c. Seek the advice of a doctor, psychologist, lawyer, counsellor or ombudsman
d. Quit their job
8. When a security assessment is required?
a. When entering a new or unknown region to deploy UN operations

b. When considering whether a building is suitable as a UN office
c. When there is a major change in the security and safety situation
d. All the Above.
9. The framework of accountability lists the accountability for all UN officials

who have a senior managerial role and responsibility in safety and security matters
and:
a. UN personnel is not included

b. It applies only to them
c. It also includes responsibilities at all levels
d. It is to be regarded as a guide only
10. The Security Management Team advises the Chief Security Adviser on all
matters relating to security in a particular country.
a. True

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b. False
11. The definition of a security Threat is: Any factor that can cause harm to the
organization’s ______________
a. Personnel, Facilities and Goals

b. Personnel, Reputation and Actions
c. Personnel, Assets and Operations
d. Personnel, Resources and Activities
12. If taken hostage - which should you do?
a. The first 45 minutes are the most dangerous - survive this period and staff
have a higher rate of surviving the incident
b. You should resist when possible and escape at the earliest opportunity
c. Do not give up mentally
d. Be patient and respect your captors
Answer Choices:
a. ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’
b. ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘d’
c. ‘d’, ‘c’ and ‘a’
d. ‘d’, ‘c’ and ‘b’

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13. The Security Risk Management (SRM) is the process of identifying that
could affect the Mission; it assesses their to the Mission and prioritizes them
to identify prevention and strategies and measures. (Select best answer)
a. Threats
b. Risk
c. Action
d. Mitigation
Answer Choices:
a. ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’
b. ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘d’
c. ‘d’, ‘c’ and ‘a’
d. ‘d’, ‘c’ and ‘b’
14. UN personnel have no responsibility for their individual security; the UN is

totally responsible for their security.
a. True. DSS is responsible for UN security
b. True. Host Government is responsible for UN security
c. False. UN personnel have some responsibility.
d. False. UN personnel are responsible for their security
15. In terms of the framework of Accountability UN Volunteers are:
a. Excluded as they are not UN Staff members

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b. Included with the same rights as UN personnel
c. A special case, subject to DO decision
d. Included on a cost reimbursement basis
16. The Area Security Coordinator is appointed in writing by the:

a. Chief Security Adviser/Security Adviser
b. Security Management Team
c. Representative of respective organization
17. Local Cost-Share budget is used to pay common services, for example;
a. D/S radio room and radio operators
b. FSCO salary
c. Personal insurance for hazards
d. UN personnel medical evacuation costs
18. Road safety-On UN vehicles smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages is
authorized only for;
a. The driver
b. The passengers
c. Non UN passengers
d. None of the above
19. Fire Safety- The principal risk management tool is the;

a. Rapid detection and suppression
b. Fire evacuation and drills.

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c. Fire Safety Plan
d. Compliance with local fire Safety code
20. The UN will deploy a Hostage Incident Management team to that duty station
/ country;
a. For all cases where a UN personnel is taken hostage
b. When the DO requires support from HQ
c. In accordance with the guidelines for proportionate response
d. At the request of the Host government
21. Are dependents of Military/ Police personnel included into the Security
Arrangements?
Select one:
a) Dependents of Military/Police personnel will be included in such manner

because they have an official UN status:
b) Military/Police are UN Staff thus their dependents are also included in the
security arrangements.
c) They have no official UN Status. UN has no responsibility on them.
d) They are UN personnel
22. Compliance with the policies outlined in the Security Policy Manual is
flexible and each manager may decide whether they should apply these or not?
Select one:

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a) No, compliance is mandatory because failure to comply with these policies
and procedures could seriously endanger the lives of staff members.
b) Compliance is not mandatory and has no implications for the liability of the
organizations concerned.
c) No, compliance is mandatory because failure to comply with these policies
and procedures could not seriously endanger the lives of staff members.
23. A decision taken by the Undersecretary General for the Department of

Security and Safety (USG DSS) regarding an eligible dependant while living in a
UN mission is mandatory for:
Select one:
a) Is mandatory for All AFP’s, their Staff, and eligible dependants.

