Interviewing at an International Organization (Part 5)

This article is part 5 of a series called “Careers in International Organizations (IOs) – an insider’s guide” – click this LINK to access an overview of the series.

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The two theories of interviews:

Most IOs structure their interview processes by employing one of two theories of interviewing. The first of these is an experience-based interview process and the second being competency-based. The key difference between these is how the questions are phrased and how you are expected to answer, however, answering in a competency-based manner will also work in an experience-based interview. So, it makes good sense to master competency-based interview theory.

Experience-based interviews:

These aim to explore your experience and allow a panel to match it with the requirements needed for a given post. For example, an interviewer may ask if you could list your two most significant achievements in a past role. A candidate’s answer is then matched against the types of achievements and outcomes sought in the vacancy. Another example could be to ask what you liked the most and the least about a job. You may also be asked about the job you’re applying for and what you may think is the most challenging or rewarding part. Lastly, you may be asked why you think you would be the ideal candidate for the job. In preparing for such questions, you should think of a list of past tasks, achievements, and experiences which could be relevant to the job and carefully study the job vacancy to understand how you would fit into the role.

Why Experience-based Interviews Fail in IOs:

The big problem with this type of interview process is that answers tend to be heavily rooted in the specific cultural context of the candidate and the interviewer. This is a HUGE problem in IOs which aim to hire staff from across the globe. In some cultures, confidence can be seen as a necessity in securing a job (think the US or UK), in others (such as Central Europe, Japan, Portugal) this may be seen as off-putting or even arrogant. An engineer from Poland with 30+ years of experience would describe themselves as knowledgeable whereas an engineer from Canada with 10+ years of experience would regard themselves as an expert in the field. There is no right or wrong answer here since their perception is a function of the culture in which they grew up. But in an IO, this makes it extremely difficult to differentiate between a global applicant pool.

A modern and inclusive IO must, therefore, strive to place all candidates on an even playing field and experience-based interviews don’t really allow this to happen. I have personally led several HR transformations away from experience-based interviews explicitly for this reason and am happy to see that they’re becoming less frequent.

The Better Approach: Competency-based interviews

Competency-based interviews try to bridge this gap by moving away from trying to have the candidates assess their experience and, instead, asking them to describe specific situations and actions. The idea here is that, regardless of cultural norms, a candidate who has a particular set of experience should be able to describe that experience, what they did, and how this experience improved a process, policy, or initiative. The panel is then able to understand the way candidates achieved outcomes and whether the competencies they used match those sought in the vacancy. Jobs.ac.uk has a great article on competency-based interviews which introduces the STAR concept and which you should review before any IO interview.

Questions in a competency-based interview may ask you to describe a situation where you needed to do something and will often ask you to reflect on who you included, and what were the outcomes. To prepare for them you should build several vignettes (examples) which are linked to the vacancy notice. So, for example, if the job requires the drafting of a policy paper, then you should probably expect an example of where you had to write one, how that process went, and what was the result.

I’ll provide more details on how to structure the answers (using STAR and thinking of time) later in this article.

Review the Competencies:

You should also review the competencies sought for the job and the competency guide for the IO you’re applying for. Competencies are the behaviors which the organization expects you to exhibit in the conduct of your work. One example could be teamwork – so collaborating with others. This means that your answers should aim to showcase how you, in the past, demonstrated these competencies. Going back to the policy paper example, if ‘Teamwork’ is a competency for the post, you may want to include in your interview answer some insights on how you involved others in the process and sought their inputs – a great way of showcasing your ‘Teamwork’ competency. The key thing here is moderation – don’t attempt to link every competency in every question you answer – also be truthful as this is the most important factor in any interview. If you didn’t involve others, perhaps don’t use that example, or reflect on how involving others could have made a better overall policy paper. Think of competencies like the salt that adds flavor to your answers – too much and it will spoil them.

IOs approach competencies differently. Some don’t have them but do have competency-based interviews. Others have standardized competencies that apply to all jobs (the OSCE Competency Model is a great example – it’s a model I built based on leading-edge research from the Government of Canada). Another example is the United Nations Values and Behaviors Framework – which is succinct, efficient and easy for candidates to understand.  Some have different levels of competencies depending on the job seniority (the OECD Model uses this with great success). Lastly there are the over-engineered models which have tons of competencies and levels and then assign some competencies at some levels to a particular post. In my experience these don’t add value. NATO uses model with 16 competencies and 4-5 levels for each, and which is so complex that it's not published. This makes it nearly impossible for candidates to prepare effectively without insider knowledge.

From Theory to Practice: The Interview Process

I have outlined the high-level process in Article 3 but will provide more insights here from the perspective of the applicant.

