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Miss Fats posted:Taking the FSOT on Monday, but due to a scheduling conflict I am busy all weekend. I'm not joking, learn how to use a comma. I mean REALLY.
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Feb 24, 2010 00:48
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Going to re-register for the June FSOT. Only thing is... I'll be taking it in Cairo. Hoping my year in Egypt will lead to some better answers on the QEP and that my language pushes me into the passing grid. Inshallah!
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Feb 24, 2010 00:52
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suboptimal posted:Going to re-register for the June FSOT. Only thing is... I'll be taking it in Cairo. Hoping my year in Egypt will lead to some better answers on the QEP and that my language pushes me into the passing grid. Inshallah! Look for some volunteer work when you're there. I was applying for another job at State and I would have been dead in the water when I got to the bio questions if it weren't for 4 months as a volunteer interpreter on a year study abroad program. Speaking of which, coming up about 4 months since they forwarded it to the hiring official... 
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Feb 24, 2010 01:05
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Miss Fats posted:Any tips on how/what to cram on/last minute study tips? I assume I could probably reschedule the test but my schedule is packed. Make sure you're comfortable with modern American English grammar and usage. Learn the main premise of the Constitution's amendments and articles. For the bio section, don't be modest. Be an attention whore. And focus on the multiple choice aspects of the bio; only write the absolute minimum allowed for the bio comments, since it takes time and the multiplt choice is where you get the points. Oh, and follow all directions to the letter. Good luck!
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Feb 24, 2010 09:09
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And remember the bio is a graded section with the same value as the actual knowledge portions. No I don't know why either.
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Feb 24, 2010 13:54
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xanthig posted:Wednesday 2/24, annex 44. Wish me luck. You are mid-assessment right now, but sending positive vibes your way.
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Feb 24, 2010 15:50
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Business of Ferrets posted:Make sure you're comfortable with modern American English grammar and usage. Learn the main premise of the Constitution's amendments and articles. For the bio section, don't be modest. Be an attention whore. And focus on the multiple choice aspects of the bio; only write the absolute minimum allowed for the bio comments, since it takes time and the multiplt choice is where you get the points. Whoa, this is crazy useful  just sitting in the capitol building now on some other work, but really just waiting for Toyoda. Gonna be an interesting testimony, but I hate how CNN's already spun it that "TOYOTA = ALL JAPANESE BRAND REPUTATION."
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Feb 24, 2010 16:18
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I'm pretty sure that people pass/fail based solely on the bio portion of the FSOT. The rest of the test is pretty drat easy for someone with a solid college education with at least basic knowledge in civics and government.
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Feb 24, 2010 17:33
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Bizob posted:Staying at this place http://www.thequincy.com/ on 1823 L Street Northwest. My wife is coming out thursday night and we are staying in DC for the weekend, so really any food related recommendations would be appreciated. Other than a few random day trips when I lived in NYC, my first hand knowledge of DC is limited to playing Fallout 3. Oh dude, your hotel is in a pretty rad location. L st. is (obviously) 1 block north of K st. which is the big law/politics/business corridor; accordingly, all up and down K st. there are restaurants ranging from fast food to cafes, to nice dinners. You can easily find breakfast there. You're also a block off of 19th st; if you take 19th st north a few blocks you'll be in the Dupont Circle area which has lots of good restaurants and nightlife. I'd suggest you check out Kramerbooks; go up 19th to Dupont Circle (maybe 3 or 4 blocks) and then go about a block or two northwest on Connecticut Ave out of Dupont Circle. Kramerbooks will be on the right side. Get your breakfast and coffee, it's also a nice little relaxing joint. There's a metro station just outside if you're in a rush.
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Feb 24, 2010 18:35
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SWATJester posted:Oh dude, your hotel is in a pretty rad location. L st. is (obviously) 1 block north of K st. which is the big law/politics/business corridor; accordingly, all up and down K st. there are restaurants ranging from fast food to cafes, to nice dinners. You can easily find breakfast there. Oh wow, awesome! Thanks!
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Feb 24, 2010 18:43
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SWATJester posted:Oh dude, your hotel is in a pretty rad location. L st. is (obviously) 1 block north of K st. which is the big law/politics/business corridor; accordingly, all up and down K st. there are restaurants ranging from fast food to cafes, to nice dinners. You can easily find breakfast there.
