By Zekeria Madadi | September 16, 2026 | 0 Comments

How to Build a Professional CV for UN Opportunities

Getting a job with the United Nations is a goal for many people. UN jobs are available in areas such as administration, finance, education, human rights, health, development, communication, engineering, information technology, and humanitarian work.

A good CV can help you present your education, work experience, skills, and achievements clearly.

However, there is one important point. For many UN Secretariat jobs, a CV is not a replacement for the official online application. The UN uses its online recruitment system to collect detailed information about your education, work history, skills, competencies, and other qualifications.

This guide explains how to prepare a clear CV and how to use the same information correctly when applying for UN opportunities.

What Is a UN CV?

A UN CV is a professional document that shows who you are, what you studied, where you worked, what skills you have, and what you achieved.

A good CV should not contain unnecessary information.

It should help the employer quickly understand:

Your education
Your work experience
Your main skills
Your achievements
Your language skills
Your training and certificates
Your professional field

The UN advises applicants to give clear and useful information instead of making an application unnecessarily long.

Important: A CV Is Not Enough for Many UN Jobs

Many applicants make one common mistake. They prepare a CV and think that uploading or sending it is enough.

For UN Secretariat vacancies, this is not normally the case.

The official UN Careers website says that resumes are not a substitute for a completed online application. Applicants must complete the required information in the UN recruitment system.

The online application works like an extended professional profile. It can include:

Education
Work experience
Skills
Languages
Training
Certificates
Publications
Competencies
Achievements

Therefore, prepare your CV as a strong source of information, but always follow the exact instructions in the vacancy announcement.

Start With the UN Job Description

Do not write one CV and use exactly the same version for every UN job.

First, read the vacancy carefully.

Look for:

Education requirements
Years of experience
Required work experience
Required languages
Technical skills
Competencies
Duties
Other requirements

The UN advises applicants to target their applications to the specific job opening.

For example, if a job asks for experience in project management, your CV should clearly show your project management experience if you have it.

Use a Simple CV Structure

A professional UN-focused CV can use the following structure:

Full Name
Contact Information
Professional Summary
Work Experience
Education
Skills
Languages
Training and Certificates
Volunteer Experience
Publications or Research
References, if requested

You do not need to add every possible section.

Only include sections that are useful for the job.

1. Write Your Full Name Clearly

Put your full name at the top of the CV.

For example:

Abdul Ahmad

Do not use many different names in different documents.

Your name should be consistent with your official documents and your application profile.

2. Add Professional Contact Information

Your contact information should be simple.

You can include:

Phone number
Professional email
City and country
LinkedIn profile, if relevant

Use a professional email address.

For example:

abdulahmad@gmail.com

Avoid emails that look informal or difficult to understand.

3. Write a Short Professional Summary

The professional summary should tell the reader who you are.

Keep it short.

Write about:

Your professional field
Your main experience
Your strongest skills
The type of work you can do

Example:

Professional Summary

Civil Engineer with three years of experience in construction, site supervision, and project support. Skilled in technical reporting, teamwork, field work, and communication. Experienced in working with local organizations and development projects.

Do not write a long life story.

4. Focus on Work Experience

Work experience is one of the most important parts of your CV.

List your most recent job first.

For each job, include:

Job Title
Organization Name
City, Country
Start Date – End Date

Then add your main duties and achievements.

Example:

Project Assistant
ABC Development Organization
Kabul, Afghanistan
January 2024 – June 2026

Supported project planning and daily activities.
Prepared weekly reports.
Worked with field teams and local partners.
Collected and checked project data.
Helped complete project activities on time.

Keep the language simple.

Duties and Achievements Are Different

This is an important point for a UN application.

A duty explains what you did.

An achievement explains what you completed or improved.

For example:

Duty:

Prepared monthly reports.

Achievement:

Prepared monthly reports that helped the project team track activities and deadlines.

Another example:

Duty:

Trained students.

Achievement:

Trained more than 100 students in basic computer skills.

The second example gives more useful information.

The UN specifically advises applicants to focus on what they achieved, not only on their daily duties.

Use Numbers When They Are True

Numbers can make your experience clearer.

For example:

Trained 80 students.
Managed a database of 2,000 records.
Supported 15 field staff.
Prepared 50 monthly reports.
Worked on a project serving 500 families.

But never create numbers.

All information in your CV and application should be true.

The UN also warns applicants to be honest and not exaggerate or falsify experience.

