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Good luck to all the folks taking the FSOT this iteration! This really is an amazingly awesome job, and I can't think of too many downsides for people who want to be in the thick of the international affairs world.
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Oct 7, 2012 08:37
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What kind of clothing do you guys wear on the job? Do you have any kind of uniform, or at least uniform insignia on your suits?
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Oct 7, 2012 13:33
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Red Crown posted:What kind of clothing do you guys wear on the job? Do you have any kind of uniform, or at least uniform insignia on your suits? We're not a uniform service, so it's whatever business dress you like. Some places are more formal, some places less so.
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Oct 7, 2012 14:06
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Red Crown posted:What kind of clothing do you guys wear on the job? Do you have any kind of uniform, or at least uniform insignia on your suits? for DS: During protection work we generally wear suits. Criminal investigations is usually bluejeans and t-shirts, RSO work is button up shirts/polos and 5.11 type pants. That would be great if the foreign service had a uniform. Like we could all wear Hawaiian print full body jumpsuits.
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Oct 7, 2012 14:31
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Bruxism posted:That would be great if the foreign service had a uniform. Like we could all wear Hawaiian print full body jumpsuits. Every Tuesday is No Pants Tuesday.
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Oct 7, 2012 19:44
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Red Crown posted:What kind of clothing do you guys wear on the job? Do you have any kind of uniform, or at least uniform insignia on your suits? I wear a suit 5 days. There's no insignia, but most, if not all missions, have a "friendship lapel pin" thing, basically it's a lapel pin of an American flag crossed with the flag of the host country. Most people at my mission wear ours (though I think that is less common in multilateral missions, despite some of them having their own pin). Menswear is surprisingly not boring here. Myself and a colleague have a reputation for wearing pink or purple shirts probably 90% of the time. My old boss used to wear these pimpin tweed sport coats, and these awesome woven flannel ties. A dude down the hall wears these awesome tailored Versace (I believe) suits. I occasionally wear a fedora when it rains. Some people will go slacks and a sports coat on Fridays, but it's difficult for me to do that as I'm expected to wear a suit (by local culture if nothing else) to meetings, and I can't guarantee that something won't come up. So you can play with it a little bit, it's not too stodgy, but obviously we have to have a professional appearance. For upcountry travel, I'll wear either a polo/long sleeve plain shirt, and either cargos (not 5.11, but a similar brand), jeans, or light slacks, depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going (is it hot, muddy, am I walking around on a farm, or am I in the city, etc.) Other offices wear more casual dress, mainly polos/slacks, though some can get away with jeans. But even RSO and consular folks still need a suit on hand in case they have a meeting that day, or something comes up, or whatever. Moral of the story: It's awesome being stationed somewhere where you can get custom made-to-measure tailored suits for less than $100.
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Oct 7, 2012 22:37
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That's pretty awesome. Do FSOs wear soft armor under their normal clothing in country? Also - do you take the oath? Red Crown fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Oct 7, 2012 |
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Oct 7, 2012 23:23
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Not an FSO but I love friendship flag pins. This website lets you make any kind you want: http://www.crossed-flag-pins.com/crossed-flag-pins-configurator.php There are a few... interesting configurations that are possible to make on this website 
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Oct 8, 2012 01:21
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Red Crown posted:That's pretty awesome. Do FSOs wear soft armor under their normal clothing in country? No and yes, respectively.
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Oct 8, 2012 01:24
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o7 my oath brothers & sisters
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Oct 8, 2012 03:13
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hitension posted:Not an FSO but I love friendship flag pins. Different brand than we use. Ours are longer and less "fat" on each flag. You can see mine in these photos here: http://imgur.com/a/VTaS1 Since we're at it with photos... here's some other random ones. http://imgur.com/a/xnEYy
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Oct 8, 2012 11:43
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Diplomaticus posted:Different brand than we use. Ours are longer and less "fat" on each flag. You can see mine in these photos here: http://imgur.com/a/VTaS1 Thanks for the photos! Haha, no no, I wasn't saying this is what you guys use. I was just showing that website because it lets you put any two flags together at all. As a result there are some "unlikely friendships" you can configure on it:  OK, I'm just a geek for international affairs... and some of the "unlikely friendship" configurations are more like pipe dreams in my book...
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Oct 8, 2012 12:43
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Here's the friendship pin nobody will be ordering:
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Oct 8, 2012 14:54
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Diplomaticus posted:Different brand than we use. Ours are longer and less "fat" on each flag. You can see mine in these photos here: http://imgur.com/a/VTaS1 Haha, man, embassy guys really do have a certain look to them. When I was in the Peace Corps we could spot U.S. Embassy personnel from a mile away. I don't know what it is exactly, but there's definitely a type. You definitely look the part (and that's not a bad thing!)
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Oct 8, 2012 15:28
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d1rtbag posted:Here's the friendship pin nobody will be ordering: Ha, now I want one.