b) Every AFP is independent and decides on his own.
c) UN Staff only.
24. Members of the ______are responsible for supporting the DO in discharging

his/her mandate related to the safety and security of all UN personnel, premises and
assets.
Select one:
a) Security Management Team.

b) UN Mission
c) Executive Group on Security

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25. According to the Framework of Accountability, who has the responsibility for
establishing good contacts with the national security organs of the Host
Government?
Select one:
a) Designated Official (DO), Chief Of Staff (COS) and Field Security

Coordination Officer (FSCO)
b) DO, CSA/SA, CSO and FSCO
c) DO and CSA/SA
26. Single Agency Security Officers are accountable to ______, and at the same
time are responsible to support the ______, under the coordination of the ______.
Select one:
a) Their respective organization, DO, CSA/SA.

b) Member State, DO, FSCO
c) Organization, USG-DSS, FSCO
27. A source indicates that about 100 members of a radical faction intend to
infiltrate the demonstration and to violently disrupt the presentation of the petition
to the government. The source further indicates that the faction aims to provoke
serious disorder in order to discredit the purpose of the demonstration.

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Based on the above, and after confirmation, the PSA/CSA/SA is recommending a
set of additional mitigation measures, including relocation of international staff and
alternate working modalities as preventive measures for national staff on the day of
the event.
What decision does the Designated Official (in consultation with the Security
Management Team) need to take first?
Select one:
a) Assessing compliance of UN personnel with security measures.

b) Identifying and evaluating UN presence in relation to the threat.
c) Allocating resources and determining if the residual risk is acceptable.
d) Collecting more relevant information of the possible threat against the UN.
28. The Security Information and Operations Centre (SIOC) has provided a
forward warning that the radical faction is planning to attack high-profile targets. In
recent events, the faction has shown no hesitation in targeting foreign organizations,
including the United Nations.
The SMT has already agreed on mitigation measures in relation to the upcoming
demonstration but has not discussed this new information yet. Under such
circumstances, what do you think the SMT should consider first?
Select one:
a) Support the DO in any decision he/she takes.

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b) Do nothing, follow existing plan.
c) Compare residual risk of the specific threat after mitigation with programme
criticality, as part of ‘How to Stay.
d) Re-do the complete area SRM based on new information.
29. The SRM process provides the UN with:

Select one:
a) A scientific methodology of assessing the threats and hazards against UN staff

and assets in the location of operation.
b) A logical and measurable methodology of assessing the dangers and potential
hazards against UN operations regardless of the location or scale of the task or
operation.
c) An inter-subjective methodology based on common sense of assessing the
risks for UN staff and assets in the location of operation.
d) A realistic and effective methodology of assessing the dangers and potential
hazards against UN operations regardless of the location or scale of the task or
operation.
30. What principal organ of United Nations System is responsible establishing

and ending Peacekeeping Operations and Missions?
Select one:
a) International Court of Justice

b) General Assembly

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c) Security Council
d) Secretariat
31. Which of them are not Specialized Agencies of the UN?

Select one:
a) UNDP, UNEP, UNFPA, UNICEF

b) UNIDO, UPU, UNWTO, World Bank
c) FAO, ICAO, IFAD, ILO
d) IMF, IMO, ITU, UNESCO
32. In case of incident with dead and wounded personnel, which unit of DSS will
deploy stress counsellors to the field?
a) Critical Incident Stress Management Section

b) Threat and Risk Unit
c) Peacekeeping Operations Support Section
33. The following are Divisions of UNDSS except…

Select one:
a) Division of Field Support Service

b) Division of Regional Security
c) Division of Safety and Security Services

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d) Division of Regional Operations
34. If Armed Conflict and Civil Unrest are two of the general threat categories
what are the remaining three categories?
a. Extremism, Narco terrorism, Criminality
b. Terrorism, Crime, Hazards
c. Crime, Earthquakes, War
d. Terrorism, Corruption, Hazards
35. Access Control includes different levels of access to all areas as appropriate.
Minimum procedures include:
a. Basic entry and exit control procedures; Vehicle entry and exit control
procedures and Pass & ID System.
b. Basic entry and exit control procedures; Vehicle search procedures and
Compartmentation System
c. Basic entry and exit control procedures; Personnel search procedures and Pass
& ID System
d. Basic entry and exit control procedures; Personnel & Vehicle search
procedures and Priority Access for VIPs and Senior UN Officials.
36. True or False: Only the persons who pose a threat to UN personnel and assets
are closely screened in order to gain access to UN facility
a. True