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Feb 24, 2010 19:53
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TCD posted:Kramerbooks is awesome. I loved it there. Did you get my reply to your PM?
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Feb 24, 2010 23:03
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I have decided to phrase my OA results in haiku format. four point nine out of seven, so close. ninety page background for nothing. Actually, this isn't so bad. I'm at the climax of winding down a business, and was not looking forward to starting the clearance process right now (lots of angry people will be happy in six months). Now I know what to expect, the test was not nearly as grueling as I had imagined. If I get into the June testing period, I could be back again at the orals by November. Right now, while it is all fresh in my head, if anyone has any questions please ask away. I can't violate the NDA, but really the specific questions are a lot less important that some people would have testers believe. One note for people who will be taking the test. There was a lot of speculation as to whether the order they called people in for results had anything to do with performance. I believe everyone gets called for their results in order. At the beginning of the day you are assigned a candidate number, 1A, 1B, 2A,...3F, check to see the candidate numbers of the people they are calling. We have the potential here to decode one of life's great mysteries. At my test, 1a got called first, I don't know the number of the second guy, but I was 1c and got called third.
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Feb 25, 2010 00:08
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I am preparing for the FSOT now. I was wondering what your background was? (re: QEP)
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Feb 25, 2010 00:51
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Miss Fats posted:I am preparing for the FSOT now. I was wondering what your background was? (re: QEP) My background is in entrepreneurial business, international trade/ overseas production. However, I wanted to stand out, so in addition to business experience stuff I also wrote about some crazy poo poo like talking my way out of being detained by Chinese police and leading a secret group dedicated finding exploits in a particular mmorpg. xanthig fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Feb 25, 2010 |
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Feb 25, 2010 00:58
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xanthig posted:My background is in entrepreneurial business, international trade/ overseas production. Sorry to hear it. I'm just getting settled in to my hotel for my run at it tomorrow, and the best I can say about China is that I started smoking there and I can use a squatter like a pro.
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Feb 25, 2010 01:55
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Bizob posted:Sorry to hear it. I'm just getting settled in to my hotel for my run at it tomorrow, and the best I can say about China is that I started smoking there and I can use a squatter like a pro. Yeah, I prefer squatters. Never have to touch your rear end to anything.
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Feb 25, 2010 02:19
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Miss Fats posted:Did you get my reply to your PM? Yeah give me a few to respond. Pretty busy at work and at home right now.
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Feb 25, 2010 06:38
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SWATJester posted:I'm pretty sure that people pass/fail based solely on the bio portion of the FSOT. The rest of the test is pretty drat easy for someone with a solid college education with at least basic knowledge in civics and government. Most of my friends from my graduate IR program took the FSOT, and I'd say at least 80% passed the written portion. No one passed the QEPs (myself included), which at least gives a good deal of anecdotal evidence to that idea. I'd agree, for what it's worth. On another note- I have a buddy who's currently interning at State, and he's being informally mentored by an FSO in his particular office. This guy mentioned that there's a huge backlog of political officer appointments, and consequently, it'd be better to register as an economic or consular officer- apparently, he's an economics officer who has no formal background in Econ and instead works on a lot of political issues. This sound accurate to anyone?
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Feb 25, 2010 11:19
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For the love of all things good and holy, register for the career track that interests you most, not the one in which it is easiest to get an offer. Out of cone work is not uncommon, but more than occasional work outside one's track (after the entry level) will cost you promotions and perhaps open you up to being one of the 5% mandatory low-ranked candidates when you're up for promotion. So it is not a viable long-term plan. Also, changing tracks after entering on duty is painfully difficult and not something that can reasonably be counted on. Of course, if you could see yourself happy spending a full career in more than one track, go hog wild.
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Feb 25, 2010 13:14
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That's kind of what I figured, but figured I'd check. I'd hate to register as a consular officer and spend an entire career stamping visas while waiting for assignment to something cool.
