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2024 UNSSC Career Booster for Junior Professional Officers
The course equips Junior Professional Officers (JPOs) who are at the mid-point or end of their assignment, with a common set of knowledge, skills and attitudes that will be essential for their current and future career progression in the United Nations (UN) system.
What is the probability that JPOs will experience a meaningful and sustainable career in the UN just by chance? Career transitions require careful planning and thinking through, starting with the why, the what, and the when.
Drawing from years of experience in JPO trainings, UNSSC now offers the Career Booster, an integral part of the Staff College's JPO Learning Pathway, which intends to contribute to higher-level outcomes: strengthened JPOs’ capability to effectively fulfil their role and readiness for career transitioning, as well as improved engagement culture and talent management by UN family and affiliated organizations aligned with UN 2.0 transformation.
Offered and curated by leading learning professionals, industry experts, career coaches, and UN staff across the system, the course provides JPOs with a safe learning environment and space to build up their self-awareness and skillset for excelling in their current roles while enriching their career visioning, planning and advancement, within the UN and beyond.
At the same time, it represents a rare occasion for JPOs to reflect on the challenges of career planning, exchange experiences and possible solutions with their peers, helping them build genuine and influential connections.
You can read, watch and listen to what our Career Booster faculty has to say here.
Participants will be equipped with knowledge and skills useful for pursuing a career in the UN system. At the end of the programme, JPOs will be able to:
- explain the importance of designing and leading a value-driven, meaningful and sustainable career
- describe current trends and skills which are expected of UN staff, both those of today and of the future
- take charge of formulating their career aspirations, setting realistic career goals, and putting together actionable career plans
- learn how to effectively overcome habits which hold them back, and how to develop attitudes which will help their career advancement
- learn behavioral strategies to build resilience, boost learning and progress, and develop effective professional relationships
- effectively present their qualifications and highlight their competencies and talents
- recognize and practice effective interviewing techniques, including both competency-based and situational questions
- create, build and nurture a system-wide peer network of JPOs and professional contacts for future support, consultation, and available resources
The immersive learning experience of the Career Booster builds on the Staff College's rich legacy and the evaluation data from face-to-face, blended and virtual programme editions for JPOs as well as learning needs identified by JPOs and SARCs (Special Assistant to Resident Coordinator) It is designed to meet the needs of mid-assignment JPOs.
The programme combines the best signature elements of two deliveries, both online and in person learning environments with the added benefits of peer-to-peer collaboration. Participants are invited to apply their learning through application-oriented learning methodologies such as simulations, mock interviews, collaborative group exercises, peer-to-peer consultations, team discussions and dialogues with the subject-matter experts.
The Pre – course work offers gradual immersion in the learning experience through a Learning Needs Assessment (LNA), access to a introductory forum, self-paced micro-modules on Pursuing Career in the UN (mandatory), UN System Leadership Framework (recommended), a one-to-one one-hour individual CV/P11/PHP/Cover letter review coaching session (which is available up until the end of the programme), as well as curated resources.
The Virtual week offers synchronous interaction through three mandatory webinars, including interaction with inspiring UN leaders/experts, a career panel with selected UN agencies, and inter-generational JPOs networking and career conversations, a DiSC assessment, and curated resources. Average engagement time up to seven hours per week.
The Residential training (17 - 21 June) is composed of intensive residential instructor-led training through in-person engagement, practice, skills-building, individual and group activities, experience sharing, feedback from peers and the instructors, networking, peer-to-peer interactions, and action planning. Average engagement time per day is eight hours with additional time dedicated to social networking.
Day 1: Becoming a leader in the UN (Upgrading Skills and Forward-Looking Culture for UN 2.0, Values and the Current State of Play in the UN recruitment, Contract Types and Job Profiles, Senior HR Director Personal Account of a Successful Leadership and Career in the UN)
Day 2: Fostering Growth Mindset (Foundations of Resilience and Well-being Strategies for Coping and Thriving; Managing Your Time, Energy, and Motivation; Boosting Learning and Progress; Difficult conversations, Feedback, and Feedback Seeking; Interview with the JPO Supervisor/s)
Day 3: Leading With Intention (Leading a Meaningful and Sustainable Career; Habits Holding You Back and Attitudes Helping Career Advancement; Leadership of the Self (DiSC) Assessment Debriefing)
Day 4: Boosting Your Image (Direction and Framing Values, Reflection, Shared Perspectives; Self-perception, Communicating with Your Audience; My Best and Worst Interviews: Values, Bias and Emotions, Clarifying Competencies, Storytelling in Interviews; Mock CBI Interviews)
Day 5: Actioning Your Career (Networking as Your Ally, Career Conversations with Your Supervisor, Way Forward, Peers as a Resource: Together is Better, Concluding Reflections, Evaluations)
* Based on the learning needs of the learners, some modifications to the agenda and time schedule are possible for both virtual part of the course (find your local time zone: click here) and the residential week.
JPOs at headquarters and field locations in the UN. We also recommend the programme to JPOs deployed in affiliated entities, related organizations and other multilateral organizations who want to pursue a career in the UN System. By nomination and open enrolment.
When submitting your registration, please indicate in the "Motivation" section/ "Why did you apply for this learning activity?" the current year of your JPO assignment and the number of years remaining. This information is mandatory to confirm your eligibility.
The course fee of $3,250 covers:
- Full participation in both the online and face-to-face components;
- DiSC Personality Profile Assessment and debriefing;
- Exclusive access to UNSSC's dedicated online learning environment, including the self-paced training module “Pursuing Your Career in the UN”, all programme materials, curated resources;
- CV/PHP/P11 and cover letter revamp, in a 60-min one-on-one coaching with a certified executive coach;
- An opportunity for a few volunteers to take part in a mock competency-based interview (CBI);
- Unique peer-to-peer exchange and networking with other global JPOs;
- Full board and lodging at the UN Campus in Turin (including a welcome mingling evening);
- Continuous alumni community engagement and an opportunity to be featured in spotlight interviews on UNSSC website.
Note: It is important to note that registering for the programme does not guarantee selection. The fee does not cover eventual costs related to the participants' travel and insurance, participants are expected to cover costs for travel. Please do not book flight tickets or accommodation without receiving a confirmation of selection into the course.
