As I have always said, I do not think my experience in the UN NCRE exams will be what current candidates looking forward to their oral interview examination should also expect. But owing to the comments and questions asked, I thought it be fair to document some information. I will try to be as helpful as I possible can. I will also try and not repeat my self as I have blogged about this in at least 3 posts already including comments.
Anyway, here goes my tips for preparing for the interview
I think the format of the panel is generic. 1 will be from Human Resources while at least 3 will be from different sectors of your Occupational Group. Of the three IT people that sat on the panel, one came from within Finance. There were 2 men and 1 women.
The panel was kind enough to admit that they would start off “gently” and warm towards the harder questions as we proceeded.
Obviously, the best approach was to ask me to talk about myself, describing my current occupation and qualifications. I suggest be creative here, spend time to describe yourself in the context of what they would expect out of someone they would like to employ.
They will then warm towards some very difficult questions. However as I have stressed time and time again, it is a competency based exam so try and impress the panel with your understanding of the competencies required by the UN and how you as an individual reflect those competencies in your current work place. You would have been given a booklet “United Nations Competencies for the Future”. Study this booklet carefully then picture yourself in the broad range of competencies given.
I took the liberty of looking at the document again, and interestingly some of the questions that I was asked came back to me. The following are some competencies and my paraphrased version of the questions I was asked:
First Phase
- 1. Value of teamwork – have you worked in a team? How do you ensure that each member of the team contributes effectively.
- 2. Professionalism. Describe a situation when you were faced with difficulties and how you overcame it?
- 3. Accountability. I was asked about what mistakes I had done and what I did to rectify that situation.
- 4. Respect for Diversity. This is especially interesting because most people have the perception that the Solomon Islands is a nation with just one race. We are a make up of Polynesians, Melanesians and Micronesians, literally the Pacific in just one country. Working with this diverse groups of people has helped me to appreciate other peoples values and also respect for the differences that we have. So I had no issues answering concerns on respect for diversity.
- 5. Planning & Organizing. How do you meet targets and what do you do when a lot of people want something all at the same time?
- 6. Technological Awareness. How do you keep yourself informed of the developments in the IT world.
- 7. Persistence. Have you ever persisted with a solution you believed was correct in spite of strong opposition?
- 8. Client Orientation. How do you establish and maintain the confidence of clients when attempting to deliver a product or task assigned to you?
I honestly cannot remember more as it has now become a distant “blurry” occurrence in my past. But I suppose those examples should give candidates an idea of how this interviews are conducted based on the competencies provided by the UN.
General Questions on the UN
As I have said there are no strict guidelines on what to study or focus your attention on. In this section, I suggest you read as wide as possible. I was asked 5 questions because I passed on one. If I remember correctly: the first was a question on a UN Convention and the second on HIV and to comment on a particular global initiative to fight HIV. I passed on the first question and honestly did not know the answer to the second. Those that I answered was a question on UN budget, a question on what changes I would like to see in the UN and the final one was a question on the advantages and disadvantages of Online Learning.
You will then be given an opportunity to ask questions from the panel. I never prepare questions for this section – I generally do not ask questions after an interview although I did raise a concern I had about the exams which sparked of a small discussion after the interview. If you have a few hours to spare, enjoy the sights of whichever city you find yourself in and then prepare for the sometimes long wait for a job offer.
With these comments, I hope people who are preparing for their IT interviews will be able to gauge where they are and how they can prepare for the interview exams. Please be aware that 34 candidates were convoked for the interview and 26 were placed on the IT roster in 2008. So there is still a fair bit of work to do.
Hi anyone got convoked for the economics oral exam or knows what type of questions to expect? Please get in touch with me running_circle at yahoo dot com.
Thanks
Man, I don’t know what to do about the oral exam. I still don’t know if I’ve been convoked, so it’s probably a bit premature to worry about it. But since graduating from grad school, I haven’t had a job. In a few months, I’ll be unemployed for a year. What the heck am I supposed to tell the interviewer?
Princessa – also testing in law – you can contact me at akravik@hotmail.com!
Hi!
I will take the NCRE 2010 in LAw, any tips or advice for the general part??