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Oct 8, 2012 16:31
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pamchenko posted:Ha, now I want one. I have a US-Iranian flag pin that someone at my old office got us all for funsies. This was right before one of the big P5+1 meetings in Istanbul, and if I recall correctly, it was about two weeks after I got run over by Ali Larijani and delegation as he was hustling to a bilat with the Turkish president. Wish I'd spirited one into his pocket. (And what made it even more fun is that the S bilat was scheduled immediately before the Iranian one. That was some awkward times in the hold room.)
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Oct 8, 2012 16:48
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CronoGamer posted:Haha, man, embassy guys really do have a certain look to them. When I was in the Peace Corps we could spot U.S. Embassy personnel from a mile away. I don't know what it is exactly, but there's definitely a type. You definitely look the part (and that's not a bad thing!) I think it's the oakleys and that I always use a four-in-hand or similar small knot for my ties, usually without buttoning the top button (I hate feeling my collar, and while the suits are great here, the dress shirts are not as good.) -- people always seem to think I'm an RSO.
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Oct 8, 2012 22:39
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the_chavi posted:I have a US-Iranian flag pin that someone at my old office got us all for funsies. This was right before one of the big P5+1 meetings in Istanbul, and if I recall correctly, it was about two weeks after I got run over by Ali Larijani and delegation as he was hustling to a bilat with the Turkish president. Wish I'd spirited one into his pocket. (And what made it even more fun is that the S bilat was scheduled immediately before the Iranian one. That was some awkward times in the hold room.) Hah. I had a similar situation with the principles I was site officer for during the AU summit. Wasn't S though, just something like 10 A/S level principles.
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Oct 8, 2012 22:42
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Diplomaticus posted:Different brand than we use. Ours are longer and less "fat" on each flag. You can see mine in these photos here: http://imgur.com/a/VTaS1 Getting to wear a suit to work and grow a beard is probably at least 25% of the reason I am considering punching sooner rather than later.
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Oct 9, 2012 06:24
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Hey y'all, I've been lurking since about June (>_>) and I finally registered because I couldn't see the thread anymore without having to register. -.- I'm a twenty year old junior in international studies and I just took the FSOT five days ago. Here's to hoping it goes okay! =] I honestly didn't think the test itself was that hard, but we shall see how it goes.
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Oct 9, 2012 07:48
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They sure do love taking their time. Got my BEX invite finally, November 14th. Hooray.
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Oct 10, 2012 16:50
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Congrats man. They'll be doing those BEXes for at least another few months, honestly I wish I had done it later, since I'm burning register time right now.
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Oct 10, 2012 16:54
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Tyro posted:Congrats man. They'll be doing those BEXes for at least another few months, honestly I wish I had done it later, since I'm burning register time right now. The faster I get put on the register the faster I can get out of school and pack my poo poo. I doubt I'll get on the register in time for the January A-100 class, so probably whatever after that. I'm assuming it's a standard board procedure? ie: sound confident even if you're not, answer questions quickly but intelligently, and stick to any judgement calls you make even if found to be incorrect?
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Oct 10, 2012 17:11
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IMO yeah, you won't get on in time for a Jan class unless you already have an active State clearance, they'll *hopefully* be starting to send out the invites around the time you interview.Vasudus posted:I'm assuming it's a standard board procedure? ie: sound confident even if you're not, answer questions quickly but intelligently, and stick to any judgement calls you make even if found to be incorrect? I'm not sure if that's the "correct" way to do it, but it's pretty much the strategy I used.
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Oct 10, 2012 17:24
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Vasudus posted:The faster I get put on the register the faster I can get out of school and pack my poo poo. I doubt I'll get on the register in time for the January A-100 class, so probably whatever after that. If this is for DS, specialist classes don't always sync up with generalist A-100 classes. Good luck on the interview!
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Oct 10, 2012 17:57
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Vasudus posted:The faster I get put on the register the faster I can get out of school and pack my poo poo. I doubt I'll get on the register in time for the January A-100 class, so probably whatever after that. For generalists, yes, yes, yes, and sort of. If a quick decision is in order, be decisive, but don't entrench and be unwilling to admit a mistake. If this is the generalist OA, I have a good guide to it on the yahoogroup. If it's a specialist OA, sorry can't help you. Also I'm not even sure that there ARE any A-100's scheduled yet for 2013.
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Oct 10, 2012 19:48
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Diplomaticus posted:Also I'm not even sure that there ARE any A-100's scheduled yet for 2013. There aren't. Budget hasn't been determined yet. The Registrar tells me they are "anticipating" a January A-100. We'll see.
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Oct 10, 2012 20:00
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Yeah, it's for DS. So I'm just assuming that it's like any military/LEO board. Regardless, I'll start prepping myself for a variety of situations so I don't get too thrown off, even though I know that's one of the main points of the board. I have no idea when they have any classes, I'm just stoked that I'll (hopefully, probably) be picked up and I can get out of the US for a decade or two.