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Feb 25, 2010 14:33
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Hey guys, I've spent considerable time searching, and this is one of the best threads I've found about Foreign Service prospects anywhere outside of the Yahoo groups. Those boards trend more towards pure orthodoxy, however, to the point of outright tightassery, and so I wanted to pose a few questions in a more open environment. I'm hoping some of the more experienced members can help. By way of background, I took the FSOT last February, and passed, subsequently also passing the QEP and the OA. To add another opinion to the fire, I would agree with others that the FSOT is disturbingly easy, the QEP oddly inscrutable, and the OA a decent test of poise and verbal ability, but perhaps a touch overly dependent on luck. I received both my security and medical clearances much faster than I would have expected, as I have an awful lot of recent travel, but the whole thing whizzed by in 3 months or so, which I'm told is quite rapid. Decision time is just about here, hence my post. Anyway, I recently completed an MBA program, and the State Department came to my attention as a potential employer when they came on campus a couple of times to recruit. They emphasized repeatedly that we should be seeking a position within the Management track, as the requisite skillset there has considerable overlap with the MBA curriculum. They also cited the opportunity for comparatively rapid advancement owing to a general deficit of management officers. At the time I knew little about the functional specializations beyond what I had been told and read in the official literature, but their pitch seemed logical, and with the registration deadline looming I chose the Management track. Having had the better part of a year to reflect upon that decision, I now find myself with a number of questions and concerns. First among these questions is the actual nature of work in the Management track. I have yet to adequately discern the functional difference between Management Officers and Specialists who work within any of the various managerial disciplines, other than perhaps slightly more job flexibility between posts. If there is no difference, hey that's okay, but I'd like to know just the same. Secondly is the issue of language training. As it was a graduation prerequisite, and having interned abroad, I currently speak a couple of languages with reasonable fluency, but so far I have only Western European tongues - nothing especially interesting. I had hoped that as part of a State Department career I might have the opportunity to cultivate proficiency in at least one Asian language, and maybe something from Eastern Europe, or Arabic. However, several accounts I have read indicate that advanced language training is often unavailable to both Consular and Management Officers. In fact, in a recent issue of the official State Department magazine, a cited advantage of choosing the Management track was that you didn't "have to" use foreign languages much, as you were mostly inside the embassy anyway. I find this prospect a tad depressing. While I recognize that everyone generally does a Consular tour or two in the beginning, specialization sets in at the mid-career level, and the idea of spending that time living 100% inside an Anglo-bubble is unappealing. Lastly is more a question of subjectivity. I attended an information session with a Diplomat in Residence at a university, and he was an interesting fellow. I believe he was a Minister-Counselor, if that means anything to anybody. In any case, the information session was poorly attended, so we had plenty of time to chat. He painted a happy enough picture of life in the foreign service, and had some good stories. But when he asked what cone I was applying for, and I explained that I had chosen Management, I'd swear he got a "Jesus! God!" look on his face, and he went on to explain that it was a "thankless, thankless" job. He essentially acted as if I was taking one for the team. Now if a man whose job is to sell me on the merits of the FS, or at least not portray it negatively, is warning me - that has me concerned. It seems to me - and correct me if I'm wrong - that the Management track is a good place to spend some years and get some experience. After all, the skills you learn there are readily applicable to the private sector. It may not, however, be a viable choice for a full career. An informal survey of State's website reveals extremely few officers at the DCM, much less Ambassadorial level who came from any cones other than Political or Economic, State's repeated protestations notwithstanding. I realize now that my post is quite long, so apologies if this is more than anyone wanted to read. I joined SA for the express purpose of posting it, so I guess I had a lot of thoughts saved up  I could be completely off the mark on all of the above, as life within State is fairly opaque unless you know someone with personal experience, so if at all possible, I would appreciate any corrections or insight.
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Feb 25, 2010 14:43
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shmoop posted:I had hoped that as part of a State Department career I might have the opportunity to cultivate proficiency in at least one Asian language, and maybe something from Eastern Europe, or Arabic. However, several accounts I have read indicate that advanced language training is often unavailable to both Consular and Management Officers. Actually this came up in conversation at the OA yesterday. One of the test takers was the son of an FSO, and another was switching from management specialist to generalist. The general consensus they gave was that State's much revered language training is not that great if you're a language person. It goes way to fast to fully sink in,and then you end up in a foreign post where you may or may not be using the language much at all. This perspective was kind of surprise to me, given how revered the DoS language program is. shmoop posted:I'd swear he got a "Jesus! God!" look on his face, and he went on to explain that it was a "thankless, thankless" job. He essentially acted as if I was taking one for the team. Now if a man whose job is to sell me on the merits of the FS, or at least not portray it negatively, is warning me - that has me concerned. poo poo, and I just submitted my Management track FSWT application (again) yesterday. shmoop posted:I joined SA for the express purpose of posting it, Does this make you part of the Goon conspiracy? xanthig fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Feb 25, 2010 |
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Feb 25, 2010 16:14
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...is this our first join4state?
