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Took the FSOT this afternoon in Brussels (management cone). It was easier than I thought, but I guess I will find out in 3-4 weeks if I'm right  I wish I had spent more time mapping out my experience though, with the time limit, giving specific examples of how I "very often" did something in my work or personal life left me with very little time at the end.
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Jun 6, 2012 20:31
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Applied in March for IMS... So I just got an email saying I've passed the qualifications evaluation panel and have been forwarded to a board for oral assessment. Hmm, guess I should go start googling/read the beginning of this thread.
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Jun 6, 2012 22:09
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Does the test vary depending on which cone I apply for? Just wondering so I don't spend too much time studying management theory instead of something more crucial.
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Jun 6, 2012 23:25
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Gumog posted:Does the test vary depending on which cone I apply for? Just wondering so I don't spend too much time studying management theory instead of something more crucial. For a short time it did, but is now the same for everyone.
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Jun 6, 2012 23:34
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I apologize, as I know a lot of these have been answered already, but I do not have search and there are a lot of posts. Questions: 1) I have used drugs in the past. Never been in trouble, but I used to go to raves a lot. Will this be a big issue? 2) I graduated with honors in a pretty relevant degree (Polisci) and a related minor. I am giving thought to law school (165 on LSATS, can do better) or grad school. Should I do that first? 3) What's pay like? 4) 10 years down the road I see myself as the sharp-suit jet-setting diplomat shmoozing with other diplomats in Italian. What track would be best? I did the 'Which is best for me' thing and they all were pretty close. 5) I speak passable italian (need some work on my vocab, but I can speak it fairly well). Is this a plus? Or will I never have a shot at Italy?
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Jun 6, 2012 23:50
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Sparta posted:I apologize, as I know a lot of these have been answered already, but I do not have search and there are a lot of posts. 1) Be completely honest and forthright with the investigators doing the clearance process and if it has been a while since you last used you should be fine. 2) No. Visit the law school Megathread if you have any questions. 3) Pay scales and starting salaries are available at State's recruitment website. My family and I live comfortably, especially when overseas. 4) Depending on what you're schmoozing about, any track could lead to this, if you got the right jobs. 5) Italian can help you get a job in Italy, but will probably not be the deciding factor and is no guarantee. Going to Afghanistan, Iraq or Pakistan would be a much faster and more sure path to Italy.
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Jun 7, 2012 00:20
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FSOT #4 taken today (actually #5, but the first was like 12 years ago under the old pencil and paper system). Pretty sure I passed, the trivia section seemed to hit all the areas I know well and skipped the stuff I'm less strong on (hooray for questions on using Internet Explorer!), and the biography section gets easier every year. Hard not to be so negative about the upcoming QEP. Maybe going consular will actually get me past it for once. Oh well, time to forget about that and gear up for the DSS BEX. Where the hell are all those notes I took last year?
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Jun 7, 2012 01:20
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First time taking the FSOT today. Was easier than I thought it would be, though I'm still not holding my breath. I went with the PR cone, but I have no idea what their quota for hiring in that cone would be. Next time (and there's no doubt there will be a next time  ) I'll probably just go Consular to up my chances.
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Jun 7, 2012 01:29
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Forgive me, but what does QEP stand for?
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Jun 7, 2012 01:38
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A blackhole gatekeeper process that admits one the privilege of being able to take the FSOA. No I'm not bitter or anything. Edit: whatever just found out my TDY just got extended by 10 days. I can't be too mad at an Irish pub with a band and a view of cococabana beach. TCD fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Jun 7, 2012 |
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Jun 7, 2012 02:05
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TCD posted:A blackhole gatekeeper process that admits one the privilege of being able to take the FSOA. It keeps the riffraff out! Now back to my canapés and G&T. 
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Jun 7, 2012 02:10
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Business of Ferrets posted:It keeps the riffraff out!
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Jun 7, 2012 02:12
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So even with great scores, there's a mysterious committee that will decide if they even like you - based on whatever mysterious standards?
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Jun 7, 2012 02:14
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Gumog posted:So even with great scores, there's a mysterious committee that will decide if they even like you - based on whatever mysterious standards? Yeah, exactly... That pretty much sums up my fsot experience.
