Deadline: August 23, 2015
The United Nations is looking for highly qualified candidates who are ready to launch a professional career as an international civil servant. The young professionals programme (YPP) is a recruitment initiative that brings new talent to the United Nations through an annual entrance examination. For young, high-calibre professionals across the globe, the examination is a platform for launching a career at the United Nations. The examination tests your substantive knowledge, analytical thinking, drafting abilities, as well as your awareness of international affairs.
Benefits
- Get placement on the roster of qualified candidates who can be selected for available positions appointment at the UN Secretariat.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible:
- Be 32 years or younger (by the end of the exam year).
- Hold at least a first-level university degree, such as a bachelor’s or other undergraduate degree, in one of the job families offered for that year.
- Be fluent in either English or French, the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat (knowledge of other official United Nations languages is an asset).
- Be a national of participating country. The list of participating countries is published annually and varies from year to year.
Eligible Countries
| Algeria | Andorra | Angola | Antigua and Barbuda |
| Bahrain | Barbados | Belarus | Belize |
| Bhutan | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Brazil | Brunei Darussalam |
| Burkina Faso | Cambodia | Central African Republic | Chad |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Czech Republic | Dominica | Gabon |
| Gambia | Georgia | Germany | Greece |
| Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Indonesia | Iraq |
| Japan | Kiribati | Kuwait | Kyrgyzstan |
| Laos | Latvia | Lesotho | Liberia |
| Libya | Liechtenstein | Luxembourg | Malaysia |
| Mauritania | Monaco | Montenegro | Mozambique |
| Namibia | Netherlands | New Zealand | Norway |
| Pakistan | Palau | Paraguay | Peru |
| Poland | Samoa | San Marino | Saudi Arabia |
| Singapore | Slovakia | Solomon Islands | Somalia |
| Swaziland | Syria | Tanzania | Thailand |
| Togo | Turkey | Tuvalu | United Arab Emirates |
| United States | Vanuatu | Vietnam | Zambia |
Exam
The exam consists of two part a written portion and an oral exam.
Written Exam
The written examination consists of two papers:
- The General Paper, which is the same for all job families, tests your drafting abilities and/or your knowledge of international affairs; this part can be drafted in either English or French.
- The Specialized Paper, which tests your substantive knowledge corresponding to the job family you are taking the exam in and your analytical thinking; it can be taken in any of the six UN official languages.
- The written examination lasts a total of four and a half hours. Examinees are required to manage their own time for the different parts of the examination. Examinees’ responses are marked anonymously by a panel of markers for the General Paper and by the Specialized Board Members for the Specialized Paper. Before the exam, it will be announced which papers and/or parts of the exam will be eliminatory and only examinees successful in that part of the examination will have the other parts marked.
Oral Exam
The oral examination is conducted so that the committee can learn more about your combination of skills, attributes and behaviors that are directly related to your successful performance on the job. The interview will be conducted by the Specialized Board members in either English or French, the two working languages of the Secretariat.
Learn more about the YPP Exams here.
Application Deadline:
20 May – 19 July: Administration
27 May – 26 July: Finance
3 June – 2 August: Statistics
10 June – 9 August: Public Information
17 June – 16 August: Social Affairs
24 June – 23 August: Legal Affairs
How to Apply
- Register and create a profile on the UN Career page.
- After creating your profile, submit a job application.
- Your application is first screened to determine if you are eligible for the examination in the job family you applied for. If your country has a total of over 40 applicants found eligible in a given job family, and you are one of them, your application is evaluated in terms of education, experience, languages, and other skills. If it is determined that your application is within the 40 best from your country, you will be contacted to take part in the written portion of the examination.
- Take the YPP Written exam and if you are successful, you will be invited to take part in the oral portion of the examination which consists of a competency-based interview.
- The oral examination is conducted so that we can learn more about your combination of skills, attributes and behavior that are directly related to your successful performance on the job. The interview will be conducted by the Specialized Board members in either English or French, the two working languages of the Secretariat.
- Note: while the probability of getting a job is quite high, passing the YPP Exams is not however a guarantee of getting a job. Job offers to successful candidates are made on an ongoing basis, but placement takes place on a quarterly basis, subject to the requirements of the Organization.
For more information, visit UN Careers or visit the FAQ Page.