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Feb 25, 2010 17:41
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Anyone who got medically cleared use their own insurance for the physical and other battery of tests? I'm going in to the doctor's office tomorrow morning to get started on the medical paperwork, but they first want to see if my insurance will pay for it before they pay for it (which is another round of paperwork I guess). Anyone have any insight? I use Blue Cross Blue Shield for what it's worth.
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Feb 25, 2010 18:54
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If I was going to go the Generalist route I think I'd choose management. It lacks the office politics of the Pol/Econ/PD cones and it isn't Consular which is where the real grind is. But there are plenty of people in each cone who enjoy it so go with whatever sounds right to you I guess.
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Feb 25, 2010 22:49
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Where can we learn more about each cone? I did the survey at the DoS site and I scored pretty similar in the in the Political/Econ/PD.
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Feb 25, 2010 23:55
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I am wiped out, but I somehow passed wth a 5.50 while only managing to pass one of the three sections. I must be some kind of idiot-savant when it comes to structured interviews. I am going to go consume some beverages.
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Feb 26, 2010 00:02
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AKA Pseudonym posted:If I was going to go the Generalist route I think I'd choose management. It lacks the office politics of the Pol/Econ/PD cones and it isn't Consular which is where the real grind is. But there are plenty of people in each cone who enjoy it so go with whatever sounds right to you I guess. Management owns. You go in and just make the place work and direct your team to get poo poo done.
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Feb 26, 2010 00:55
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Bizob posted:I am wiped out, but I somehow passed wth a 5.50 while only managing to pass one of the three sections. I must be some kind of idiot-savant when it comes to structured interviews. I am going to go consume some beverages. Congrats man!
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Feb 26, 2010 01:17
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Bizob posted:I am wiped out, but I somehow passed wth a 5.50 while only managing to pass one of the three sections. I must be some kind of idiot-savant when it comes to structured interviews. I am going to go consume some beverages. Hell yeah. Which track? To do what you did, you got at least a 6.1 on the interview. Think you'll FOIA your score? xanthig fucked around with this message at 02:06 on Feb 26, 2010 |
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Feb 26, 2010 02:00
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xanthig posted:Hell yeah. Which track? Consular. I've had it with long rear end hours and writing memos, I'm down for some 9-5 and laughing at geniuses who get caught with a pound of smack in their carry-on. I might FOIA the scores. I'm pretty suprised on not passing the group exercise considering the way that went. My first priority now is kicking "Operation Convince My Wife This Isn't Insane" into high gear. It was a pretty long day. There were only 9 of us, and I was the last one called out of the bullpen. The 7-month pregnant woman who got called out right ahead of me was in the room I walked into and we got the offers simultaneously. There were a couple no-shows, which I found kind of odd.
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Feb 26, 2010 04:27
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Bizob posted:There were only 9 of us, and I was the last one called out of the bullpen. The 7-month pregnant woman who got called out right ahead of me was in the room I walked into and we got the offers simultaneously. There were a couple no-shows, which I found kind of odd. There were nine in my group as well, 18 were originally scheduled, it was a no-show bonanza. Considering that one person flew in from South Africa the night before to take the test, and another flew in from Chile a couple days ahead of the test, I can understand the no-shows; poo poo happens. Did you figure out of they were calling people out in order of candidate number?
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Feb 26, 2010 04:50
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Pretty nervous about this FSOT Monday. I think I can pass the FSOT but I doubt I will get past the QEP. I have basically no international experience but I am just trying to get experience with the process and hoping to somehow slip through the cracks. I think at this point I would definitely accept any cone offer I got. I applied for political but I think this job would be quite a bit of fun no matter the details.
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Feb 26, 2010 07:34
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Bizob posted:Consular. I've had it with long rear end hours and writing memos, Heh. I'm really sorry to break it to you but...