Thanks
Hi Lynnold.
I guess you belong to the NCRE Class of 2008. Good Luck Man and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Hi Lynnold
Good to learn all these from you. By the way have you or any of the other guys using this blog received any correspondence following your placement on the rooster?
Lynnold, congratulations on your job offer for UN!!! I wish you best in this new adventure at Geneva!
Dear Lynnold,
Thank you very much for your quick and pertinent reply. I will definately keep checking the NCRE website for updates and eventual announcements. I think that for the 2009 exam, the application deadline was october 2008, which is quite early. But logically, if there have been no announcements made concerning the 2010 application deadline, it means that they have not started the recruitement process yet. Infact, I will not be counting on our foreign affairs office for announcements because I am not living in my home country at this moment. I am completing my Masters degree at the Institute of Political Sciences of Bordeaux (france).
All my best wishes and Happy Easter!
Dear Ana,
Thank you for your comments. The 2010 exams have been delayed because the roster has become very full and the UN is looking at ways to clear the roster of successful NCE candidates. Once that is done, I am sure the 2010 exams will eventuate. The process is simple. You should wait until a call for applications is made and announced on the website. Along with that announcement, you will also find a list of exam centres. Sometimes (as is the case in the South Pacific) only 1 exam centre is selected so candidates would have to meet their own expenses to the exam center. You can also request the same information from your foreign affairs office as they would have been notified by the UN about the exams with details. But if the call for applications has been made, you should submit your application and then wait to see if you have been selected to sit the exams. After sitting the exams, the exams are marked and based on the results some candidates will be selected to sit for the interview exams. This is when the UN will pay to meet your expenses to travel to the venue of the interview exams. From the interview exams, candidates are selected and placed on the roster. Once on the roster, you will wait for a P-2 vacancy to be available and may be called for an interview and eventually a job offer if you were successful. I am told that the 2010 exams may be announced in June but regularly check the UN website for information.
Dear Lynnold,
Thanks for your useful posts on the NCRE exams. The lack of information and transparency concerning the application process is quite striking. Actually, I’ve been going through the comments, but I didn’t get to find the answer to my question. On the UN NCRE website, there is absolutely no information on the application deadline of the 2010 exam… I wonder if it’s normal. I will be graduating from my University in september 2010 and my country is on the list (Tajikistan). I wonder if I should send my P11 application form to the UN examination center in NY, no e-mails have been created for the 2010 NCRE (so I can’t send it through e-mail). No application deadlines are mentionned on the website!I would be very thankful if you could provide me with some information.
AN UPDATE:
Since my previous post, I was advised that I have passed all phases of the NCE process and I am on the roster! The news is long-awaited and I am extremely pleased. I know there are likely many years to wait on the roster, but I am ready to happily work and live my life until that day comes.
To all of you who are in the various stages of the NCE process, PLEASE TAKE HEART! There is light at the end of the tunnel. Stay with it. If you belong at the UN, you’ll get there.
Warmest wishes to you all,
Margaret
Thanks for setting up this blog – it has been helpful as I waited the eight long months before discovering I was convoked! I sat for my interview in Public Information this morning, and found the competency portion extremely warm and genial. Like any interview, they want to know about YOU – what kind of person you are, and what you would be like to work with. They are, however, expecting precise examples for each of the general statements you make about yourself. (Be ready to describe situations and challenges you’ve faced, in detail.) If you are prepared for this, there is no reason you shouldn’t do well.
The harder component for me was the 15 minutes of questions on the UN. The topics were very specific and very tough, ranging from “describe a recent peacekeeping operation, the programmes it brought to the region, and its results” to “name two UN bodies or programmes that deal with the environment.” I have worked at the UN on short-term contracts for the last 4 years and I feel that I only did well on 2 of the 5 questions asked. Therefore, I suppose I can say: read widely, but be ready to balance this portion of your interview with excellent results from the other 45 minutes.
Best of luck to all the candidates out there who will interview in the coming weeks. It’s a hard road for those of us who cling to hopes of working at the UN, year after year, expired contract after expired contract. Please know that you’re not alone! And chin up!
Margaret