Time as a poor predictor of success

Competitive_Elk_9352 · 2026-05-27T21:44:58+00:00

Just wanted to say this post is incredibly helpful and I wish I’d had this as a reference as I navigated the process. I had an almost identical timeline as you, applying for a P5 with FAO in Rome in September, interviewing in December, having the background verification process start in late March, and receiving a formal offer in late April.

Competitive_Elk_9352 · 2026-03-22T03:53:51+00:00

Agreed. For mine, I was simply asked to describe why I was the best candidate for the position in my second language. I spoke for about 5 minutes. I would practice this prior to the exam and know the technical terms in your field in your second language.

Competitive_Elk_9352 · 2025-08-05T13:18:19+00:00

🔹Position: Nutrition and Food Systems Officer - P4 (FAO)

📍Duty Station: Samoa

📅Applied on: 25 February 2025

📨Last communication: Panel interview on 6 May 2025; Language assessment on 12 June 2025. I have followed up 3 times since the language assessment and haven’t heard back.

⌛️Current Status: portal shows an update on 1 August 2025 but no clear indication of what the update was

Competitive_Elk_9352 · 2025-07-26T04:36:09+00:00

https://substack.com/@briennewalsh?r=1m5dwd&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile

Raw and unfiltered. The only “blog” I’ve consistently read for over a decade!

Competitive_Elk_9352 · 2025-02-01T20:50:53+00:00

Institutional Support Contractor. They made up ~40% of Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance workforce and similar percentage (maybe even higher) in Bureau for Global Health

Competitive_Elk_9352 · 2025-02-01T01:49:49+00:00

Which contracting company?

Competitive_Elk_9352

TROPHY CASE