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Feb 26, 2010 12:54
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Vilerat posted:
I just want to second Vilerat's comments and add my two cents. I know very few FSOs who are unhappy with the job. Ok, I know a bunch of first and second tour officers who hate their consular tours, but that is normal. I tell them the same thing someone once told me: Visa line work is the worst job in the Foreign Service; everybody does it, then you don't do it again. I went into this a little in the OP, but even career consular officers don't really like line work. And it's not all 100% bad, it just sucks compared to just about every other job you'll ever work after that. Now, if you eliminate that demographic, just about everyone I know loves their job. I'm speaking mostly of generalist FSOs, but that also goes for all the specialists I know. I mean everyone. We all just get high off of living in a foreign environment and doing (mostly) meaningful work there, I guess. Every week or so I have one of these moments when it dawns on me how awesome my job is and how fortunate I am to have it. It is a really cool feeling literally to be the U.S. Government's representative at an event. And it's not just political officers who do this; Cons, Econ, Mgmt -- they all do it at times. And PD does it more than the rest of us. Regardless of your career track, this is not just a cubicle job. The FSOs I know who are most unhappy have some part of their lives that cannot harmonize with the FS lifestyle. Usually this means that their spouse or significant other lives far away from them to keep a job back home or in another country. I have known two or three officers -- incidentally, all women -- who have resigned due to the stress from this kind of situation. But yeah, besides stuff like that, the job is fun.
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Feb 26, 2010 14:42
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Vilerat posted:Heh. I'm really sorry to break it to you but... Noooooooooooooo......, haha. Well then is it ok if I've just had it with doing that in Wisconsin? I honestly don't mind the long hours etc, but I know consular is considered kind of the red-headed stepchild of the cones and I was (mostly) mocking myself. xanthig posted:Did you figure out of they were calling people out in order of candidate number? There was a group 1 and a group 2. Everyone in group 2 got called to the waiting room first, but that might have just been because the last person in group 1 was finishing their interview. When group 1 got called into the waiting room, 2A and 2C were still in there, but both got called out right away. I was 1A and was the last person to get called, right after 1F (the pregnant lady who got an offer in Economic cone). I don't think it went in any particular order, but I don't know if anyone else got an offer.
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Feb 26, 2010 14:45
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xanthig posted:Actually this came up in conversation at the OA yesterday. One of the test takers was the son of an FSO, and another was switching from management specialist to generalist. The general consensus they gave was that State's much revered language training is not that great if you're a language person. It goes way to fast to fully sink in,and then you end up in a foreign post where you may or may not be using the language much at all. I'm a bit puzzled by this, and I consider myself a "language person." It is true that FSI's goal is to get you to a functional level for diplomatic work in a certain amount of time, so it does, for example, just gloss over simple stuff like foods. I mean, after my wife took a seven-week survival language course in the same language I spent more than twenty weeks learning, she could order at a restaurant far better than I could just because my classes (unlike hers) basically skipped the whole "menu" and "grocery shopping" lessons. (We focused more on trade deficits and nuclear disarmament.) That said, language persons are going to be hard pressed to find a better deal than FSI's programs. Want to get paid your normal wage (and accrue retirement credits and pay raises) for a year while not having any responsibilities other than studying a foreign language? Come to FSI. Want to have only native-speaker instructors and classes no larger than four students (usually 2-3) at a time? Come to FSI. Want to spend a year living in Beijing having six hours a day of one-on-one tutorials in Mandarin? Come to FSI. You get the picture. Once you get to post it is up to you to maintain your language proficiency, so that argument really is a red herring.
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Feb 26, 2010 15:08
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Miss Fats posted:Pretty nervous about this FSOT Monday. Hey, cool! We're taking it on the same day! Afternoon or Evening? Also: need to study, need to study..
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Feb 26, 2010 15:17
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Business of Ferrets posted:I'm a bit puzzled by this, and I consider myself a "language person." It is true that FSI's goal is to get you to a functional level for diplomatic work in a certain amount of time, so it does, for example, just gloss over simple stuff like foods. I mean, after my wife took a seven-week survival language course in the same language I spent more than twenty weeks learning, she could order at a restaurant far better than I could just because my classes (unlike hers) basically skipped the whole "menu" and "grocery shopping" lessons. (We focused more on trade deficits and nuclear disarmament.) Are you an IMS who wants to learn a foreign language? FSI say go gently caress yourself.
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Feb 26, 2010 15:34
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