From the moment my master’s program began, I had my sights set on securing a summer internship at the UN. The process proved challenging, with limited HR internship openings available. Nevertheless, I remained determined and optimistic throughout. What truly helped me in this highly competitive environment was the power of networking, a concept I’d been encouraged to embrace by Columbia. I proactively reached out to UN professionals on LinkedIn and sought guidance from a senior student with prior UN experience. Fortunately, my efforts paid off as I managed to establish a connection with someone at UNDP who generously responded. This connection opened the door to an interview and led me to secure the internship. This experience underscored the importance of cultivating relationships and networks, which played a pivotal role in helping me achieve my academic and professional goals.
Throughout my journey, I have been working closely with CDL. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support I received from my dedicated career coach, Dorlene Curwen, who has been there from the very beginning. Dorlene assisted me in refining my resume, crafting effective connection messages, boosting my networking confidence, and preparing for the interview, offering valuable insights every step of the way.
Additionally, I had the privilege of being a spring intern at the CDL, where I benefited from weekly professional development sessions led by Taylor Wordsman. These sessions equipped me with essential skills to thrive and excel in my career. Moreover, my experiences at the CDL provided opportunities to expand my network through various career-related events. My UN internship success story underscores the power of perseverance and networking, highlighting the invaluable support I received from the Columbia family, including CDL, in my pursuit of this remarkable opportunity.
As a Change Management & Outreach Intern, I support change management, knowledge management, capacity building, communication solutions, and support agile project management for the new Oracle Recruitment Cloud (ORC) Application Tracking System (ATS) transition and implementation at the UNDP Office of Human Resources (OHR) Outreach. More specifically, I support the management of the recruitment and outreach aspect of UNDP People for 2030 recruitment strategy, contributing to the development of the search function within OHR, mapping networks and outreach options related to mandate area, and actively searching for candidates
