UN Internship Competencies
The majority of selection processes seek specific competencies that are considered important in future employees. These processes are known as competency-based recruitment. In the case of the United Nations, the selection processes usually look for three fundamental UN Internship Competencies in candidates: Professionalism, Teamwork, and Planning & Organizing. These will be tested all throughout the selection process and you should pay special attention to them when writing your cover letter and being interviewed.
In pursuit of its mission, the OpenIGO network has prepared a comprehensive eBook (available soon) and support and guidance services, with the aim of highly increasing your chances of success in these competitive processes. These services include revising your UN internships application documents (curriculum vitae/resume and cover letter) and a mock interview, as per the United Nations model. We also offer a range of packages that combine the eBook with different services.
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UN Competencies: Main aspects
Competency is understood as the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values which condition behaviors that have an influence on the efficient completion of tasks required for a specific position. Namely, according to current understanding, for an individual to be considered competent by an organization, it is not enough for them to merely possess vast knowledge about a field which interests them. They are also required to use this knowledge practically and have an interest in acting and behaving in accordance with certain ethical standards.
For the United Nations, values and competencies are described in the following way:
- Values: “Shared principles and beliefs that underpin the organization’s work and guide actions and behaviors of staff”
- Competencies: “Skills, attributes, and behaviors directly related to successful job performance”
The United Nations internships follow this recruitment model and seek specific competencies in candidates which are described in each internship opening or stated on the internship programme page. Some of the values and competencies that you might find listed in a UN Internship opening—with Professionalism, Teamwork, and Planning & Organizing being the most common—are:
| CORE VALUES | CORE COMPETENCIES | MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES |
|---|---|---|
| - Integrity - Professionalism - Respect for Diversity | - Communication - Teamwork - Planning and Organizing - Accountability - Creativity - Client Orientation - Commitment to Continuous Learning - Technological Awareness | - Vision - Leadership - Empowering Others - Managing Performance - Building Trust - Judgement and Decision-Making |
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UN Competencies: Professionalism, Teamwork, Planning & Organizing
Let’s take a look at some positive and negative indicators of the most common competencies the UN seeks in candidates:
a) UN Internship Competencies: Professionalism
An ability to work in a calm, competent, and committed manner is critical for all staff members.
| PROFESSIONALISM | |
|---|---|
| Positive Indicators | Negative Indicators |
| • Shows pride in work and in achievements. • Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. • Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. • Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. • Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges. • Remains calm in stressful situations. | • Less motivated than others to achieve. • Appears less knowledgeable to others about subject matter/field. • Complacent about achievements. • Sets easy targets and personal objectives. • Allows pressure to get to him/her. • Tends to find it hard to bounce back after setbacks/difficult challenges. |
b) UN Internship Competencies: Teamwork
Working within an established team; supporting colleagues; sharing responsibility for decision making and results; encouraging other to contribute; collaborating with colleagues across work units, departments, or divisions.
| TEAMWORK | |
|---|---|
| Positive Indicators | Negative Indicators |
| • Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. • Solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. • Places team agenda before personal agenda. • Builds consensus for task purpose and direction with team members. • Supports and acts in accordance with final group decisions, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect their own position. • Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. | • Rarely offers support to colleagues. • Prefers to work alone. • Emphasizes achieving personal goals. • Shows limited consideration of the ideas and input of others. • Is prepared to ignore/disrupt majority decisions. • Takes the credit for team accomplishments; passes on responsibility for team limitations. |
c) UN Internship Competencies: Planning & Organizing
Delivering one’s own workload in an organized and time-efficient manner; setting goals and targets for oneself; prioritizing the delivery of one’s own work; adjusting work priorities to take account of changing circumstances; setting detailed plans for one’s day to day work; monitoring one’s own delivery against a plan.
| PLANNING & ORGANIZING | |
|---|---|
| Positive Indicators | Negative Indicators |
| • Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. • Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. • Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. • Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. • Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. • Uses time efficiently. | • Has no clear system of priorities. • Appears disorganized and unsystematic. • Organizes impractical work schedules. • Is unrealistic about timescales. • Efforts get sidetracked. • Deadlines not met. • Tasks not completed. • No checks on activities. • Is unwilling to change plans to meet new demands. |
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