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Oct 10, 2012 20:01
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Vasudus posted:Yeah, it's for DS. So I'm just assuming that it's like any military/LEO board. Regardless, I'll start prepping myself for a variety of situations so I don't get too thrown off, even though I know that's one of the main points of the board. Congrats on making it to BEX! Don't freak out, show up early, and wear a drat suit. Take a moment to brush up on what it is DS, does both domestically and abroad, and be prepared to handwrite (like with pencil) a short essay similar to the one you wrote on the online portion. If you have any specific questions about what to expect or about DS in general feel free to PM me. Good luck!
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Oct 10, 2012 21:27
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Bruxism posted:Congrats on making it to BEX! Don't freak out, show up early, and wear a drat suit. Take a moment to brush up on what it is DS, does both domestically and abroad, and be prepared to handwrite (like with pencil) a short essay similar to the one you wrote on the online portion. If you have any specific questions about what to expect or about DS in general feel free to PM me. Good luck! The essays are typed now! Crazy!
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Oct 10, 2012 21:29
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Bruxism posted:Congrats on making it to BEX! Don't freak out, show up early, and wear a drat suit. Take a moment to brush up on what it is DS, does both domestically and abroad, and be prepared to handwrite (like with pencil) a short essay similar to the one you wrote on the online portion. If you have any specific questions about what to expect or about DS in general feel free to PM me. Good luck! Hand write? COCKSUCK MY rear end. I haven't actually written anything beyond a few sentences in years. My hand is going to be killing me after a paragraph. Moreso if if it has to actually be legible. Oh well. ^^^ wootles
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Oct 10, 2012 21:32
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Tyro posted:The essays are typed now! Crazy! Kicking and screaming into the twentieth century...
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Oct 10, 2012 22:08
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Vasudus posted:The faster I get put on the register the faster I can get out of school and pack my poo poo. I doubt I'll get on the register in time for the January A-100 class, so probably whatever after that. I don't think I would say this. I found the DS interviews to be a lot more friendly than other LEO interviews I've done. I've had others where intimidating you and keeping you on the defensive was a part of the interview, for DS it feels more like the interviews are trying to help you pass. Listen to the things they say, they'll give some hints on answering questions. Confident, yes. I'm not sure there's a big rush to say things quickly. Don't ramble, but I don't think I was close to running out of time on either interview portion. And the third? I don't know about that at all. I'm not totally sure it's really relevant. But I'd just be careful about not adapting to changing information. Like all State things, make sure you're selling yourself, even if you're going back to high school to find examples. And I am seconding that suggestion to KNOW THE JOB. Go study the info DS puts out about the job. Don't miss easy points. Also the essay portion is no longer like the online essay. But it's still an essay, not really any way to study, just write well. It's not particularly hard, on my computer the keys were messed up and pressing B could end up in any of about three letters appearing on my screen. Still had plenty of time. Also, Tyro, didn't you pass around when I did? I think I got the email from my investigator saying he had everything he needed just a couple weeks ago. Haven't heard anything since.
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Oct 11, 2012 00:33
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Tyro posted:The essays are typed now! Crazy! Oh thank god. I had to restart that bullshit twice. Kept forgetting to skip lines and such. Follow the essay formatting directions EXACTLY. Kase Im Licht posted:Listen to the things they say, they'll give some hints on answering questions. All good advice, though I would warn against walking in expecting an easy experience. I have heard some horror stories from my colleagues about really combative BEX panels. Particularly in non-DC based ones. I don't think there is anything about the more far-flung panels that makes them harder... I just think that the panels being run at headquarters tend to be a little more consistent and easy-going due to taking place in the comfort of a familiar environment (I've heard of BEX panels in other cities being run out of hotel rooms for example). It probably WILL be a kinder, gentler experience, but I don't want you to get blindsided by some salty-rear end old-schooler.
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Oct 11, 2012 04:47
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If it's anything like Generalist OA, then Kase Im Licht's advice is sound. I have no idea if you get hypotheticals or not, but one thing that helped me was in hypotheticals (What would you do in X situation...) my answer always included "well I'd check with my chain of command, and/or consult the FAM (if there's time), keep everyone updated with frequent sitreps, etc." Basically regardless of whatever hypothetical situation you are in, you can never go wrong by keeping everyone updated, asking for advice from your superiors, and ensuring you're following Dept. guidelines.
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Oct 11, 2012 07:44
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Chavi and I are sharing barbs on communicator and she just fired off what I think is the best description of bidding/lobbying ever: "We like you, we're just not sure we want to take you to the prom." Zoots fucked around with this message at 10:40 on Oct 11, 2012 |
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Oct 11, 2012 10:34
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A favorite haiku I've heard: A preening peacock Steps upon uneven ground Bidding time is here
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Oct 11, 2012 11:49
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Zoots posted:Chavi and I are sharing barbs on communicator and she just fired off what I think is the best description of bidding/lobbying ever: Hahaha so very true. If your corridor rep is great, bidding is infinitely easier.
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Oct 11, 2012 12:18
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Business of Ferrets posted:A favorite haiku I've heard: Phenomenal. And a perfect description.
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Oct 11, 2012 12:45
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Kase, pm sent,
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Oct 11, 2012 12:50
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