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b. False
37. When considering perimeter security for UN installations, the term “outer
ring of security” encompasses which of the following?
a. Physical outer perimeter wall or fence.
b. Property line where the UN premises are located
c. Community or area surrounding the UN premises. Your understanding of that
area and ability to collect reliable information.
d. All the above
38. Which of the following are not elements of physical security for UN
premises?
a. Guard tower
b. First aid training
c. Perimeter wall
d. HESCO Bastion
39. According to the policy, which below entity(s)have an authority to search

persons and vehicles entering or exiting UN premises?
a. UN Security Officers
b. UN Security Guards
c. Contracted Local Security Guards
d. All the above

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40. According to UNSMS Use of Force Policy, what is the essential criteria for
use of force by UN Security officer?
a. Use of force is reasonable and proportional to the threat, it is absolutely
necessary and there is no other reasonable alternative available.
b. When security officer feels threatened.
c. Force can be used any time when security officer’s instructions are not
followed
d. All the above.
41. What is the aim of an investigation in the UN context?

a. To arrest the suspect and bring him to justice
b. Establish the facts and make recommendations based on findings
c. Deter potential criminals
d. All the above
42. Each Duty Station must have a country-specific security plan which
establishes security response procedures to various security emergencies
a. Yes
b. No
c. In some cases
d. Only in the field

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43. Which statement best describes the difference between intelligence and
information
a. Intelligence involves the state while information refers to the media

b. People working with information require less training than people working
with intelligence
c. Intelligence is computer based while information can also refer to printed
sources
d. Intelligence relates more to processed information and information relates
more to raw and non-contextual matters
44. When faced with a usually unreliable source who/which provides new
information, which of the following is most likely to be true about the source:
a. could not consider accepting information from the usually and unreliable
source
b. could not be a source of high-quality information
c. could provide information but it will be of low quality
d. could still be a source of very high-quality information
45. United Nations international staff are being evacuated due to the resumption
of hostilities among several of the local ethnic groups. Under these circumstances,
the specific security arrangements for United Nations national staff can be found in
the:

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a. United Nations Staff Rules and Regulations
b. Country Security Plan
c. The Mission Mandate and the Security Plan
d. The Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) with the Host Government
46. Who is responsible for preparation of the Security Risk Assessment, Concept
of Security and Operational Plan when a Senior United Nations Official visits a
mission?
a. Close Protection Coordination Officer

b. Chief Security Information and Operations Centre
c. Chief Security Adviser/Chief Security Officer
47. In establishing a Guard Force plan, the most important factor is to:
a. Being able to respond to all existing threats

b. Being able to deter, detect, delay and disrupt threats
c. Have highly trained and well-paid guards
d. Have CCTV coverage for the site
48. The principal fire management tool is the:
a. Rapid detection and suppression

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b. Fire evacuation and drills
c. Fire safety plan
d. Compliance with local safety code
49. Shortly after a critical incident, which is NOT a sign of an individual who
may be developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
a. Anger and aggression

b. An attitude of giving up
c. Separation from self and environment; and, amnesia
d. Short periods of unconsciousness
50. Which statement best describes the difference between intelligence and
information?
a. Intelligence relates more to processed information; and information relates

more to raw and non-contextual material
b. Intelligence involves the state while information refers to the media
c. Intelligence is computer based while information can also refer to printed
sources
d. People working with information require less training than people working
with intelligence

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51. Understanding the logical connections between ideas; identifying,
constructing and evaluating arguments; and detecting inconsistencies and common
mistakes in reasoning:
a. A good example of critical thinking

b. Essential in preparing an incident report
c. Useful when conducting staff orientation briefings
d. Is the main reason for developing security assessments
52. Usually processed information is provided to clients. However, in certain

circumstances raw information may have to be disseminated immediately. Select the
statement that best describes this circumstance.
a. Information that points towards terrorism

b. Sensitive information about one of the Member States of the United Nations
c. Information where an imminent threat is indicated
d. Information about ethnic groups
53. Patrolling is an important part of the job of a security officer because:
a. it allows you to see what is going on

b. the exercise will keep you awake
c. it helps you vary your routine
d. it gives you more to report on