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Jun 7, 2012 02:23
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TCD posted:Yeah, exactly... That pretty much sums up my fsot experience. This is what happens when you don't use the special keyword in your PNs. . . .  It's "yacht" Business of Ferrets fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Jun 7, 2012 |
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Jun 7, 2012 02:52
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yeah, seconding your kids will love the FS. They might not like it in the short term, but kids aren't short term at all. IMO it's far better to be able to go and show them someplace like the great wall of china, or the pyramids, or even moroccan palaces, than just reading about it in a history book. It might not come immediately, but it's definitely a better education.
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Jun 7, 2012 03:26
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TCD posted:yup. drat. I wanted to be there  I probably would have been, if I didn't leave for the FS. Oh well, pretty good trade-off, I'd say. (actually are you the go-to comms guy for the US side of the conference, because that's pretty drat cool of an IMS duty)
Skandiaavity fucked around with this message at 03:34 on Jun 7, 2012 |
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Jun 7, 2012 03:29
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Jedi Knight Luigi posted:First time taking the FSOT today. Was easier than I thought it would be, though I'm still not holding my breath. The "go Consular for a better chance" thing doesn't really apply anymore. Apply in the cone that you want to be in.
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Jun 7, 2012 09:07
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Homie S posted:Funny thing, no one really knows because it's a crazy convoluted process to get one. Me and another guy we're on deck to TDY out there and couldn't because we literally couldn't get a visa. It was freaking annoying. My visa came through in two days, shockingly - are you applying in Washington? It's super fast now, apparently... Are you still planning on TDYing out?
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Jun 7, 2012 14:13
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Zoots posted:Ugh. On duty this week. Who needs sleep anyway? "OF COURSE IT'S AN EMERGENCY THAT I LOST MY PASSPORT, I WILL MISS MY FLIGHT TO MALLORCA TOMORROW WITHOUT IT!!!" My favorite overnight emergency was a person who called at 3 AM to inquire about Turkey's changing visa regulations for foreigners.
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Jun 7, 2012 14:15
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Reading the AIP compensation/benefits cable. It looks....really good. I might want to do this for my third tour, especially if I can link something awesome for #4.
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Jun 7, 2012 14:39
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Diplomaticus posted:Reading the AIP compensation/benefits cable. It looks....really good. I might want to do this for my third tour, especially if I can link something awesome for #4. Baghdad got me Montreal then The Hague.
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Jun 7, 2012 15:01
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the_chavi posted:"OF COURSE IT'S AN EMERGENCY THAT I LOST MY PASSPORT, I WILL MISS MY FLIGHT TO MALLORCA TOMORROW WITHOUT IT!!!" I wish I was kidding. By the way, any of you kids catch Foreign Secretary Hague's speech on what British consular officers can and can't do?
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Jun 7, 2012 18:14
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What happened to the list of blogs?
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Jun 7, 2012 19:33
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Ganon posted:What happened to the list of blogs? I'm pretty sure the OP was running low on space.
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Jun 7, 2012 19:57
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Ganon posted:What happened to the list of blogs? I had to take it out due to lack of space (50000 character limit) and not keeping it updated anyway. Someone could post the link to the Google Reader package of FS blogs.
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Jun 7, 2012 20:05
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Diplomaticus posted:I had to take it out due to lack of space (50000 character limit) and not keeping it updated anyway. Here's my list - http://hannahdraper.blogspot.com/2011/01/updated-reading-list.html. I haven't updated it in a while... will do that soon.
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Jun 7, 2012 20:58
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Zoots posted:"Yes, ma'am, OF COURSE the Ambassador is happy to head to the airport to personally pick up your misrouted baggage and deliver it to you." Oh yes - the FCO puts out stuff like that rather frequently. So does the Canadian Foreign Office. I wish someone at the Mother Ship would do the same...
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Jun 7, 2012 21:00
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I once had a week as duty officer without a single call. It was kind of spooky.
