Archives (15th November 2018): Why London

01/12/18 04:02

I did promise to tell you why I was travelling to London. Promise is a promise, so here comes the explanation.

My placement in Bangkok with my organisation is coming to its end. Under our employment rules, we are not allowed to serve in one location for longer than four years, meaning that after this period of time, we will need to be transferred to a new location, under the scheme that we refer to as ‘Rotation’. Although, there are some good chances that I would be able to secure a new post with my organisation somewhere else in the world (this should happen in the middle of next year), there is always a risk that something will not go the way expected.

In order to increase the chances of my job security, some weeks ago, I started applying for jobs in various organisations. One of the position that I applied for was a place in a UNDP’s roster for resident representatives (or in other words, a position of a country director). To my big surprise, I was short-listed for a post that and was given a chance to go through final stages of the recruitment process. So here I am, in London with some other candidates going through various exercises and tests that are meant to determine whether I could fit to the organisation.

I am here with a number of wonderful people, all of them much more senior than I am - ambassadors, members of national parliaments, directors of UN agencies… Frankly, I do not stand a chance to get recruited, given the caliber of my colleagues, but thing being written, I feel really happy to have met them, and given an opportunity to go through the interviews and exercises. The experience, and interaction with recruitment managers (and other candidates) has be enriching, and definitely has challenged my comfort zones - and one always should appreciate opportunities, such as this one, to learn.

So even, if I am unlikely to get an offer, I have enjoyed my stay in London tremendously!

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Archives (15th November 2018): Why London