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54. While staying in a hotel or apartment complex, it is recommended to choose
a room on:
a. the ground floor, since it is close to the exit

b. the top floor in order to be prepared for an air evacuation
c. a floor between the second and the seventh floor, since it is safer and quick
evacuation is still possible
d. a floor above the seventh floor to enable a plan to be devised and executed
before the assailants reach you
55. In order to facilitate coordination of security arrangements, information and

instructions, the ______________ are responsible for appointing Wardens and
Deputy Wardens to ensure the proper implementation of security in particular,
predetermined zones.
a. Chief Security Adviser (CSA) and Deputy Chief Security Adviser Operations
(DCSA)
b. Designated Official and UN Security
c. Designated Official (DO) and Security Management Team (SMT)
d. Chief Security Adviser (CSA) and the Security Cell
56. If you receive a bomb threat over the phone, you should:
a. not interrupt
b. keep the call as short as possible and phone the police

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c. not ask questions
d. try to decide if it is a prank call
57. While establishing a guard force plan for UN premises, the most important
factor is to:
a. have CCTV and an Electronic Surveillance System as well as guards

b. be able to respond to all existing threats
c. be able to deter, detect, delay and disrupt threats
d. have highly trained and specialised guards
58. The policy of “need to know” as applied by various countries…
a. Is a means of ensuring the security of information

b. Has become outdated as electronic security measures have improved
c. Proved that digital systems are more susceptible to breaches than paper-based
systems
d. Assigns primary responsibility for need to know to IT professionals
59. The Use of Physical / Deadly Force must be in accordance with the UN:
a. Close Protection Operations policy

b. Operational plan
c. Use of Force policy
d. Rules of Engagement

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60. The sole mission of the UN Security Management System is to:
a. Protect the UN personnel and facilities against all threats.
b. Protect UN staff members from identified risks
c. Enable the safety and security of the UN system
d. Enable UN Operations while ensuring safety and security

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P-2 Reporting Officer United Nations
WRITTEN TEST
QUESTION 1
As a Reporting Officer working in the UN Operations and Crisis Centre (UNOCC),

you have just received the following Flash Report from the UN Mission in Edrie
(UNMIE):
Unrest has broken out between ex-Bonga fighters and anti-Zuna elements on the
outskirts of Karubu, Edrie. A large number of civilians, and possible armed ex-
Bonga fighters, have sought shelter in the UN compound in Karubu. There are a
large number of civilian casualties, as many as 125 people killed. Ex-Bonga has
threatened to attack the UN compound with mortars unless the Mission persuades
anti-Zuna to stop its advance on Karubu. There are also unconfirmed reports of a
WFP convoy being attacked en route to Karubu. Initial reports suggest that at least
two UN peacekeepers, part of the force protecting the convoy, may have been killed.
Furthermore, there are rumours of ex-Bonga having shot down a French Vakil
helicopter near the Karubu airfield. Vakil is reportedly preparing a response. UN
peacekeepers are protecting civilians at the UN compound, but the Mission has
raised concern about the limited number of peacekeepers in Karubu (platoon), and
the need for immediate reinforcements should the UN compound come under attack.
Karubu is located north-east of the capital Mugami in Igba prefecture. There is an
airfield in the town. Karubu can be reached by road from Mugami, travel time 4-5
hours.

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• What would your immediate reaction be upon receipt of this Flash Report?
As a Reporting officer in the UN Operation and Crisis centre the following
procedure will be following:
• Prepare a brief Flash Report to senior managers at UN Headquarters
(maximum 100 words).
QUESTION 2
Through open source and media research, please write a 400-word summary
highlighting the most recent and most relevant developments, seen over the past
week, concerning the ongoing refugee / migration crisis in Europe. Included in your
summary should be an explanation of this crisis’s significance to the UN and its
global operations as well as for those countries in close proximity. Please ensure that
you identify your sources of information.
QUESTION 3
Following the attack on the state capital building described below, the Secretary-
General intends to call the President of Country X and the Leader of the G’s militia.
Prior to placing his call, the Secretary-General requires talking points. Referring to
the Sample Talking Points as an example to be followed, please review the scenario
below and prepare talking points for Secretary-General to use in his call with the
President of Country X.

