On October 30, 2024, the UNA-NCA Young Professionals (YP) Program hosted its first Fall 2024 Career Connections event at UNA-NCA’s new headquarters. This in-person series focused on careers in various international organizations, such as the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Labour Organization. The main component of this YP Career Connections event included a fireside chat featuring professional individuals who work in these international fields. The speakers at this event offered inspirational guidance to students and young professionals, sharing critical perspectives and personal stories about their career paths. The speakers also shared advice on building your resume and cover letter, application processes, and how to utilize your professional networks.
From left: Lanice Williams, UNA-NCA Vice Chair of Young Professionals; Amber Barth, Director of ILO Office for U.S. and Canada; Jessie Ainslie, Government Liaison Associate for UNHCR UNA-NCA President Paula Boland started off the event by expressing personal remarks and the objectives of the event, stating that this discussion would “serve as an opportunity (for young professionals) to speak with mid to senior-level employees within a desired field to gain valuable insight into specific career paths.” Ms. Boland highlighted that the panel would focus on careers at international organizations. Lastly, she introduced the Vice Chair of Young Professionals Program, Ms. Lanice C. Williams, who then introduced and thanked the primary keynote speakers of the event, Ms. Amber Barth and Ms. Jessie Ainslie. Ms. Amber Barth was the first keynote speaker to be introduced at the event. Ms. Amber Barth is the Director of the ILO Office for the United States and Canada, where she spearheads initiatives to promote and advocate for the advancement of decent work. She is responsible for developing and managing stakeholder relations, partnerships, and communications, ensuring alignment with the ILO’s global priorities. Her leadership focuses on cultivating strategic relationships with government officials, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and international financial institutions to elevate awareness of the ILO’s expertise and mandate, driving broad support and engagement. Previously, Ms. Barth served as the Senior Multilateral Relations Specialist at the International Labour Organization Office for the United Nations, where she provided expert guidance on economic and social policies related to the world of work. She was instrumental in mobilizing resources, developing impactful public-private partnerships, and advocating for the ILO’s priorities across the UN multilateral system. Ms. Barth also served as a Decent Work Specialist in the Multilateral Cooperation Department at ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. In this role, she strengthened collaboration on strategic priority areas with governments and other partners, facilitating new opportunities for enhanced cooperation.
In her remarks, Ms. Barth strongly emphasized the importance of internships as a critical step in entering these career paths, encouraging attendees to “get their foot in the door” as early as possible. She noted that regardless of experience level or stage in one’s professional or academic journey, internships provide invaluable exposure and open up career opportunities. For those aiming to work with international organizations like the United Nations, she stressed the need to better understand these institutions’ various parts and functions, including their specialized agencies, to align one’s skills and interests with potential roles. Additionally, she underscored the value of taking risks and seizing chances, highlighting that sometimes success comes down to being in the “right place at the right time.” She effectively structured her remarks to offer practical guidance on navigating the application and job process for those aspiring to work with international organizations, highlighting the importance of persistence and adaptability in this competitive field of global affairs.
Following Ms. Amber Barth, Ms. Williams introduced the second speaker, Ms. Jessie Ainslie. Ms. Ainslie is the Government Liaison Associate at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In this role, she works to expand and strengthen UNHCR’s relationship with the U.S. government (e.g., legislative and executive branch), think tanks, NGOs, and diplomats engaged in humanitarian and development policies impacting forcibly displaced communities and stateless people and those with influence over U.S. foreign policy and national security policies. Before joining UNHCR, she worked in various roles at the Center for Global Development, the Brynne Kennedy for Congress 2020 campaign, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the U.S. House Veteran Affairs Committee, Amnesty International, and the Los Angeles Democratic Party. She holds a dual Bachelor of Art in International Relations and Government with a Sequence in Human Rights from Claremont McKenna College and a Master of Science in International Development from the University of Edinburgh.
Like Ms. Barth, Ms. Ainslie offered valuable advice on building a career within international organizations, underscoring internships as an essential first step. That said, Ms. Ainslie specifically touched on the value of specialization, advising individuals to develop expertise in a specific area or skill that aligns with their career goals. She also noted the importance of application qualifications and relevant experience, stressing that these experiences start counting after high school and contribute significantly to a robust application. Moreover, Ms. Ainslie emphasized the growing importance of nontraditional skills—such as adaptability, digital literacy, and cross-disciplinary knowledge—that are increasingly valued in international fields. She also mentioned the significance of professional networking, building and maintaining strong connections throughout their careers, as it can lead to valuable opportunities in the future. As discussed by Ms. Barth, she also encouraged taking risks and seizing unexpected opportunities, noting that timing and flexibility often play a significant role in career success.
Attendees in the Career Connections event listening to guest speakers.Ms. Ainslie and Ms. Barth’s remarks provided a comprehensive roadmap for navigating the job search process, stressing the importance of qualifications, specialized knowledge, nontraditional skills, networking, and a solid understanding of an organization’s internal workings. After hearing such wonderful experiences and remarks from both speakers, a brief Q&A session followed between the speakers and attendees. The questions from attendees touched on key topics, including the pay scale for positions within international organizations, the value of professional experience overseas, and the level of expertise required for specific roles, whether internships or full-time positions.After the Q&A session, the event’s presenters and attendees were thanked by YP Program Co-Chairs Ms. Lanice C. Williams and Ms. Nadjad Nikabou Salifou for their participation. The event concluded with a networking reception and a resume review raffle.
