Posting Title: INTERN – PUBLIC INFORMATION – Social Media, I (Temporary Job Opening)
Job Code Title: INTERN – PUBLIC INFORMATION
Department/Office: Department of Global Communications
Duty Station: GENEVA
Posting Period: 02 May 2023 – 28 October 2023
Job Opening Number: 23-Public Information-DGC-208095-J-Geneva (A)
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Organisational Setting and ReportingThe internship is located in the Press and External Relations Section, Information Service, Department of Global Communications (DGC), United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). The United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva is the voice of the United Nations Office at Geneva. Through the media and its own news and information products, UNIS keeps the world informed about Geneva’s unique role in multilateralism, diplomacy, and international relations. It also fosters a dialogue with key audiences, especially youth, through a range of outreach activities. UNIS conveys the official position of the United Nations on matters in the news through press conferences and briefings, official statements, interviews, podcasts, social media, and outreach events. It provides both breaking news and in-depth material to international print and audiovisual media and serves the needs of close to 200 correspondents from the world’s major news agencies and foreign media outlets permanently accredited to the United Nations in Geneva. The internship is for a minimum duration of four (4) months and a maximum duration of six (6) months. The internship is UNPAID and full-time, and interns work five (5) days per week (40 hours) under the supervision of the Press Officer working on social media.
Responsibilities
Under the primary supervision of the Press Officer in charge of social media, the Social Media Intern’s duties will include the following: – Use the UNIS Trello Boards to plan, create, and curate social media content on a daily basis, maintain and update weekly editorial calendars, collect and collate multimedia information from different departments and organizations; – Monitor various sources for new content and information about what is happening in and around the UN any given week; – Edit and subtitle news videos for UN Geneva social media channels, using dedicated software (such as Adobe Premiere Pro); create visuals, quote cards and other materials as requested using online tools (such as Canva or Adobe Photoshop); – Attend press conferences and events at UN Geneva to gather quotes, take photos and videos which can be used in social media posts; – Take photographs or make short videos at UN Geneva and beyond; – Draft posts for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn; – Research trends and posts from partners and suggest retweets/reposts; monitor the social media accounts for followers’ comments and questions, and flag them to the Press Officer; – Draft visual monthly reports on performance of the @UNGeneva social media accounts, and fill in monthly statistics reporting in Excel; – Attend biweekly press briefings, and prepare summaries of such briefings in English; – Attend meetings of human rights treaty bodies, the Human Rights Council, and the Conference on Disarmament, and draft press releases, in English and/or in French; – Contribute to the daily media monitoring of Swiss newspapers (in French, German, Italian, and English); – Carry out other tasks as requested by the United Nations Information Service.
Competencies– COMMUNICATION – Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailor’s language, tone, style and format to match the audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. – TEAMWORK – Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organisational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. – TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS – Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.
EducationTo qualify for an internship with the United Nations, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent). Interested candidates must be pursuing or pursued their degree in areas related to this Job Opening. In addition, interested candidates must: – Be computer literate in standard software applications including MS Suite (Word, Excel, Power Point); – Have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter; and, – Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.
Work ExperienceNo working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.
LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the internship advertised, fluency in oral and written English and good knowledge of French is required. Knowledge of other languages, particularly German or Italian, is an asset.
AssessmentPotential candidates may be contacted by the hiring team directly if further information is needed during the review of their application. Owing to the high volume of applications received, ONLY candidates who have been short-listed (identified as potential candidates) will be contacted.
Special NoticeCompleted online application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The cover note must include: – Date of availability. – Title of degree you are currently pursuing. – Graduation date (when will you be/have graduating/graduated from the programme?). – IT skills and programmes that you are proficient in. – Top three areas of interest. – Explain why you are the best candidate for this specific internship. – Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme. In your online Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experiences, IT skills, and three references. There should be no expectation of employment by the United Nations upon completion of the internship. Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns are responsible for all internship-related expenses that they incur. The United Nations accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during an internship. Therefore, upon award of an internship, interns are responsible for securing adequate insurance coverage and are required to sign and return a statement confirming their understanding and acceptance of these conditions of service. A person who is the child or sibling of a staff member shall not be eligible to apply for an internship at the United Nations. An applicant who bears to a staff member any other family relationship may be engaged as an intern, provided that he or she shall not be assigned to the same work unit of the staff member nor placed under the direct or indirect supervision of the staff member. For purposes of this instruction, “child” means (i) the child of a staff member; (ii) the child of the spouse of a staff member (stepchild); and (iii) the spouse of a child of a staff member or a staff member’s spouse (son- or daughter-in-law). “Sibling” includes the child of both or either parent of a staff member and the child of the spouse of a parent of a staff member (that is, also half- and step-sibling). Candidates of certain nationalities must obtain a visa authorizing their stay in Switzerland before they depart for Geneva to begin their internship. While this is the overall responsibility of the selected candidate, we will provide information and supporting documents in this regard.
United Nations ConsiderationsAccording to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General. Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.