Applying for a UN Job Using Inspira

Welcome
You will be asked to answer a question about how you found the job opening (JO). Simply choose one option to continue. You can skip this part if you wish, especially if you are creating a draft.

Let’s Start
Select whether you are using an existing application or building a new one.

Job Requirements
When you apply for a job opening, questions will appear here. There will be no questions if you are creating a draft application that is not linked to a job opening. When applying for a job or internship, it is important to answer these questions with specific examples of how you meet the requirements of the job or internship.

Include all academic degrees, including high school. You can also include certificates and diplomas. You should also indicate degrees in progress or incomplete degrees by choosing the appropriate options.

Have you included ALL your educational diplomas and degrees?
Do not forget to include your High School (or equivalent) degree, as well as your Bachelor’s, Master’s, and other degrees in your PHP.

You must enter the information on dates, location, etc. before you can start searching for the name of your university or school in the system.

Are you having difficulty in finding your university or degree in Inspira?

• Click on the magnifying glass icon to look up the academic institution on the UNESCO list
• Select advanced search
• Select “contains” instead of “begins with”
• Type keyword, e.g. “Texas”
• Search the resulting list for the university name
• If university name is not on list, select “other” option and type name of university
  The names of universities are the official name in the country’s language, not the English name.

You may contact the United Nations Office of Human Resources (OHR) at academicsconsult@un.org for guidance. If you do not include your university degree(s) for Professional and above level positions, you may be automatically screened out.

Indicate all languages that you know, even if you are not proficient. For each language, use the drop-down options to select your level of proficiency in four areas: Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing. The level of proficiency should follow the United Nations Language Framework below:

• UN Level I or Basic Language Competence
• UN Level II or Intermediate Language Competence
• UN Level III or Advanced Language Competence, baseline for the United Nations Language Proficiency Examination
• UN Level IV or Expert Language Competence

You are required to certify that you are indicating the correct level of language knowledge before you can save the indicators of your language knowledge.

Important: Check what level of language knowledge is required by the job opening to ensure you meet it. For example, if the job opening requires Level III knowledge of a language, are you indicating that level in all four areas (speaking, reading, writing, and listening)?

If you do not match the required level of language knowledge in all four areas, you will be automatically screened out.

Always remember to list your mother tongue and all languages that you know, even if they are not official languages of the UN.

The Experience section of the PHP will require most of your time and effort. The areas that applicants find most challenging are the Summary of Duties sections. You may need to do some research into your own work history. This section only allows a maximum of 1000 characters per entry.

• Include all full-time and part-time work as well as internships and voluntary work even if it is not relevant to the job you are interested in.
• Highlight what your function meant beyond the title, using concrete achievements, results and figures (budget size, number of partners involved, etc.).
• Ensure that Inspira captures all your years of work experience, by listing your current and all your previous jobs accurately. The Inspira system adds up all work experience you indicate in your PHP in the initial screening. If you do not include your complete job history or do not meet the minimum years of experience required, you will be screened out. Do not forget to list all your positions, including all lateral moves, temporary assignments, and promotions.
• If you do not know the exact dates of your employment, you should use the dates that most closely correspond to the dates you held the job.
• Include information about your duties/responsibilities and achievements. The Hiring Manager can evaluate you only based on what you include in your PHP. Take the time to carefully prepare your work experience (and spell-check it!).
• Duties are the specific responsibilities of your job. They accurately reflect what you are doing or have done in each of your previous jobs. In other words, it is the “what you do” of your job. Achievements describe in specific terms “how well you did” in your job.
• Within the limited space available, you need to highlight your current and previous job responsibilities. Whenever possible, use the language of the UN competencies and describe your duties with careful attention to the vacancy for which you are applying. Use phrases starting with action verbs. It is not necessary to use complete sentences. Your current job should be described in present tense; all others in past tense.
• To the extent possible, include achievements. Achievements are specific examples of where you made an impact in your current and previous positions. Be sure to provide context, specific actions and the results you achieved. Use the C-A-R statement model (context-action-result) and be specific in describing the impact you have made.
• Given that there is only space for 1000 characters, when you apply for a specific job or internship, the questions under “Job Requirements” will give you an opportunity to provide specific examples of duties and achievements relevant to the particular job or internship.
• When indicating the reason for leaving a previous job, keep it concise and simple. Use, for example, phrases such as “Promotion”, “Transfer”, “Moved abroad to study”, “End of contract” or “End of assignment”.

Applicants to the United Nations are required to write a motivation statement. The motivation statement is an important part of your application. In some organizations it may be a separate document from the application form. Some organizations require a cover letter or similar document.

State clearly the position or internship you are applying for. Make sure you state what you can offer the UN, not what you want from the UN. There is no need for addresses and your signature. Proofread to ensure that grammar and spelling are correct. Spell out acronyms the first time you use them. The motivation statement or cover letter is probably the first item the hiring manager will read.

Always write the motivation statement or cover letter in a word processor (MS Word, etc.) and then copy it into the Inspira system. This makes it easier to review and proofread.

The motivation statement must be completed when applying for a job at the United Nations Secretariat, and is the personal introduction that accompanies your application. The motivation statement is limited to 2000 characters. In other UN organizations it may be limited to 1000 characters.

In the motivation statement, explain how a new job aligns with your overall career goals and how elements of your personal character and experience support success in a UN position. Tailor the letter to the position or internship. State what makes you passionate about the position and the organization. Think of your motivation statement as an opportunity to distinguish yourself from other job seekers by highlighting what makes you a good match for the position.

Some United Nations organizations require a cover letter, which is about one page in length. Your cover letter should be brief (three or four paragraphs) and as targeted as possible to the position for which you are applying. Focus on the most relevant parts of your background that relate to the VA. Customize the cover note to best suit the specifics of the position. Here is the standard structure:

1. Open with statement of interest – one short paragraph introducing yourself and explaining your interest in the position.
2. Summarize qualifications, experience and competencies – one or two paragraphs describing how your experience, qualifications and competencies match the requirements for the position for which you are applying. Refer to and expand on information contained in your application, do not merely repeat it. Describe a few strengths and/or personal qualities related to job as well. Do not repeat your CV: focus on the key elements from your past experience that are relevant to the position.
3. Close with a brief recap – The closing is a brief recap of your key points.
   It is important to balance the tone of your cover letter. You want to be professional, cautiously assertive, but not presumptuous or overconfident. While a PHP does not have to conform to standard writing styles, and uses sentence fragments, a cover note should use full sentences. The cover letter should be no longer than one page.

References
Names and contact details of persons who know you well. Do not attach letters from them.

Other Information
You will be asked to answer questions, mainly about any criminal history, history of harassment including sexual harassment, misconduct or disciplinary action.

Review Your “Candidate Profile” and “Administrative Profile” and Submit
Save: Please make sure you always click on the Save button.
Please go to the Home page and then to My Applications, select the correct PHP and select the printer icon to View/Print Admin. Profile. If you wish, you can save this PHP as a .pdf file and/or print it.