UNICEF NETI Program Notifications?

[SG_2016]

Congratulations, Valery and Carrotflowers! You finally got to the end of the process:)

As far as I am concerned, waiting game is still on. My appl status is still "under review".

[carrotflowers]

Valéry and Bts, any update on induction dates? Cheers

[BTSBTS]

I was told 5th-16th June and that it would likely be a full 2 weeks. (Some stuff online referenced a 1 or 2 week induction so I asked them about this and they said 2)

I'm still waiting for my country office- it's nearly as bad as waiting to see if I'd got in at all! (well maybe not quite as bad!) In the meantime, I've applied for 2 posts proactively and let the team know. If I don't get sorted before June I'll roll over to another induction- not in a major rush so that would be fine. It's just the continual not knowing that is a bit unsettling.

[TropicalGuy]

On 3/10/2017 at 2:47 AM, BTSBTS said:

I was told 5th-16th June and that it would likely be a full 2 weeks. (Some stuff online referenced a 1 or 2 week induction so I asked them about this and they said 2)

I'm still waiting for my country office- it's nearly as bad as waiting to see if I'd got in at all! (well maybe not quite as bad!) In the meantime, I've applied for 2 posts proactively and let the team know. If I don't get sorted before June I'll roll over to another induction- not in a major rush so that would be fine. It's just the continual not knowing that is a bit unsettling.

I am in the same waiting boat. Hope we get placed!

[Valéry]

10 hours ago, TropicalGuy said:

I am in the same waiting boat. Hope we get placed!

You sure will.  But you will be invited for an interview first. Good luck. 

[carrotflowers]

M&E people, P3 position in Tanzania just out.  Get on that if you're not already! 

[jeremyhardy1]

Update: a delayed one. I got my acceptance for M&E a few weeks ago. Amazing.

Now waiting like everyone else for a position to come up. Tricky in terms of leaving my current job, life, etc, given that it could be anywhere at any time. Hard to plan.

[SG_2016]

Congratulations, jeremyhardy!

I got my acceptance for M&E as well:) I am very happy for it, although uncertainty still continues. I hope it will not take 3 years to be contacted by a hiring office. 

Those of you who have been notified about being successfully selected for the talent pool (but not proposed a specific job), have you received any info after you got the notification? should I expect a Q&A session with the HR?

[BTSBTS]

Congrats SG! Great news.

So I'm in a different pool from you but yes, after the initial 'you got it' email you then get another one which sets a time for a call to get and give some more info.  

But you're absolutely right to pace yourself for the continued waiting game- It's better waiting, but still waiting!

[Valéry]

4 hours ago, SG_2016 said:

Congratulations, jeremyhardy!

I got my acceptance for M&E as well:) I am very happy for it, although uncertainty still continues. I hope it will not take 3 years to be contacted by a hiring office. 

Those of you who have been notified about being successfully selected for the talent pool (but not proposed a specific job), have you received any info after you got the notification? should I expect a Q&A session with the HR?

Congrats SG...

[BTSBTS]

Hi all,

Anyone been handed any firm details of the NY induction yet?

Carrotflowers, are you in country yet?!

Ive heard very little from HR since being offered the role. 

[TropicalGuy]

2 hours ago, BTSBTS said:

Hi all,

Anyone been handed any firm details of the NY induction yet?

Carrotflowers, are you in country yet?!

Ive heard very little from HR since being offered the role. 

You got assigned to a country office? I for one am still waiting for that magical moment.

[BTSBTS]

No TropicalGuy, I haven't had any discussions at all with them yet over country. I can't imagine I'll make the June induction as you have to know your country before you go and it's getting pretty tight. They said they had hoped to place us all by then but also said they couldn't guarantee it. Those who aren't placed in time for it and who go later in the year could have a induction around September apparently.

[SG_2016]

I am in a simmilar situation. I got the notification about being accepted for the Talent Group, had the Q&A skype session, and got no further news since then. But I was told that in case we are recruited for a NETI position after the June induction session, we are going to participate in the next year session. 

[BTSBTS]

Thanks SG. Very useful. It would be very helpful to know their cut off point for that- for example if by say end of May we have no further news, we can assume a rollover on to next year's in take? (Would be very useful for life planning!)

[jeremyhardy1]

yeah its crazy to go through all that process and for nothing concrete to happen as a result. i'm in the same boat for M&E. i guess it makes sense from their end. but really makes it hard to make plans for the next six months or whatever. its like a ghost job....but ok. guess its about patience and keeping the faith.

[SG_2016]

2 hours ago, BTSBTS said:

Thanks SG. Very useful. It would be very helpful to know their cut off point for that- for example if by say end of May we have no further news, we can assume a rollover on to next year's in take? (Would be very useful for life planning!)

I asked about it at the Q&A session. I was told that there is no cut off point; we can be recruited for a position any time within the 3 year span. All depends on our profiles' suitability to offices looking for new staff. So the exact time when we can be considered for an actual job is hard to predict since it depends on staffing needs of country/regional offices. If we don't get any news until May or June, we can still can get it any time aftern June. The only difference is that we would start working at the duty station long before the next induction session in NY. So our placements do not depend on these induction sessions. In other words, our "waiting and hoping" mode can last any amount of time, for up to three years. 