The first step is typically an offline interview which may also include a written test. The offline interview (Sonru, Hireflix, etc.) means you will be recorded via your webcam. You typically don’t get second chances, so you need to be ready to answer correctly the first time around. First off, don’t use a handheld mobile phone – EVER. You’re applying for a job and so having a wobbly screen is a no-no. Set up a neutral background and ensure good lighting with the camera roughly at eye level. Don’t have a mobile device that you’re looking up answers on – this is plainly visible to the assessors. Simply answer to the best of your abilities. It’s ok to take notes and you’ll be given about 1 minute after a question is posted before the recording begins. Use that time wisely. Perhaps write down how you would answer it on a notepad and then make sure you have it good to go. The first question is typically a warm-up where you’ll be asked to describe your experience, and why you may be a good fit for the role (3-7 minutes). This will be followed by 2-3 competency-based interview questions (2-5 minutes). You’ll also typically have 2 minutes at the end to provide concluding remarks or to address anything you’ve missed in the past.

After the offline interview you may be invited to write a written or language test. There are many flavors of this (memo, reflection paper, presentation). First off, don’t cheat – ever. IOs are becoming more sophisticated in reviewing applications and have tools to assess whether you copied/pasted items in, had a chat with a colleague, or had someone else write a section for you. If that is discovered, you’ll be automatically disqualified. If it’s discovered after you’re hired – as it sometimes is, you’ll be fired with cause and forced to reimburse all your moving costs. Just don’t do it.

Following this stage, the short-listed candidates will be invited to an interview with the panel. Again, this is typically a video interview so set up your web meeting environment accordingly. As mentioned in Article 3, you should expect a panel consisting of HR, the hiring manager, and 1-3 other managers from other departments. Interviews are usually 45 minutes long and include an overview, 6-8 competency-based interviews and a point for you to ask one or possibly two questions at the end. Aim to be punctual, concise, and precise as the panel has the next interview right after yours. So, with some simple math, you can clearly see that, if you want time to ask a question at the end (and you should), that means you’ll need to limit each answer to about 5 minutes (which includes 1 minute for the panel to ask the question). That means you talk for about 4 minutes on each question – that’s it. I can’t begin to tell you how often we’ve had to stop a candidate at the 8- or 10-minute mark of a question. This shows the panel an inability to manage time efficiently. Remember that being too verbose makes you exhibit weaker time-management competencies.

So, what do you do with these four minutes? Well, you apply the STAR framework I described earlier, but remember that not all parts of STAR are equally relevant. A rough guide is presented below:

• Situation: Spend about 30 seconds on this. Provide a reference to which past job you’re referring to and perhaps a context for the problem.

• Task: Spend about 30 seconds on this too. Provide an outline of what needed to be done and why it was important.

• Action: Spend about 2 minutes on this. Explain exactly what you did – using the “I” pronoun to make it clear that these were your actions. Detail steps, show issues, how you addressed them, who you spoke with, and why.

• Results: Spend about 1 minute on this. Explain the overall result, why it mattered, and how it improved things going forward. If you have KPIs use them!

You may be asked a question in another language. This is typically a standard scenario in bilingual IOs (like the OECD) as well as for roles which require specific language skills (such as Country Analysts and Media Officers). Always try to answer to the best of your ability. If you have zero skills in that language, then your intent and attitude will matter a lot. Simply learn to say, in that language, that you don’t speak it well but are looking forward to learning it. Then, in your primary language ask if you can answer the substantive part of the question. Typically, the panel will agree.

At the end of the interview, you’ll be asked if you may have a question or two. Try to focus these on the substantive part of the role. If there has been a recent reorganization, ask the hiring manager how this will affect the role. If the organization recently released a policy or paper, ask if this role will help implement it and what would be the main challenges? Try to avoid questions around salary (which is publicly known and available on the website) or flexible working arrangements (all IOs have them). Essentially try to ask questions that the hiring manager (who is the decider) and not the HR rep will answer. You can always ask the HR rep those later, but this is your one, and only, chance to speak to the hiring manager – so make it count.

Following the interview, you may be tested again (but rarely so if you were tested at the long-listing stage). You may also need to do a language test, which will play some recordings and request you to select from among multiple choice answers. Again, don’t cheat since many systems now use multiple factors to consider language and so if you excel on one but fail on the other, you’ll immediately be red flagged.

Lastly, for senior level posts at the levels of UN P5 or Coordinated A5 (same as NATO G22) or higher you will likely be invited to an Assessment Centre by an external provider. These are separate specialized subjects and I have either helped design, administer, or simply participate in nearly all. If you’re facing one of these then DM me and we can discuss one-on-one coaching options.

After the interviews complete some candidates chose to send thank you emails to the HR rep on the panel for onward transmittal to panel members. This makes absolutely no difference in the process, and I suggest you may wish to avoid it.

The panel typically deliberates right after the last candidate is interviewed and the list of candidates who meet the quality threshold is then put together (one or more depending on the organization) and forwarded to the Secretary General for the ultimate appointment decision.

This was a very long Article but of course one of the most important. In Article 6 we’ll tackle the question of how you accept an IO job offer.

Help and Coaching:

As part of our practice OrdoStrategica offers help and coaching for those interested in pursuing careers in IOs. If you would like to learn more about our help and coaching options please contact us. If you're specifically interested in coaching from Andrzej you can schedule a session on his Intro page.