​Apply for WHO careers and get your dream job

WHO careers can be interesting for people who want to develop both the whole world to become better and own professional skills. Apply for it and your dream will come true!

WHO careers as a chance to start helping the world

The World Health Organization was created by the United Nations in 1948 to address international health problems and protect the health of the world population. Today it consists of 193 member states. WHO is headquartered in Geneva.

WHO is involved in the preparation of plans, after which scientific research in the field of health is carried out, the establishment of norms and standards, and also exercises control over the situation in the field of health care, evaluating the dynamics of its changes. The composition of WHO is mainly comprised of UN member states, but according to the Charter, non-UN states can also be accepted.

The tasks that are the focus of attention and are solved by the organization include a lot. Among the most important are:

• Reducing the health, social and economic burden of infectious diseases (for example, assisting countries in the Southeast Asia region);
• The fight against HIV / AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (under the program for the elimination of malaria), the elimination of smallpox in the world;
• Prevention and reduction of the prevalence of diseases, disability and early deaths caused by chronic non-communicable diseases, mental disorders, violence, injuries, and visual impairment;
• Reducing morbidity and mortality and improving health during the most important stages of life, along with pregnancy, childbirth, the neonatal period, childhood and adolescence, as well as improving sexual and reproductive health and promoting an active and healthy lifestyle in old age for all people;
• Reducing the health consequences of emergencies, natural disasters, crises and conflicts and minimizing their social and economic impacts;
• Promoting health and development and preventing or reducing health risk factors associated with smoking, combating tobacco, alcohol, drugs and other psychoactive substances, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and dangerous sex;
• Impact through political events, WHO projects and scientific programs that seek to strengthen the equitable treatment of health and include attention to low-income people, taking into account gender aspects and human rights-based approaches;
• Enhancing primary preventive measures and influencing public policy across all sectors to address the main causes of environmental health risks;
• Improving nutrition, food safety, and lifelong food security and maintaining public health and national health and sustainable development;
• Improving the performance of health services by improving WHO leadership, financing, staffing, and management with reliable and accessible evidence and research.

Now everyone who meets the criteria can apply for a WHO career.

📌 Read our Recruitment guide for UNDP and the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2020 📌

Description of WHO careers

Since the World Health Organization has about 200 regional branches, finding a job for qualified professionals will not take much time. WHO's large-scale structure always and everywhere needs professionals.

Experienced doctors, scientists, biologists, epidemiologists, experts in the field of finance and management, economics, information systems, and statistics are hired by WHO. Very often the posts of emergency specialists, coordinators of operational projects in hot spots are vacant.

The duties of WHO staff includes combating various mass diseases, modernizing health services, protecting the environment, protecting the health of children and mothers, developing biological research, monitoring the sanitary component, and training qualified medical personnel.

How to apply for WHO careers

First of all, for applying the WHO employment follow the official page of WHO jobs. Here you can find the filters that can help to find the necessary vacancies. The first position is the location. Here a person should select the country and the city. Then, the second filter is Job Field that consists of Medical & health-related, Administration & management, Emergency relief/Crisis intervention. The third filter is Job Function with such criteria: Health systems, Administrative & office support, Non-communicable diseases, Human resources, Communication, public information & media, Information management, Epidemiology. The fourth filter is Job Type that consists of criteria like Staff, Special Service Agreement (SSA), Consultant. The fifth filter is Job Schedule, here exist two types of Full-time and Part-time jobs. The sixth filter is Job Level with criteria like Professional and General Services. The seventh filter is Employee Status with criteria Temporary and Fixed Term.

The employment procedure is the sending of an online application to the WHO structure and waiting for an answer, which will contain detailed further instructions (entrance exams, interviews, an additional package of documents, etc.).

Specialist training

To complete an internship at the WHO UN, students need to send an appropriate online application to the organization. However, it is important to attach recommendations from the educational institution and your own essay to the standard questionnaire. The internship program involves distribution in various areas related to health.

The internship lasts from 6 to 12 weeks. If necessary, and by mutual agreement, there is an option to extend the term of practice to 6 months. The internship by the healthcare organization itself is not paid. All expenses are borne by interns. After completing the practice, each trainee receives a certificate of completion of an internship at WHO.

Requirements for successfully applying for WHO employment

Each job in Organizations demands its own requirements for the future worker but there are general ones that are necessary for all positions.

1. Fluent English

WHO is an international company, it means that people work in one team so it is necessary to understand each other. This huge team consists of different people of different nationalities and countries. That’s why for understanding each other the UN has six languages that are used for work. The main language is English. In this case, if you do not have skills like fluent English, you should develop it and then apply for a job.

1. Higher education

Higher education is necessary for all candidates. If a person wants to grow up through the career ladder, having a diploma is a prerequisite.

1. Working experience

Since the organization is engaged in solving global problems, it is very important that the future employee has experience in the field of activity, before submitting documents. In cases where a person does not have the experience, for this, there is an internship program for students, a follower of courses, and young specialists who have recently graduated and want to start their career at WHO.

Personal qualities that are necessary to apply for WHO employment

In addition to professional skills (hard skills), soft skills are an important element of professional portraiture and reputation in the modern world.

📌 Read our Recruitment guide for UNDP and the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2020 📌

1. Communication skills

Communication skills are important for any professional. It includes written verbal and non-verbal communication.

One of the most important communication skills in the modern world is the ability to competently communicate by email. Almost every profession requires email correspondence. A professional should be able to write concise and clear letters, observing the appropriate format and tone of correspondence.

Also, important communication skills are to argue and defend one’s position, to communicate in a conflict situation, to listen and conduct interviews/conversations, to maintain short politeness talks, to shake hands, etc.

2. The ability to speak publicly

Almost every job requires certain skills necessary for speaking in public. Although not everyone in the work has to regularly hold lengthy presentations, almost everyone has to speak at meetings, present information to their colleagues, or communicate with the team.

3. Teamwork skill

Any specialist works with a group of people, regardless of whether it is work in one of the departments of the company or purposeful creation of a team project.

A professional needs interpersonal skills to communicate with colleagues. You must be able to delegate responsibility, establish effective communication, and achieve a common goal. Also, the work comes in handy skills for resolving conflicts, creating, managing, and building relationships in a team.

4. Time management

Time management skills are needed to cope with tasks on time without feeling uncomfortable or feeling that tasks are getting bigger than you. This may seem like a very simple skill, but it is one of the most important.

Often, employers perceive employees who come to work on time (or even a little earlier) as more efficient, even if it is not at all. Be that as it may, punctuality is a chance to add pluses to your professional reputation.

5. Flexibility and adaptability

Most activities require a certain level of flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to change. It is important to be able to look at the problem from different perspectives and, when the situation changes, adjust your workflow.

Some certain traits and skills demonstrate the ability to an adaptive approach. For example, the ability to analyze the situation, receptivity, the ability to change one’s opinion, patience, anger management skills, and problem-solving orientation.

6. Leadership

Regardless of your position and role in the company, leadership skills are also important for any professional. They can manifest themselves in the ability to work calmly in a tense environment, make decisions, set goals, plan, prioritize, and strive for development and growth.

7. Personal qualities associated with interpersonal relationships

Skills associated with interpersonal relationships are a set of soft skills that allow you to establish effective work with colleagues, managers, clients, etc.

This type of skill is also important for networking and career growth. These include the ability to plan and manage your career, creative and critical thinking, emotional intelligence, the ability to set and respect personal and professional boundaries, ethics, honesty, patience, perseverance, perseverance, self-confidence, respect for others, ability to cope with stress, etc.

📌 Read our Recruitment guide for UNDP and the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2020 📌