I applied online for an advertised vacancy. They were quite quick at advising me of reaching the shortlist, which is unusual for the UN. Most of the HR processes were surprisingly quick.
First I had to do a language test in a WFP official language other than English. Or you have to provide evidence of some kind of certification of your language level. I had no such certification so I signed up for a test.
Little information about the test was provided beforehand. Basically though an external firm was given my phone number and a time to call, which had been agreed with me. They called almost an hour late however. The test was conducted purely over the phone, so it could only focus on listening and speaking ability - the former particularly not being a strong point for me. The tester would ask a question and you would respond to it. Many of the questions were hypothetical (what would you do if you were outside and it started raining and you had no umbrella? how would you describe the sea to someone who was blind?) and others practical (what will you be doing in 10 years? what did you do on the weekend?). The idea is to make you use various pieces of grammar (conditional, future etc) and also to test if you understand the questions. The language test lasted probably around 20+ minutes.
I struggled a fair bit, but the level required obviously depends on the job and the job I was going for probably did not require a high level. I am at about B1 level in this language and managed to get to the interview stage.
I then was invited to interview in person in Rome at their HQ, with the option of a phone interview instead if I preferred. I went to Rome. I organised the transport and hotel myself, but I was later reimbursed (keep your receipts!).
There were 3 people in the interview - pretty standard in the UN system. The interview started 5-10 minutes late, although one of the panel members turned up only after another 10 minutes or so.
I got the impression that the panel members were not serious and that this was not an open recruitment exercise. Two of them constantly checked their Blackberries during the interview, with one even writing up an email (presumably) during it. This is annoying enough in a meeting, but during an interview it was insulting and lacking in professionalism.
The rest of it went OK, taking about 45-50 minutes consisting of Q&A from both sides. There were no especially tricky questions, but I got the clear impression there was a hole in my CV that meant I would not get the job. I assume that HR must have done the shortlisting, rather than panel members.
My overall impression was poor due to the Blackberry checking. I was left with a sour taste in my mouth regarding the organisation.
As a final sign of this, the position was then re-advertised on the internet without the organisation even having sent me any feedback on my interview. I guess that acts as the rejection email in their eyes!
