In all my years of UN career coaching, one thing I've learned is that generic advice only takes you so far.

Any search for UN application writing tips will tell you to customize, tailor, adjust, and align your application to the job description.

No surprise, right?

But, if that's all you get, you're still left to figure out how to turn your aligned experience into a compelling application - the truly hard part! This entails a bit more than creating a T-table and stuffing buzz words into your application. Because you don't need an application that has all the right words, but lacks the clarity and vitality to make the hiring unit take notice.

What you need is an understanding of the psychological principles that affect how a reader (or scanner) takes in the information you share. When you get those underlying principles (and some helpful how-tos), customizing will be a whole lot easier.

Here's my advice:

Learn how to tell your story, keeping the reader in mind from start to finish. From making a first impression to substantiating your achievements, and what I call "hitting their yes-circuits" as they read (or scan) your documents.

With that, you make sure they are met with what they're looking for - early and consistently. And that, my friend, will stand out from the crowd.

PS: You don't need to forget T-tables. They can be a useful tool to keep around, just like you keep your regular screwdriver even after investing in new power tools 🛠️🔌😊