5. Show Your Education Clearly

List your education from the newest qualification to the oldest.

Include:

Degree
Field of study
University
Country
Graduation year

Example:

Bachelor of Civil Engineering
Baghlan University, Afghanistan
2024

If a vacancy asks for a specific degree, make sure your education section clearly shows how your degree matches the requirement.

6. Add Relevant Skills

Do not list 30 or 40 skills just to make your CV look bigger.

Choose skills related to the vacancy.

Examples include:

Project Management
Data Collection
Report Writing
Communication
Research
Microsoft Office
Teamwork
Budget Support
Monitoring and Evaluation
Community Engagement
Data Analysis

The exact skills should depend on the job.

7. Understand UN Competencies

Competencies are very important in UN recruitment.

The vacancy announcement may mention competencies such as:

Professionalism
Communication
Teamwork
Planning and Organizing
Accountability
Client Orientation
Creativity
Technological Awareness

The exact competencies can change from one vacancy to another.

For example, a UN job may ask for strong communication skills. Your application should then give real evidence of your communication experience.

The UN states that applicants can be assessed on the competencies listed in the job opening.

Do Not Only Write “Good Communication Skills”

This sentence is weak:

Good communication skills.

A stronger version gives evidence:

Prepared reports, communicated with field teams, and presented project updates to partners.

The second example shows how you used the skill.

8. Add Language Skills

Language skills can be important for UN opportunities.

Create a clear language section.

Example:

Languages

Dari — Native
Pashto — Native
English — Professional
Urdu — Intermediate

Do not claim a language level that you cannot prove.

Some positions have specific language requirements, so always check the vacancy.

9. Add Training and Certificates

Include relevant training.

For example:

Project Management
Monitoring and Evaluation
Human Rights
Data Analysis
Computer Skills
Leadership
First Aid
Safeguarding
Gender Equality

Include the organization and year when useful.

Example:

Certificate in Project Management
ABC Training Center
2025

Do not add certificates that have no connection to the job unless they are important to your professional background.

10. Include Volunteer Experience

Volunteer work can be useful, especially when it is related to the position.

For example:

Volunteer Teacher
Community Education Project
2023–2024

Supported English classes for young students.
Prepared learning materials.
Helped organize educational activities.

Volunteer experience should be written honestly, just like paid work.

11. Include Research and Publications When Relevant

For academic, research, development, policy, communication, or technical positions, research can be useful.

You can include:

Research projects
Thesis
Academic papers
Reports
Articles
Publications
Conference presentations

Example:

Research Project:
Sustainable Road Design in Developing Areas
Baghlan University, 2024

Keep the description short and relevant.

12. Use Action Words

Good CVs use clear action words.

Examples:

Managed
Prepared
Supported
Designed
Developed
Organized
Trained
Analyzed
Monitored
Coordinated
Reported
Researched
Supervised
Assisted

Instead of writing:

Responsible for reports

Write:

Prepared monthly project reports.

Instead of:

Responsible for training

Write:

Trained new staff on project procedures.

This makes your experience clearer.

13. Match Your CV With the Vacancy

This is one of the most important steps.

Suppose the vacancy asks for:

Project management
Data collection
Reporting
Teamwork

Your CV should clearly show these areas if you have them.

For example:

Project Assistant

Supported project planning.
Collected field data.
Prepared weekly reports.
Worked with a five-person project team.

Now the connection between your experience and the vacancy is easy to see.

The UN recommends reviewing and updating an application for each new job opening.

14. Do Not Copy the Job Description

Do not copy sentences from the vacancy and put them into your CV as if they were your experience.

Instead, use your own words to explain what you actually did.

For example, if the vacancy says:

“Supports monitoring and evaluation activities.”

Do not simply write:

“Supports monitoring and evaluation activities.”

If this is true for your experience, write:

Collected field information and helped prepare monitoring reports for project activities.

This is clearer and more natural.

15. Keep Your CV Easy to Read

Use:

Short sentences
Clear headings
Bullet points
Simple English
Consistent dates
Consistent formatting

Avoid:

Very long paragraphs
Many colors
Large graphics
Decorative fonts
Too many icons
Unnecessary information

A professional CV should be easy to scan.

16. Use Correct Dates

Dates are very important in job applications.

Use one format throughout your CV.

For example:

January 2024 – June 2026

01/2024 – 06/2026

Do not use different date formats in different sections.

Make sure your dates match your certificates, employment letters, and online application.