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Jun 7, 2012 21:28
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Well, I took the exam today. I walked out feeling really good -- I was one of the last to start but I was the first to finish. In the past that's always been a good sign for me, but now I'm reflecting on some of my answers and wondering if maybe they were too short. Well, I guess I'll find out in a few weeks. If my feelings are wrong and I end up not passing, there'll be another round of testing in December (I think). If I do pass, well, any tips you might have on surviving the second round would be greatly appreciated.
picosecond fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Jun 7, 2012 |
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Jun 7, 2012 22:17
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picosecond posted:Well, I took the exam today. I walked out feeling really good -- I was one of the last to start but I was the first to finish. In the past that's always been a good sign for me, but now I'm reflecting on some of my answers and wondering if maybe they were too short. Well, I guess I'll find out in a few weeks. If my feelings are wrong and I end up not passing, there'll be another round of testing in December (I think). If I do pass, well, any tips you might on the second would be greatly appreciated. I think you can take the test once a year.
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Jun 7, 2012 22:22
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Funny that, our instructor was just telling us about how he almost got POP'ed out of Paris. for the second round, check out the yahoo boards. Learn from everyone else's mistakes, then go and make your own... Hopefully you'll make it through, but if not, try again the next year. No one really knows how BEX decides.
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Jun 7, 2012 22:39
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Zoots posted:"Yes, ma'am, OF COURSE the Ambassador is happy to head to the airport to personally pick up your misrouted baggage and deliver it to you." When I interned in ACS in Paris, we got all sorts of calls and ridiculous requests like this. Some people even asked us to arrange travel itineraries for them. One guy asked if we could stamp his AMERICAN passport with a FRENCH entry stamp "as a souvenir." Some people would be calling us because they thought their the American embassy could do a better job than their own respective country's embassy.
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Jun 7, 2012 22:48
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For the OA there are three golden pieces of advice online. 1) In the yahoogroup ([fsoa]), look up my cram guide (You can find it under files-->Helpful Posts. I believe most if not all is still relevant. 2) Read Traveler's tips, also on the Yahoogroup. 3) Download the practice CMs, and do them; download the practice GE exercises and find a group to run them. Having done a mock GE exercise really helps, and knowing what to expect from the CMs eliminates some of the shock at seeing what you have to work with.
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Jun 8, 2012 08:29
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Wow, two of the OA passers from my group are on the registers already, and each in the top 10 for their cones. Waiting anxiously for that drat letter...
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Jun 8, 2012 11:35
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I got the email saying that I'd be invited to the OA for OMS. I'm taking the FSOT today and I've applied for IRO since that's what I really want to do. Heck that job is the main reason why I got a library degree. But I figure I'll take whatever route can get me in and if it's not IRO then I can keep trying for it later. Really not keen on going back to being a secretary but it'd be nice to have a job where you don't have to constantly worry about being laid off.
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Jun 8, 2012 13:48
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Miscreant Fromage posted:I got the email saying that I'd be invited to the OA for OMS. I'm taking the FSOT today and I've applied for IRO since that's what I really want to do. Heck that job is the main reason why I got a library degree. But I figure I'll take whatever route can get me in and if it's not IRO then I can keep trying for it later. Really not keen on going back to being a secretary but it'd be nice to have a job where you don't have to constantly worry about being laid off. It's been my experience that no OMS ever has had to worry about this.
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Jun 8, 2012 14:11
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My OMS took the FSOT today.
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Jun 8, 2012 14:35
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Diplomaticus posted:My OMS took the FSOT today. Karen? No, she's in RSO, isn't she...
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Jun 8, 2012 16:30
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Skandiaavity posted:yeah, seconding your kids will love the FS. They might not like it in the short term, but kids aren't short term at all. IMO it's far better to be able to go and show them someplace like the great wall of china, or the pyramids, or even moroccan palaces, than just reading about it in a history book. It might not come immediately, but it's definitely a better education. I think it's easier for younger kids. I know lots of well-adjusted FS brats who are adults now and who have profited from their upbringing... I also know a few who are in therapy from a few evacuations (and, to be fair, their insane parents dragging them to near-war zones). Just listen to your kids. I'm planning on staying in the Service after I have a crotchling or two, but if s/he turns out to have special needs or plain hates the life, then we'll reconsider.
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Jun 8, 2012 16:32
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