The UN Lottery

My hand is stiff and cramped into a nearly close fisted position. I just returned from 7 hours of gruelling testing. Okay well the test wasn't exactly that long but add in the two block walk to the UN, the administrative procedures (which are many) and the walk home and you have seven hours of bliss. I have to admit though that the venue made it surreal, and worth the experience... perhaps.

This afternoon I removed myself from my room that I had locked myself in for study and walked about two blocks up to the UN. Yes, I didn't even have to leave my neighborhood but once I entered the gates and walked up the flag lined road, I was as lost as though I were in another country. Around 200 of us, wandered our way through the maze that is the UN compound in Geneva and found our way to the UN General Assembly Hall where we showed our passports, signed a document and were given the pleasure of sitting for the some odd hour exam, under the shadow of the giant gold plated seal of the UN that was secured high on the wall of the vaulted room. We picked up the ear pieces attached to the tables in front of us as instructions were given in French and English (where I was happy to think that I could understand about 30% of the French). And there we sat, hunched over our exams for the next handfull of hours, imagining the thousands of other test takers going over the same exam in locations all over the world today.


Sometime back last October, I became aware of a recruitment exam for the UN, about say, 5 hours before the application for the exam was due. I neglected my studies for that day and rushed the application in, not really knowing exactly what I was applying for. A few weeks ago I was cleaning out my email in-box and found the email confirming my application and assigning me a number. Having never heard back from them and really having forgotten all about it, I just assumed it had all come to naught. I decided to figure out what it was I was missing out on, only to find on their website that I was listed as having been convoked for the exam in Geneva. I did a little more research and discovered that out of the hundreds of applications they receive only 40 Americans had been convoked to take this particular exam... The countries selected for the exam as well as the occupational groups are based on countries and occupational groups that are under represented in the Secretariat. Which means although this exam is available to me this year, it may not be the next. So I've won the lottery! Well not exactly, this was just round one. The UN National Competitive Recruitment Exam is the UN's only recruitment mechanism for new-entry permanent career appointments within the UN Secretariat. Of those who take the exam a very small number will be invited to interview in New York and of those even fewer will be offered a position. So I am playing the UN lottery. But happy to have made it this far.

So how did I do? It is hard to really evaluate how I did, between the intensity of classes right now, studying the last few days for the exam and then seven hours of hand cramping essay writing (12 essays in total... and who writes with a pen anymore anyhow!?), it is really difficult to say, its all a blur. But I have to say I much prefer writing essays than any other type of exam and I can say I wasn't terribly stumped by any of the essay questions, and was able to manage my time and answer them all. So who knows. Maybe in 5-10 months I will have good fruits for my efforts, if not I will continue in the job hunt and be happy to have had the experience.