For fixed-term staff positions and some temporary staff positions, it is customary for there to be a written test that covers the position's respective technical areas. Candidates that successfully pass the technical written test (usually the top 3-5 scores) will be invited for an in-person, Skype or telephone interview. The interview is usually a competency-based (i.e. behavioral) interview. Candidates should review the UN guidelines for this type of interview to prepare as it is quite different from traditional private sector interviews.

The interview process is especially challenging for external candidates, as quite often there is bias for internal candidates; as such there is almost know way of knowing the answers to some of the questions unless you are already part of the system