17. Be Honest About Your Experience

Never add a fake job, fake certificate, fake language level, or fake achievement.

Do not change dates to create more experience.

Do not claim that you managed a project if you only supported it.

Instead, describe your real role.

For example:

Supported the project team with data collection and reporting.

This is better than claiming:

Managed the entire project.

The UN advises applicants to be honest and not exaggerate their experience.

18. What About a Photo?

Do not add a photo just because many CV templates have a photo section.

Follow the instructions of the specific organization and vacancy.

For UN applications, focus on the information requested in the official application system rather than adding unnecessary design elements.

19. What About Marital Status and Other Personal Details?

Do not add personal information simply because an old CV template includes it.

For example, a normal modern CV does not usually need:

Father’s name
Mother’s name
Religion
National ID number
Passport number
Marital status
Height
Weight

Only provide personal information when the official application or vacancy specifically asks for it.

The information required by a UN recruitment system can be different from a normal CV, so follow the official form rather than an old CV template.

20. Prepare a Master CV

A useful method is to create one detailed master CV.

Put all your real information in it:

All jobs
All education
All training
All certificates
All volunteer work
All skills
All achievements
All languages
All research

Then create a shorter version for each job.

This can save time when applying for several UN opportunities.

The UN also allows applicants to update their application for different job openings and recommends targeting the application to each position.

21. Keep a Record of Your Achievements

Many people remember their job duties but forget their achievements.

Start a simple list.

For example:

Achievement Record

Trained 120 students.
Prepared 30 project reports.
Supported a team of 10 people.
Helped collect data from 500 households.
Organized five community events.

Later, you can use these real examples in your CV and UN application.

22. Prepare Your CV for the Online Application

Before applying, compare your CV with the vacancy.

Ask yourself:

Do I meet the education requirement?
Do I meet the experience requirement?
Do I have the required language?
Do I have the required skills?
Can I show evidence of the required competencies?
Are my dates correct?
Are my achievements clear?
Is every statement true?

The official UN Applicant Guide says applicants should pay close attention to the education, work experience, language, and competency requirements in the job opening.

23. Do Not Fill Every Space With Text

More text does not always mean a stronger application.

The UN says applicants do not need to use all available characters. Clear and concise information is encouraged.

For example, instead of writing a long paragraph about one job, use short bullet points that show the most useful duties and achievements.

24. Write a Strong Motivation Statement

Some UN applications also require a motivation statement.

This is different from your CV.

The motivation statement should explain why your background matches the specific position.

The UN recommends keeping the motivation statement brief and targeted, with a focus on the most relevant parts of your experience and qualifications.

A simple structure is:

Paragraph 1: Who you are and the position you are applying for.

Paragraph 2: Your most relevant experience.

Paragraph 3: Your important skills and achievements.

Paragraph 4: Why your background matches the position.

Do not write the same motivation statement for every job.

25. Prepare Evidence for Your Claims

If your CV says you have experience, you should be able to explain it.

For example, if you write:

Managed community activities

You should be ready to explain:

What activities?
Where?
When?
How many people?
What was your role?
What was the result?

UN assessments and interviews may ask candidates to provide evidence of their skills and past experience. The UN uses different assessment methods, including written tests, video interviews, work samples, and competency-based interviews, depending on the position.

26. Use the STAR Method for Achievements

For important achievements, you can think about:

S — Situation
What was the problem?

T — Task
What did you need to do?

A — Action
What did you do?

R — Result
What happened?

You do not always need to write all four parts in your CV.

But this method can help you find strong and real examples for your application and interview.

The UN also advises candidates preparing for competency-based interviews to think about real situations, actions, and results from their past experience.

27. Common CV Mistakes for UN Applicants

Avoid these mistakes:

Using the same CV for every vacancy
Copying the job description
Adding false experience
Using unclear job dates
Writing very long paragraphs
Listing too many unrelated skills
Giving vague achievements
Ignoring the required competencies
Ignoring language requirements
Adding unnecessary personal information
Using an unprofessional email
Sending only a CV when an online application is required
Waiting until the last day to complete the application

28. Simple UN CV Example

Here is a simple example:

ABDUL AHMAD
Kabul, Afghanistan
Email: abdulahmad@gmail.com
Phone: +93 XXX XXX XXX

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Project Assistant with three years of experience in project support, reporting, data collection, and community activities. Skilled in communication, teamwork, Microsoft Office, and field work.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Project Assistant
ABC Development Organization
Kabul, Afghanistan
January 2024 – June 2026