How can I make sure my profile stands out when applying for new jobs at foundations or big multilateral institutions like the United Nations or the World Bank? What is the "secret sauce" to get a job at those big players in the donor and impact space?
1. The UN is a whole universe for itself.
It is hard to answer a question like "how is it to work for the UN", or "how can I increase my chances to get a successful application at the UN". This is because working at the UN Secretariat in NYC is more like working for a central government, while working for UNHCR in Syria is more like working for a humanitarian local NGO, or knowing that the UNICEF Innovation Learning Hub is a completely new entity with lots of different, more private sector-oriented staff. While the generic rules and principles are in theory the same, working in different UN bodies and locations can feel like working for a completely different institution.
So, it is important to first know what you'd like to focus on (e.g. a sector, an approach or a particular geographic context) and then look out for the specific UN (or World Bank) entity that is working on this focus aspect. See next point.
2. Identify and immerse yourself fully into your focus topic.
It helped me a lot that I started to realize early on in my studies what core topics (refugees & migration policy, international development cooperation) and geographic regions (MENA, Latin America) I wanted to work on. Once I knew this, I naturally wanted to understand more about those core topics, and that's how I spent quite some time living in those contexts and studying the language early on in my life. I did a student exchange year in Mexico City at the age of 16, living with a Mexican family and acquiring Spanish and Mexican culture like my second mother tongue. I spent 1 month after school in Ecuador working for an NGO supporting street children in Quito. I included a year at the University of Damascus to deepen my Arabic literature studies, learning the local dialect and living with a Syrian family. And I joined a small student association supporting Palestinian children and vulnerable families. These experiences early on gave me an in-depth understanding of the topics, languages and cultures on the ground. In turn, it helped me get my first junior positions out of university.
Practical experience and language skills are crucial for a career in international development. It helps to start determining the topics of "your heart" and then immersing as much as possible into those.
3. Create yourself the opportunities.
I knew I wanted to work for the UN system early on in my career, and I also knew from my Master's Studies in Social Anthropology that I wanted to work with and for refugees in the Middle East. When it came to the question where I would conduct my fieldwork in 2008, it was very soon clear that I'd go to Damascus, Syria, to getting to know the living conditions and challenges of Iraqi refugees living in the urban area. I decided to combine this with an internship at UNHCR, to get an entry point. I contacted directly the local UNHCR office and shared my CV with them, explaining my link with the fieldwork research, as well as my Arabic skills. That's why I got this (unpaid) position. I was the only international staff being able to conduct interviews with refugees arriving from Iraq.
Proactively reaching out to the various "dream" employer institutions while studying or while having flexibility to join as an intern/fellow can be successful strategy. Particularly if the contacted offices have an acute staffing need for specific profiles (in my case Arabic skills & academic background on refugees).
4. Use existing programs where it fits your focus topic.
With the previously mentioned focus and my on-the-ground experience, I tried to identify existing junior level programs to gain more professional on-the-job experience. That's how I started a paid Junior position at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs on international migration policy and refugee protection, a 1y project position in Uganda with Irish Aid as part of my second Masters in International Cooperation (ETH Zürich, stipend), as well as a paid Junior Professional Officer (JPO) at the UN Secretariat in NYC on international migration data and global policy. Last but not least, as part of my unemployment scheme in Switzerland after the JPO in NYC, I chose an internship option for academic professionals working for some months with a major Swiss NGO (Helvetas).
While these were all junior positions, I was everywhere involved as an active staff member and could gain valuable experience and exposure to different types of international organisations. It also consistently deepened my professional network.
Find those entry job or fellowship programs that fit your focus topics if you have the flexibility to do so!
5. Don't try to stick to a fixed, detailed career plan. Know your North Star, meander into this direction at your own pace.
I never had an exact plan on how my professional career should look like 10y after my studies. The classic reaction to my choice of the initial study subjects (Social Anthropology, Arabic Literature, Political Science) was "good luck finding a job afterwards"! That's why I was prepared to be open and take the opportunities as they came along. I always knew, however, the direction of my North Star, and was able to meander there despite interruptions or long twists. The North Start also got enriched over time from previously purely working on refugees/migration in the Arab region to include education/evidence/EdTech and the global level and philanthropy sector.
Be clear about your North Star, enjoy the unforeseen journey.
6. Dare to leave when it's going well.
I made several times the decision to leave an employer I really loved working with for personal reasons. The first time with the UN in NYC when it was time to decide with my partner whether we'd continue our partnership as a distance relationship or whether we want to take it more seriously and live together in one place. I jumped into cold waters, starting again in Switzerland with job searches. The second time when I left my leadership position at the Jacobs Foundation after 8y of working there. Again, for personal reasons, starting a new life with our children in Greece.
In both cases I got a lot of reactions like: "wow, you're so brave doing that step", to "I've always wanted to do this as well". And on top of that, my employer at that time at the UN didn't even know how to handle a resignation process as it seems it never happens. People stay there a bit stuck as they know they're in the golden cage, thinking that if they got so far and it's so hard to enter, they don't want to leave. For me it was liberating, and over time gave me also the confidence that there is more out there than just that the one and only employer.
Don't just stay because it was so hard to get into it. You will find other opportunities as long as you have your North Star, your network and your openness.
7. Create genuine connections.
Last but not least, the different professional stations gave me an immense opportunity to broaden and deepen my network all over the globe with people and institutions that support causes that are dear to my heart. For me, it was never a pure transactional exercise to connecting with people that could in the future help me in my career. It has rather been the curiosity of learning from them and enjoy successes with them.
Invest in your connections, that's what you take with you on your professional journey.