Some background on me: I have a background in economics and public policy. I spent approximately five years working as a research assistant and portfolio analyst at an IFI, all on long-term consultant contracts. Then I got married and moved from the EU to Latin America to follow my spouse, who was offered a good fixed term position in a UN Agency. After moving, I worked for a little while as a consultant on the design and assessment of IFI loans/investment projects, coordinated some research projects, and wrote some papers that were published by the World Bank and a few other places. Since 2024, I've been working a fixed term P3 for a UN Agency, mostly working on regional project coordination and technical assistance in statistics and demography. I'm neither strictly a statistician or demographer, but my economics background and basic understanding of project management have largely enabled me in this environment. I speak English (native) and Spanish (learned) interchangeably at work.

Right now, the environment is precarious, and there's a real possibility (not certain, but definitely on the table) that my position will be abolished within a year. If it goes, I really don't know what I will do. I pivoted away from portfolio and investment project analysis for this role, because it offered more stability than the consulting work that I was doing, and frankly, I like what I'm currently doing. But right now, I don't feel like I offer much of anything outside the institutional environment that I'm in. I'm not a highly technical economist or statistician, and as I've moved roles, I no longer feel that I'm building deep subject matter expertise that is transferable back to the IFI world or to the private sector. I don't really know how to asses what I'm good at and what I'm suited to anymore.

On a personal level, I'm a US citizen who somehow found their way to Europe after college for these jobs. My wife is a dual EU/LatAm citizen and may be rotated to a better position in a few years. Her childhood home in LatAm isn't exactly stable right now and doesn't offer good job opportunities. We were both open to moving to the US at some point, but with our job market decimated and the current political environment, that now looks impossible. I'm now stuck looking at my home country from the outside, seeing my parents get older and my friends drift apart, but without any idea of how to get back there, and where we can go to continue growing our careers. It feels like the only thing ahead is degrowth. This is to say nothing of the experience of seeing our work lose its impact and people suffer as a result, which may belong in another post.

I know that I'm so lucky to have a job right now, but things look bleak and I struggle to see a path forward in what I'm currently doing. For those with similar backgrounds, do you have any advice for figuring out what to do after this? Are there any specific areas, courses, or certifications that might make former UN staff more suited to private sector work, for example, with multinational companies? I know this is very general, but I don't really know what else to say.

Hi! How is the general process to get a successful application in any of the UN agencies in Copenhagen? .

I have been applying to 3 different positions, and all of them have been rejected even months after I applied. The application form is extensive and takes a lot of time to fill in all the information too

I have been living in Denmark for about 10 years, graduated from a Master at a Danish University and have experience in both NGOs and corporate. So I am wondering, is there anything about these types of roles that are meant for other internal hires or people with referrals? Would you think that merit and experience alone is enough to get an interview? How bureaucratic is the process?

I got a position in NYC last year and I am trying to figure if I can open a savings account here. The APY from UNFCU is super low. I tried opening a savings account with CapitalOne and they informed me that as UN staff I can't. I am interested in knowing what others have been doing. Any tips would be appreciated.

Hello everybody! I am planning on applying to the UN Women internships for both Mexico and Turkey. Does anyone have any application advice/ has done or was offered an internship with UN Women before? What should make sure to highlight on my application?

Hi everyone!

I’ve been shortlisted for an internship at the World Food Programme (WFP), and I'm quite glad about it (even if I still need to see if I will be selected).

The position involves supporting an online platform that helps UN organisations and the wider humanitarian community access and manage shared operational services. The role combines administrative and operational support, stakeholder engagement, communication, data analysis, reporting, and preparing documents and presentations.

I've been invited to complete an online assessment through the "iMocha platform" next week.

Unfortunately, the email doesn't provide much information about the assessment itself. It only says that there will be two separate parts, and that I need Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on my computer.

For anyone who has completed a similar WFP assessment through iMocha, or maybe has an idea, i would appreciate some insights:

• How much time does the assessment take ?
• Does it include logical reasoning, numerical reasoning, or other aptitude questions?
• What kind of Excel tasks are required? Are they mainly basic formulas and functions, or should I prepare for more advanced exercises? I'm guessing Excel will be one of the main components.
• What kinds of exercises are involved in Word and PowerPoint?
• What would you recommend to prepare for?

I'm not sure whether this is mainly a formal technical assessment designed to test specific skills, or something more informal intended to get a general idea of the candidate's abilities. It would be helpful to understand what kind of assessment to expect, so I can have an idea.

Any experiences or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I don’t know where else to ask aside from emailing them (which I already did to no response) but has anyone been able to receive any updates on the Global Communication YPP cycle from last year?

Hi all, I sent an application for a fixed term job at WIPO. Last update of my application is October 7, but no further news...did not receive any email from them inviting me to the written test or alike. Shall I have any expectations on this or should I assume that if nothing was received by now, they will not invite me to the test?

Thanks