Building a Career at the United Nations
Curious about building a career at the United Nations? I had the pleasure of chatting with Eri Yamasumi, Climate Change Specialist at the UNDP in August. You can view a recording of our session HERE.
Here is a recap of some of the main points we discussed.
How to get started?
Eri started her career journey working for a small NGO in Cambodia and Vietnam, this experience helped her gain initial hands-on development experience and also served as a way to gain clarity on the impacts she wanted to make in the long run. She then worked for the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Uganda where she learned more about grassroots initiatives. From there she worked for the G7 Summit. Her first role with the UN started when she applied for a UN Volunteer role with the UNV and got a role in Kenya. From there she worked as a project management consultant for the UNDP for three years before landing her current role.
How to Stand Out?
There are many career paths to choose from at the UN and while it may be appealing to try to land a career with the UN right after college, many candidates seek hands-on experience outside of the UN which they can then bring to a role down the road. Your experiences and sector-specific skills will serve you well and help you to stand out among other candidates when applying for a role at the UN. Eri’s advice, get specific as to the impacts you wish to make and start to build your toolbox of skills.
What Core Skills Helped You in Your Career Journey?
Eri’s project management experience is something that she uses on a daily basis. In addition, coordination, collaboration, and an awareness of politics and policy is key. Every role is unique but in her career journey, these core skills have helped to excel and create impact.
Eri also shared several resources / links for those who want to learn more about the opportunities within the UN system. I have compiled a shortlist of these resources here:
Finally, be sure to check out Eri’s fantastic project Mission 1.5to play and vote for the climate action initiatives that are important to you.