United Nations Careers: Creating Your Job Application

Education & Career Trends: April 17, 2023
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS

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• Article published on careers.un.org

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All job openings in the UN Secretariat are published on the United Nations Careers Portal. When you apply for a job, you have to submit an application in the UN online recruitment system called Inspira.

The Inspira application is an extended online resume, specifically used by the United Nations, where you articulate your education, competencies, achievements and professional experience. The application is used to evaluate your eligibility and suitability for the job. It is your opportunity to tell your story in a way that demonstrates that you are the best candidate for the job.

If you want to apply for more than one job you can update and change your information in the online recruitment system before submitting a new application.

Understanding the Job Requirements:

Make sure you find as much information as possible about the job and apply only to vacancies that are suited to your strengths and aspirations.

Completing the job requirement section is a mandatory step, in your application process. It is your opportunity to highlight your specific experiences, skills, knowledge, and practitioner credentials in relation to the job you are applying for in order to convince the hiring manager that you are a qualified candidate.

Your job requirements responses should be coherent, consistent, and supported by information provided in your candidate profile. Watch the Job Requirements video on this page to learn more.

Preparing the Motivation Statement:

The motivation statement allows you up to 2,000 characters (including spaces) to include information that is not found elsewhere in your application.

You may wish to use the motivation statement to explain why you are applying for this job, in this location, at this moment; how the position aligns with your overall career goals, including a career or location change; how elements of your personal character or experience will support your success in the role; and/or how your competencies, values, and behaviours align with the mandate of the UN and the mandate of the particular UN office you are applying to.

Application Tips:

1. Be Concise

• Make your words count. Your use of language is extremely important; you need to project yourself efficiently.
• Address the job’s needs with clearly written, powerful phrases.
• Provide small, digestible pieces of information.
• Use action verbs.
• Avoid passive sentence constructions.
• Avoid clichés.

2. Make the Most of your Experience.

• We need to know what you have accomplished to have an idea of what you can do for us.
• Don’t be vague.
• Especially in your achievements section, focus on what you’ve accomplished and achieved, as opposed to what you do on a daily basis.
• Be honest. There is a difference between making the most of your experience and exaggerating or falsifying it.

3. Target. Target. Target.

• Be specific. If you are going after more than one job opening, customise your application accordingly.
• The system allows you to update it, so you can tailor your application for a specific position.
• The same applies to your answers to the Job Requirements questions as well as to your motivational statement – customise them for each application.
• Customising your application is the easiest way for you to demonstrate that you have clearly read and understood the job opening.

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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)

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