[SG_2016]

50 minutes ago, jeremyhardy1 said:

yeah its crazy to go through all that process and for nothing concrete to happen as a result. i'm in the same boat for M&E. i guess it makes sense from their end. but really makes it hard to make plans for the next six months or whatever. its like a ghost job....but ok. guess its about patience and keeping the faith.

Unfortunatelly this is the negative side of this kind of recruiting schemes. I suppose (and hope!) that being in a Talent Group gives us a considerable advantage in the UNICEF's staffing process, compared to external applicants who are not in any of the Talent Groups. It would be interesting to know what ratio of available positions in UNICEF are actually filled in by candidates from Talent Groups; at least this would give us an idea about the chances we have. The worst part is that after this very long, very competitive, and mentally exhausting selection process, we don't even have the certainty that within these 3 years we will get an offer. I was selected in a simmilar Talent Group for another international organization and have been considered for a position only once during the 2 year validity period (which by the way I couldn't accept because it was too short-term position to be worth losing my current job for it). I know people who had simmilar negative experiences with being selected on IGO Talent Groups through very long and competitive processes and getting nothing out of it afterall. Waiting can last: take Carrotflower's example who waited for a year to get an offer. So the only thing we can do is wait and hope for the best, and think that if we eventually get an offer, chances are that we will end up working within an interesting environment on very exciting assignments, and then we would know that all this waiting and stress was worth it.  

[BTSBTS]

Yes exactly- for my part I've just started a new job (that I'm really enjoying!) so I wouldn't mind it being over a year from now although I did consider turning it down if NETI was imminent- very glad I didn't when I hear of your own experience of a talent group SG. I think my strategy of starting this new job will be sensible in the end but I do live in fear of being 'called up' within the 6 month mark and really annoying my new organisation.

Oh well- these are all luxury problems and I don't want to seem ungrateful- to wait with grace is a very important character trait!;)

[TropicalGuy]

4 hours ago, SG_2016 said:

Unfortunatelly this is the negative side of this kind of recruiting schemes. I suppose (and hope!) that being in a Talent Group gives us a considerable advantage in the UNICEF's staffing process, compared to external applicants who are not in any of the Talent Groups. It would be interesting to know what ratio of available positions in UNICEF are actually filled in by candidates from Talent Groups; at least this would give us an idea about the chances we have. The worst part is that after this very long, very competitive, and mentally exhausting selection process, we don't even have the certainty that within these 3 years we will get an offer. I was selected in a simmilar Talent Group for another international organization and have been considered for a position only once during the 2 year validity period (which by the way I couldn't accept because it was too short-term position to be worth losing my current job for it). I know people who had simmilar negative experiences with being selected on IGO Talent Groups through very long and competitive processes and getting nothing out of it afterall. Waiting can last: take Carrotflower's example who waited for a year to get an offer. So the only thing we can do is wait and hope for the best, and think that if we eventually get an offer, chances are that we will end up working within an interesting environment on very exciting assignments, and then we would know that all this waiting and stress was worth it.  

I've also wondered if being in a talent groups gives an advantage at all. Time will tell I guess.

[SG_2016]

18 hours ago, BTSBTS said:

Yes exactly- for my part I've just started a new job (that I'm really enjoying!) so I wouldn't mind it being over a year from now although I did consider turning it down if NETI was imminent- very glad I didn't when I hear of your own experience of a talent group SG. I think my strategy of starting this new job will be sensible in the end but I do live in fear of being 'called up' within the 6 month mark and really annoying my new organisation.

Oh well- these are all luxury problems and I don't want to seem ungrateful- to wait with grace is a very important character trait!;)

BTSBTS, I think you can mention in your UNICEF online profile that you are available only after a certain date (Update profile/availability). since we have 3-year time span for getting a NETI position, you can easily complete one year at your new job. 

[BTSBTS]

Hi SG, you are absolutely right that you can do that on your profile but the truth is I don't really trust the process to delay it even further! They take so long on everything anyway, I wouldn't want to give them a reason to delay me further or, when I hear from your experience and people you know, not to be placed at all. So I'm just seeing what comes up when and how compelling it is.

[SG_2016]

On 23 April 2017 at 11:11 AM, Valéry said:

Good luck guys. I am already at my duty station.

great!:) and how are things going with your new job, Valery? do you like it? 

[Valéry]

Yeah I like it. The diversity is mind blowing. And people are extremely nice. Story of my life. 

[jeremyhardy1]

On 4/18/2017 at 10:11 PM, TropicalGuy said:

I've also wondered if being in a talent groups gives an advantage at all. Time will tell I guess.

I think a big difference is that there are a lot of jobs which are not advertised publicly. So the talent group at least gives you the advantage of being put forward for a bigger pool of jobs. 

Still waiting on my end. I'm preparing for it to take a long time.