I recently tried to monitor the hits on this blog. Not surprisingly, there are those, like me who have sat the United Nations NCRE exams out there who scour the web looking for any clues, any information they can find on that may enlighten them on the latest happening.
I have come to learn that patience is the name of the game. People say its bureaucracy, others may mistakenly believe that the United Nations may have forgotten all about them. But lets face it; they may be slow in responding but they are well aware of everything. As the 2009 NCRE exams have concluded, I thought I might share more of my tips for those candidates still waiting on word from the United Nations.
After your exams, wait patiently
After your exams go get a nice cup of coffee, relax and refocus all your energy on whatever it is that you are currently doing. Be sure to regularly check the examination page on http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/examin/ncrepage.htm to monitor the progress of the exams. The UN will almost always try to meet the deadlines it posts on this site and if it is not able to meet it, it will post an updated date. I do not know what factors force them to change dates, but changes are expected and your patience is important.
When convoked, be prepared
The successful candidates after the written exams are listed on the NCRE website and contacted at least a week later by email. In this email, the UN will send information you would need such as the date, time and venue of your interview. Included will be a file on UN Competencies, a very important document.
When convoked, do not attempt to will the UN into action by trying to contact them. It is always often met with silence. They will contact you and if you are like me, you will be assigned a very helpful contact who will assist you all the way until you arrive for your interview either in New York, Geneva or any location that they will interview you in. Sometimes, the interview may be conducted via video conference or phone; I am of the opinion that this option is often available to candidates with close proximity to a UN office and where the technology is available. I was initially convoked to Geneva but visa delays forced me to New York instead. Because my assigned contact was based in New York, I was glad to meet her in person, thank her for her hard work and she took me to the interview room.
The wait between when you are advised and when you leave can be long. I was advised of my convocation early in November of 2008 and was interviewed in January of 2009. Liaise closely with your UN contact on all issues regarding your travel. My authorization for travel and e-tickets were provided 3 days before I left for New York.
During the interview
As I have mentioned, be prepared to talk a lot about yourself. For me it was a bit of an unnerving experience because I personally find it very difficult to talk about myself. But study the UN competencies really well and try to think of real examples of where you may have applied some or all of the competencies. Stay positive, avoid flattery and be honest. Practical examples are important. At the end of my interview, we spent 15 minutes on questions about the United Nations. 4 open ended questions will be asked you may pass on only one without being penalized. I missed 2 of those 4 questions. I passed on the first, did not know the answer to the second but answered the last two questions really well.
Join the NCREFORUM
This is a yahoo group on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ncreforum, was formed in 2005 by candidates who were on the roster. The stories you read here will surely give hope; most of us are not alone. Aside from that those on this forum are quick to let others know when opportunities arise or take time to explain in great detail issues that affect candidates who have made it on the roster and are waiting for placement from the United Nations. I surely found some very inspiring stories on this forum. It’s membership is, however, only open to those who are currently on the roster. You will gain valuable insight interacting with its members who have been in this situation before.
But basically my message is, the wait can be long; quite long at times. So patience is the name of the game.
Well guys, finally the results are out for Web Development and I’m in the roster! :DDD Thanks a lot to you all, and specially to Lynnold, for all the helpful information you’ve given us: it’s made things so much easier. We are UN! ;D
my personal opinion. No! The UN NCRE + eventual recruitment is still a competitive process. You are hired from the roster based on your performance against similar qualified candidates for a position with the secretariat. This “competitive” nature will not change so I do not think anyone will get preference over others currently on the roster.
The new YPP program is announced officially
https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=NCEA
What happens to people who are already on the roster because of this program? Because apparently they want to hire all YPP successful within a year. Will they get preference over the NCRE roster people?
@Vesta, I cannot help you there but if Iran is invited to the NCRE, it is usually the Foreign Affairs ministry (or a similar government ministry that deals with the UN) in any country that gets this information and is responsible for publicizing it. I do not think any UN agencies will be actively promoting it.
Hi Ike, that is a rather broad statement. I will not put names out on the public domain but be rest assured that there are people with only an undergraduate degree on the NCRE roster and some who have already been recruited. There are also quite a number of advanced degree holders incl. phd’s on the roster too. Of course it is an advantage to have an advanced degree but at the end of the day a lot of other factors play in putting people on the roster and finally recruiting them. The UN stresses that it must recruit the best so the best thing to do the very best from the very beginning of the process.
NCE are junior professionals entering at the P2 level and the minimum qualifications is an undergraduate degree. From P3 upwards, an advanced degree is essential or years of experience in lieu of an advanced degree.
Hope that helps.
I was wondering if anyone could tell me about the 1st screening process. I hear that there hasn’t been any one person with only a undergraduate degree that has made into the NCRE Roster.
Is that true? Does the UN only pick people with an advanced degree?
Or does language aptitude and/or work experience count as much as having a graduate degree?