INTERNATIONAL CAREERS IN FOREIGN POLICY AND DIPLOMACY
U.S. Department of State – Foreign Service Officer
The next Foreign Service Officer Exam: December 1-8, 2007
About the U.S. Department of State - Foreign Service Officers
The U.S. Department of State is focused on accomplishing America's mission of diplomacy at home and around the world. The Foreign Service (FS) is a corps of about 12,000 employees who are dedicated to representing America and responding to the needs of American citizens in other countries. Members of the Foreign Service can be sent to any embassy, consulate, or other diplomatic mission anywhere in the world, at any time, to serve the diplomatic needs of the United States.
Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) advocate American foreign policy, protect American citizens, and promote American business interests throughout the world. FSOs staff our Embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions devoted to strengthening peace, stability, and prosperity. Their perceptiveness, dedication, and creativity drive the formulation and achievement of American foreign policy objectives. Increasingly, transnational issues such as the environment, science and technology; the global struggle against diseases such as AIDS; international law enforcement cooperation and counter narcotics trafficking; counter proliferation and international action against trafficking in persons have gained stature among American foreign policy objectives.
The Foreign Service has five different career tracks: Consular Affairs, Economic Affairs, Management Affairs, Political Affairs, and Public Diplomacy. FSOs get to know foreign languages and cultures while making a difference in the lives of both U.S. and foreign citizens. What awaits you in the Foreign Service is the opportunity of a lifetime.
There are several important eligibility requirements:
• All applicants must be U.S. citizens on the date they submit their registration package.
• On the day you submit your registration, you must be at least 20 years old and no older than 59 years of age.
• On the day you are appointed as a Foreign Service Officer, you must be at least 21 years old, and not yet 60.
• You must also be available for worldwide assignments, including Washington, D.C.
• What qualities do we want to see in these candidates? The successful candidate will demonstrate the following dimensions which reflect the skills, abilities, and personal qualities deemed essential to the work of the Foreign Service:
o Composure. To stay calm, poised, and effective in stressful or difficult situations; to think on one's feet, adjusting quickly to changing situations; to maintain self-control.
o Cultural Adaptability. To work and communicate effectively and harmoniously with persons of other cultures, value systems, political beliefs, and economic circumstances; to recognize and respect differences in new and different cultural environments.
o Experience and Motivation. To demonstrate knowledge, skills or other attributes gained from previous experience of relevance to the Foreign Service; to articulate appropriate motivation for joining the Foreign Service.
o Information Integration and Analysis. To absorb and retain complex information drawn from a variety of sources; to draw reasoned conclusions from analysis and synthesis of available information; to evaluate the importance, reliability, and usefulness of information; to remember details of a meeting or event without the benefit of notes.
o Initiative and Leadership. To recognize and assume responsibility for work that needs to be done; to persist in the completion of a task; to influence significantly a group's activity, direction, or opinion; to motivate others to participate in the activity one is leading.
o Judgment. To discern what is appropriate, practical, and realistic in a given situation; to weigh relative merits of competing demands.
o Objectivity and Integrity. To be fair and honest; to avoid deceit, favoritism, and discrimination; to present issues frankly and fully, without injecting subjective bias; to work without letting personal bias prejudice actions.
o Oral Communication. To speak fluently in a concise, grammatically correct, organized, precise, and persuasive manner; to convey nuances of meaning accurately; to use appropriate styles of communication to fit the audience and purpose.
o Planning and Organizing. To prioritize and order tasks effectively, to employ a systematic approach to achieving objectives, to make appropriate use of limited resources.
o Quantitative Analysis. To identify, compile, analyze and draw correct conclusions from pertinent data; to recognize patterns or trends in numerical data; to perform simple mathematical operations.
o Resourcefulness. To formulate creative alternatives or solutions to resolve problems, to show flexibility in response to unanticipated circumstances.
o Working With Others. To interact in a constructive, cooperative, and harmonious manner; to work effectively as a team player; to establish positive relationships and gain the confidence of others; to use humor as appropriate.
o Written Communication. To write concise, well organized, grammatically correct, effective and persuasive English in a limited amount of time.
Please note that we require no specific education level, academic major or proficiency in a foreign language for appointment as a Foreign Service Officer. However, the U.S. Department of State welcomes applicants who have foreign language competence, especially in Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese and Urdu.
2007-2008 Guide to the Foreign Service Officer Selection Process copies available in the Career Library, 220 Hendricks Hall.
More information: http://www.careers.state.gov/index.html