One giant leap of faith

I suppose I can now write about my most recent adventure now that the news is already out in the media.  I had kept a very close and tight lid on my foray into what is now a relative unknown territory for me, an international career at the United Nations.

Every year the United Nations organizes its National Competitive Recruitment Examination which is aimed at recruiting qualified junior professionals at the P2 level.  At this level priority is given to those countries that represent the block of UN members who are under-represented at the United Nations Secretariat in terms of employment with the secretariat.  The examination is organized in these countries attracting thousands of applicants each year.

Last year 24 aspiring Solomon Islanders were selected to sit for the  NCRE exam in Finance, Statistics, Human Rights, Program Evaluation, Information Technology, Environment and Political Affairs.  I sat for Information Technology with two others in the same discipline.  The results for Human Rights and Information Technology has to date been finalized meaning the selection process for those to be put on the roster for possible employment with the United Nations has been finished.  However, let me spend some time to tell my story.

BEFORE THE EXAMS, APPLICATIONS

Before selecting eligible candidates for the examination, the UN usually calls for applications from interested candidates.  This process usually closes in October.  If you are interested you should check the NCRE website to see if your country is invited for the exams or check your local foreign affairs department.  Selected candidates for examination are usually notified in November to prepare for the exams.  Two important considerations are that you must have a first degree (undergraduate degree) and younger than 32 years of age at the time of your examination.  I met all requirements so I submitted my application at the end of October 2007.  I was spurred on by my wife who had always said that I needed to try it for real instead of talking about it or imagining what could have been.  The other reason being that I come from a simple family, I have simple parents, simple brothers and sisters and I always dreamed about achieving something great.  This looked like something I could do so I took my leap of faith.

THE EXAMS

The exam was held in February 2008.  I remember rushing to the exam venue with my wife and young 5 month old princess in tow.  I arrived just in time to join the line that was already forming to enter the IPAM building.  Then I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten my convocation letter; I had to rush back to my house embarrassed that in the rush I had forgotten the most important identification I needed to sit the examination.  The lady was kind enough to say they would wait.  I arrived exhausted from the rush but still focused on the exam ahead.

The first paper was the General Paper and the instructions were very specific; clearly stating that the candidate must summarize the provided paragraph in no more than half of the A4 answer sheet provided.  I suppose this is where most candidate assume that the examiners could be wrong.  WRONG!  My advice is to do exactly as instructed; write no more, no less ensuring that it is the summary in your own words.  It has been said that General Papers are marked first, failing to pass this paper means your Specialised Paper will not be even considered.  Only those who pass the General Paper are able to get their Specialized Paper marked.  NOTE:  Others claim it is the other way around, I do not know who is correct.

The Specialized Paper was actually quite difficult; at least by my standards because the paper actually asks about questions that are hardly applicable in the Solomon Islands and very practical.  However, I sensed an important consideration that may have eluded some of the other candidates so here I am offering my advice.  The Specialised Paper tests your application of the knowledge that you have acquired; it is not recital of all you have learnt.  Concepts are important as they can be applied in different situations.  So the basic concepts you may have acquired in any basic IT courses is important knowledge.  Applying this knowledge to answer the question will show the examiner that you have the necessary skill to translate and apply knowledge you have acquired.  A small analogy, one of the exam questions asked about the “Theory of Triple Constraints”, but wait a minute; I do not have the faintest clue about this theory.  But I have acquired some knowledge from some basic software development courses and know that the most important constraints are cost, scope and money.   Guess what I was right!  This is actually the answer to that question because it was what I looked up on the internet as soon as I came home.

THE NERVOUS WAIT

Am I going to be selected for the interview?  Did I do well in the exams?  A lot of questions were consistently troubling me.  Late in October, a year after I first applied the convoked candidates to the oral exam was published on the website and I had been selected.  Excited, exhilarated and unbelieving;  I had never been so excited in my life.

Initially, I was convoked to Geneva, Switzerland but visa difficulties prevented that from happening and I had to settle for the Big Apple instead.  I left for New York on the 20th of January flying via Nadi and Los Angeles.  Early in the morning of the 21st January 2009, I walked out of the JFK airport freezing cold and looking for a cab. My exam was scheduled for the 22nd.  I was invited by Solomon Islands Ambassador to the United States of America, Collin Beck to reside with his family in the Bronx.  Armed with only an address I took the cab and set out in the cold New York winter.  Arriving at the apartment I was already feeling the cold, the hot chocolate I had bought had frozen itself solid.  Desperate for some warmth I scuttled into the room and flopped straight onto the bed sleeping off all the jet leg.  Late in the evening Ambassador Beck arrived, fresh from his experience at President Obama’s inauguration in Washington.  The stories were exciting then we deviated into preparation for the next day, discussing a range of topics and how to approach the examination.  Early in the morning I suited up, a shirt, a tie and a suit.  Walking out of the room I was presented with Ambassador Beck’s finest trench coat.  I felt good in it.  The trip to the UN headquarters was exciting with so much to see and that feeling of excitement threatening to explode deep inside of me.  Ambassador Beck being a foreign diplomat was given parking space below the UN headquarters; we drove through tight security and soon enough we were inside.  This is it, I tell myself and as soon as Ambassador Beck handed me over to my escort; I walked on confident that I could do it.

There were four panelists, 3 from various fields in IT and 1 from Human Resources.  The interview went really well and although I missed answering 2  questions about the UN right at the end; I was confident that I had done well enough to be seriously considered for the roster.  However, I had told myself prior to the exam that I will not allow myself to get ahead of myself.  What can I say about the interview?  Be prepared to talk a lot about yourself, provide specific examples of your use of the competencies in your work place so understanding the competencies that the UN will send with each convocation letter for the interview is important.  You must be prepared to know some very specific details about the UN for the last part of the exams.  You are only allowed to miss 1 of the 4.  I missed 2 but I suppose I did really well on the other two.

AND SO, ARE YOU IN OR OUT?

On 3rd of March 2009, the NCRE website announced candidates who had been placed on the IT roster after the exams in New York and Geneva.  I am now on the IT roster.  As simple as that.  From 34 initially selected for the oral examination, there are now 26 final candidates awaiting possible placement in New York, Geneva, Santiago, Vienna, Bangkok or Nairobi.  Being placed on the roster is no guarantee of a job with the UN.  However, considering I took a giant leap of faith in the beginning; I am proud to have come this far.  Not proud in an arrogant way but proud that someone else just like me can make it too; because I tried and I did.

Many people have made this dream come true; first my small family, my wife Christina and lil princess Alysha.  Then there is my extended family who have always been my inspiration, my dad James,  mum Aedalyn, Lyndes & family, Lynffer & family and Lysa.  Chris Kuper my brother in law, John Harry and the troop in Port Moresby; Collin Beck and family in New York. I must not forget Manu and Andy Roosen, Barbara Hanchard and from Our Telekom, Christian Nieng and CE Loyley Ngira.