Happy UN Career Podcast / Episode 10

Take a Chance – Interview w Mike Dodd (UNDP)

Happy UN Career Podcast / Episode 10

Episode 10 / 17 November 2020

SHOW NOTES

I’m thrilled to be able to share here an interview with my good friend and former colleague, Mike Dodd.

Mike is from the UK and he started with UNDP in 1991 and retired at the end of 2015.

I asked him to come on the podcast because I think he’s had a very interesting career path, but maybe more importantly – because of the way he has approached work and career and the way he’s taken decisions in his own career over the years.

Mike began as a UN Volunteer in Zimbabwe, moved to supporting the global rollout of UNDP’s ERP IT infrastructure as a Regional Information Manager and he finished as a headquarters-based Learning Specialist at the P4 level.

He’s worked on three continents and his work with UNDP spanned both Country Offices, Regional Centres and Headquarters.

I always get inspired when I talk to Mike and I think that in his reflections on his career there is something to take away for all of us.

So, I hope you’ll enjoy this interview as much as I did.

In the interview, Mike shares his own career journey and how the chances he’s taken along the way have enriched not only his career but also his personal life.

Mike reminds us to be open to :

  • take a chance
  • be courageous, and sometimes
  • throw ourselves in at the deep end

And he also shares his thoughts on:

  • CV preparation
  • job search, and
  • reputation management

As well as the importance of networking – but maybe not in the way we traditionally think about it…

Most importantly, maybe, we are reminded that career choices are also life choices.

I really hope that you enjoyed this interview. And who knows? Maybe some of Mike’s reflections will inspire you in your own career?

In the next episode, I’ll return to the topic of job search and CV writing. And as promised previously, I’ll talk about some essential guiding principles for writing a CV you’ll feel proud of – and that you’ll be happy to share with your network and send with your applications.

And I’ll also share a tip for how you might even enjoy working on your CV!