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Scenario:
Under the auspices of the United Nations, Country X has been involved in peace
talks with representatives of the G’s. The G’s are a militia group who are ethnically
and culturally distinct from the rest of country X and would like their province to
gain more autonomy vis-à-vis the central government. After years of civil wars and
regional violence, the G’s took up arms to defend their territory and seem unwilling
to consider non-military or non-violent means while they pursue their goals.
On its part, Country X has been reluctant to engage with the G’s. The G’s province
is rich in natural resources and any decentralization attempt would likely involve
forfeiting a part of the much needed revenues these resources bring. In addition,
Country X suspects the G’s are being armed by neighbouring countries and is
reluctant to accommodate pressure exerted by its neighbours.
Any peace agreement would have to include amnesty, a clear demarcation of borders
and the renunciation of foreign interference. Despite the abundant natural resources,
country X is extremely poor and currently facing huge youth unemployment and a
large number of IDP’s. Not only is there a need for agreement on the distribution of
revenues from the resources, but also an agreement on how to absorb the costs of
the conflict.
The peace talks have come to an abrupt halt following an attack on the state capital
building. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but the government
suspects the G’s are responsible and has dispatched the National Guard to seal the
G’s territory, thereby jeopardizing their access to provisions. So far, the G’s have
denied any involvement in this attack.

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Ways to become employed by the United Nations ............................................... 3

2 All rights reserved © UNcareer.net

door of the UN.

second issue is the UN is neither a consulting company nor a financial institution

3 All rights reserved © UNcareer.net

and pieces of information on different programs. So, there is definitely room to

improve the information policy of the UN.

Working for the UN

Even though there is no straightforward or homogenous way to learn about entry-

4 All rights reserved © UNcareer.net

the best options for you.

Most common job requirements for the UN

advanced university degree.

to be fluent in one of them.

3. You will benefit if you have a command of another foreign language.

4. Work experience is definitely one of the most important factors.

5. In accordance with previous work experience candidates can apply for

P-5 require a minimum of 5, 7, and 10 years respectively.

5 All rights reserved © UNcareer.net

1. The UN Internship Programme

2. The United Nations Volunteers Program (UNV)

3. The Junior Professional Officer Program (JPO)

4. The Young Professionals Programme

The UN Internship Program

internship is normally between two and six months.

6 All rights reserved © UNcareer.net

to the International Labor Organization (ILO), "Where an intern is not supported by

an institution (university, government or other institution), a stipend to cover basic

subsistence costs will be paid by the ILO."

Such national programs as the German Carlo-Schmid-Program supervised by the

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Studienstiftung des

Deutschen Volkes are backed by national governments.

work as consultants. It’s normally a short-term contract and it usually doesn’t

United Nations Volunteers

The United Nations Volunteers program (UNV) is currently active in 86 countries.

7 All rights reserved © UNcareer.net

UN Volunteers from diverse professional and technical backgrounds are always in

environment in quite difficult and remote places.

UN Volunteers is a UN agency that uses a simplified approach to hiring people. In

training/learning possibilities, and so on. Also, it is important that UN Volunteers

8 All rights reserved © UNcareer.net

International UN Volunteers have to be at least 25 years of age. International UN

Youth Volunteers have to be between 18 and 29 years of age. Well-qualified and

suitable older candidates can serve as international UN. Volunteers up to an age

covered by the life insurance carrier.

The Junior Professional Officer Program (JPO)

to serve in the office of one of the developing countries.

to see what nationalities are allowed to apply for such positions.

successfully, you’ll have a chance to renew it. Some government sponsor

9 All rights reserved © UNcareer.net

to those of entry-level UN professional employers (P1 - P2).

extra requirements such as advanced computer skills, strategical thinking, and

commitment to development might be added to each particular position.

The Young Professionals Program

will be required to pass an entrance exam in the beginning as well as take

professional development programs once you start working.

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they offer at the moment.

consideration, according to the YPP’s policy, “Where more than 40 candidates of

11 All rights reserved © UNcareer.net

job in the field.