Your next move: Post-UN career planning
By Kate Warren on 17 December 2013
Last week I attended the Career Development Roundtable in London, a gathering of human resources and recruitment professionals from international organizations and development banks. We discussed issues like the challenges and benefits of mobility, how to attract talent from program countries, leadership in a multicultural environment and performance evaluations.
One topic that frequently arose was how challenging it is for professionals to transition out of a large public sector institution like the United Nations to other employers like NGOs, consulting firms and the private sector. Many attendees echoed the sentiment that a long resume at the U.N. can at times be a liability when job hunting in other sectors. In his opening remarks, Lord Mark Malloch Brown, former UNDP secretary-general, described how he managed to move from the public to private sector, but added that he sees many of his former colleagues struggling to do the same.
Often called upon to help foundations, NGOs and companies headhunt new talent, Malloch Brown recalled that groups “wouldn’t even shortlist U.N. people” for the jobs.
Those who have built careers within the U.N. have performed in conflict and post-disaster scenarios and taken on massive challenges like global poverty and maternal and child health. But these attributes can often be overshadowed by perceptions of inefficiency, bureaucracy and lack of innovation or results.
Forced retirement, increased mobility and staff cuts across agencies has left many experienced professionals on the job market wondering how they can make their skills and experience an asset, not a liability.
Here are five tips for transitioning out of a U.N. career.
1. Avoid “U.N. speak”
When describing your experience in a CV, cover letter or during interviews and networking conversations, drop U.N. lingo from your vocabulary. No one will know what you mean or be impressed that you were a D-2 or P-5, nor will the myriad of acronyms you have become accustomed to using in everyday conversation resonate with them. One of the fears employers have is that someone with a long career within the U.N. will not be able to operate in a very different environment. Using specific terms is a signal to the employer that you are still immersed in that system, so you want to communicate that you understand how things operate outside of it.
2. Try to dispel negative stereotypes
A strong brand reputation cannot be easily changed overnight, nor by one person alone. However, you can show future employers how their perceptions of the U.N. and its employees may be wrong using yourself as an example. A good approach to changing mindsets is to tell stories. Talk about the innovative approach your department took to implementing a health project with the private sector or about the quick response you organized after a disaster, citing data and performance metrics. While they may still think the public sector is just one big bureaucracy where nothing gets done, they may walk away thinking you are the exception. And over time, these stereotypes may begin to break down.
3. Focus on your positives
When a recruiter or hiring manager outside of the public sector looks at a resume from a current or former U.N. employee, the knee-jerk response will be for them to focus on the negatives like the stereotypes mentioned above. So you will need to help them focus on the positives, such as: No organization is as truly global as the U.N. Working across cultures and multiple stakeholders is core to its DNA, while other industries are just now trying to catch up. U.N. employees are working on some of the most difficult and important challenges the world is facing, often under immense political pressure and tight budgets. Resilience, resourcefulness and a strong sense of vocation — attributes commonly found within the U.N. — would be valuable in any context.
4. Understand your partners. They may be your future employer
If you’ve worked within the U.N., you have likely partnered with or worked alongside other development actors like NGOs and consulting firms. If you want to continue a career in international development, these will be prime target employers. There are more opportunities for entry-level candidates and there are no age limitations for people in their retirement years. They also tend to hire a lot of expertise on a short-term or consultancy basis for those who don’t want to jump into another full-time position. Know who these organizations are, how they operate and what kinds of positions they employ. Build relationships with them while still working at the U.N. so you will have a broader network when ready to leave.
5. Talk your way to it
In his remarks at the Career Development Roundtable, Malloch Brown said the people he knew who best managed the transition were those who “talked their way to it.” They didn’t just apply to jobs and hope to get called back, but they knocked on doors, networked with everyone they knew and took the time to explain their skills and experience to employers outside of the U.N.