Hi everyone. Today we would like to discuss talent attraction and what international organizations are doing to become the employer of choice. To discuss this, I am pleased to welcome Mr. Leonard Otti, Chief of the Talent Acquisition Section part of the HR Services Division at the Department of Operational Support. Leonard, as highlighted during this course, international organizations are facing an increasingly fragmented and complex landscape. In this context, attracting the right talents is becoming crucial. Can you tell us, in your practitioner's experience, what are the main challenges that are related to successfully and proactively attract talents and how does this work operationally? Attracting talent is very difficult, particularly in this day and age where you have social media, you have different interesting organizations, and I think that, for the United Nations, attracting talent is a bit easier for us because we have values that many people believe in, and so we attract people because of the values that we have and they come because of their values. What is a challenge for us is, how do we retain that talent that we have attracted? So attracting, we use social media, we use the normal old mechanisms of going to career fairs, job fairs, we have everything on the Internet. We attract so many people. We attract really good talent. Our challenge is, how do we retain that talent? How do we keep that talent, which is what we're working towards. You have to bear in mind, we look at millennials, generation X, baby boomers who have different things that attract them and maintain them. That is where our challenge is. Thank you, Leonard. In this context where the governance of the international development system is changing remarkably, how can the UN become or maintain its appeal as employer of choice? I think maintaining our employer of choice, one, we have to move with the times. We have to start looking at using a lot of digital media, social media, but also artificial intelligence to keep things up-to-date. But we also really have to remember why we were set up and maintain those values that led to our setup as the United Nations in 1945, and make sure that we attract people who are able to help us push these values forward, but also meet the needs of the people we serve because we are here for the people. It is not us, it's for the people. That is the one thing that we have to do. One, keep with the times, but also make sure we're addressing the needs and retain the values that made us what we are. Thank you very much, Leonard, and looking at the concept of attracting talent, what would you say impresses a UN recruiter? I can say what impresses me as a recruiter. What impresses me is someone who is really authentic to themselves, experienced, knows what they're talking about and is not shy to speak, but will also have a wealth of experience that they bring and will be able to contribute. That is what impresses me, and the fact that you are able to package that altogether and sell it to me, that is what impresses me. Thank you, Leonard. To sum up three key principles, authenticity, being knowledgeable and the willingness to contribute to the organization's success is what is needed to impress you. But going back to the retention of talents that you just mentioned, once an individual is hired at the UN, what makes them stand out? It's an interesting question because I think what makes them stand out is different depending on the individual. But key is being passionate about development, about saving and helping people, being curious, being authentic to yourself and who you are and also being able to be adaptable and adapt to different cultures, experiences, and not just remain with your own single culture. That makes you stand out. That makes you curious and that makes you want to succeed and actually move on. So that is really what makes you stand out. By thanking Leonard and having now discussed talent attraction and retention, it is now time to discuss learning and development, and we will do this in the next video. I do look forward to reconnecting soon.
