Guides

UN career guides

Plain-English explainers covering what UN-system grades mean, what counts as a consultancy versus a fixed-term staff appointment, how to write a CV that survives UN screening, and how to find vacancies that match your background.

Guide

How to find UN jobs

Open United Nations vacancies are scattered across 20+ career portals — Inspira for the UN Secretariat, Workday for UNHCR, Oracle HCM for UNDP and UN Women, separate microsites for UNICEF, WFP, IOM, a

Guide

UN job levels explained

The United Nations Common System uses a structured grading framework for staff positions. Levels determine pay, expected seniority, and the kind of work a role involves. This guide explains the four m

Guide

UN contract types explained

The UN-system employs people on several different contract instruments. Understanding which contract a vacancy uses is essential — it determines salary structure, benefits, contract length, renewal ru

Guide

How to apply for UN consultancies

UN-system consultancies are time-bound, deliverables-based contracts open to individual professionals — often without a permanent UN role. They are the fastest entry point into the system for experien

Guide

How to write a UN CV

UN recruiters and AI applicant-tracking systems do not read a CV the way a private-sector recruiter does. UN screening is built around the formal job description and uses competency-based language. Th