Employment in International
Organisations
Advice on preparing an application
Robin Broadway
LSE Careers Service
October 2007
What we will cover in this seminar
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Types of international organisations
How international organisations operate
The nationality issue
How multilaterals are organised
What kinds of vacancies they have
Advice on making an application
… and your questions
Types of International
Organisations
• UN Family
• International Financial Institutions
• World and regional political groupings (like OPEC, NATO,
ASEAN, The Commonwealth, The Gulf Cooperation Council, NonAligned Movement)
• World and regional interest groups (e.g., International
Whaling Commission, International Coffee Organisation,
Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie)\
• See Northwestern University’s list on their website:
www.library.northwestern.edu/govinfo/resource/internat/igo.html
UN Agencies attending the event
• UN Secretariat
• UN Development Program
• UNICEF
• International Labour Organisation
…but there are many more
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UN Environment Program (UNEP) UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Food Program (WFP)
UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
International Criminal Court (ICC)
UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) UN Industrial Dev. Org. (UNIDO)
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
World Health Organisation (WHO)
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) World Tourism Org. (WTO)
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) World Meteorological Org. (WMO)
International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
Universal Postal Union (UPU)
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) World Trade Organisation (WTO)
World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
• You can look them up on:
www.unsystem.org
International Financial Institutions
• World Bank Group (proper name: International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development – IBRD)
includes International Finance Corporation - IFC
And the regional development banks
African Development Bank (AfDB) Asian Development Bank (AsDB)
Black Sea Development Bank
Caribbean Development Bank
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Inter-American Development Bank (IaDB)
Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
International Financial Institutions
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Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
European Central Bank (ECB)
Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD)
European Institutions
• European Commission
• European Central Bank
• European Investment Bank and European
Investment Fund
• European Parliament
• Also Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights,
European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN),
European Patent Office
How International Organisations
are governed
Government
Board of Governors
MPs
Voters
Executive Board
Staff
The Nationality Issue
Normally, to join the staff of an international organisation, you need
to be a national of one of the member countries
At the UN, BIS,IFC, IMF and World Bank, almost all countries are
members
Regional development banks are restricted to nationals from regional
country members and from donor countries
For European institutions, you have to be a European national.
Check the international organisation’s website to see if
you are eligible to join.
Nationality balance
• Countries want their influence and staff
share to equal their financial stake
• Solutions
(i) Staff quotas and “tied” positions
(ii) A balance between a country’s
contribution of resources, voting
strength and share of staff.
• Impact on you as an applicant, as a staff
member?
The President (Head of the Agency)
chairs
the Executive Board
(whose members are nominated or elected by the
constituent countries)
which controls the direction of the organisation and
approves all major decisions
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The agency head
manages
the staff and the day-to-day running of the organisation
Types of appointment in an
international organisation
• Professional levels (including managers)
(Paraprofessionals)
• Administrative levels
Also contractual and consultant employees
Employment opportunities
• Mid-level and senior vacancies – mainly filled
from within. Some external hiring in order to make up for
attrition through resignations and to hire staff with new
skills that are in demand
• Entry-level professional – external hiring,
usually through a high-quality “generalist” program
• Contractual/consultant – usually external, to
meet short-term specific needs
• Internships
What are international
organisations looking for?
Their first priority: professional (technical)
knowledge and skills
They usually require: at minimum Masters;
PhD often preferred
Economists, development specialists, financial analysts
Engineers (infrastructure – transportation, water etc)
Specialists in public health, education, environment, etc.
Lawyers, IT specialists, HR, Controllers, Auditors etc.
…and
2. Relevant work experience (at entry level, at least
three years relevant work experience at the
professional level, preferably dealing with policy
issues)
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Strong analytical skills
Ability to write well in English
International work or study experience
Other language skills
Excellent “soft” and people skills
What kind of “soft” skills?
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Strong interpersonal and influencing skills
Initiative (a “self-starter,” little supervision needed)
Reliability (if you are given a job, you get it done)
Good organisational skills and good work habits
(especially, ability to work to deadline)
Flexibility (able to handle unexpected changes)
Team-spirit (willing to help others)
Commitment and dedication to the agency’s mission
Patience; good humour; if possible, sense of humour
Diplomacy and tact
Awareness of cultural and political differences
When reading an application, what
are recruiters looking for?
In addition to the factors mentioned above…
The facts, clearly and succinctly laid out
No unsupported claims about yourself and your
abilities
First-class academic qualifications and good work
experience (incl. internships, research assistant
and teaching assistant positions)
Heading
Name
Put family name in capitals (or family name you
normally use, e.g. CHUA Hong Wong , Antonio
MERCADO Fabrigas
Address (the one where you would like the
appointment letter to be sent!)
Nationality
Date of Birth
Telephone (land-line and mobile)
E-mail address (in bold; just one; important as
that’s how they will probably contact you)
Education
In reverse chronological order, giving most
space to the important elements
Degree
Subject University
Dates
(give expected grade, distinction, etc)
Thesis topic and published papers
Final secondary school, indicating country and,
very briefly, your exam results
Experience
• Like with education, in reverse
chronological order, giving most space to
the most important items.
• Indicate very briefly what you did in each
job, focusing on achievements if possible
• Give dates (try to avoid long gaps)
• Internships, volunteer work, RA and TA
work can also be included
General Tips
• Keep it brief and to the point – remember the
“1.00 am and 25 to go” factor
• Keep it under 2 pages, unless you have a long
publication list
• Target your application to what the employer
needs (find this out)
• Well-structured; clear; good English
• Don’t make unsupported statements; avoid selfaggrandizing adjectives. Let the facts speak for
themselves.
Any questions?