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Vasudus posted:Welp, didn't pass the BEX. Can't talk about why obviously, but I don't really feel that bad about it. Always next time. Sorry dude.  Was this your first time taking it? Now you know what to expect for the next time. Don't give up!
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Nov 15, 2012 11:04
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Turned in my PNs last night -- now I'm back to helpless waiting until January . . .
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Nov 15, 2012 15:03
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I also wanted to again thank everyone in the thread who helped me revise my PNQ responses. Absolutely recommended! I submitted my PNQ responses, now to push it out of my mind and move on to other things for awhile. Best of luck to everyone.
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Nov 15, 2012 18:22
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Vasudus posted:Welp, didn't pass the BEX. Can't talk about why obviously, but I don't really feel that bad about it. Always next time. Don't sweat it. Lots of people do not pass the first time, and I've met some really switched on agents that were 2 or 3 time BEX takers. I do the local DS recruitment rounds and I always push that the first time is a great way to see how it works and if you don't pass you're able to have some insight into the next time you choose to try. Good luck.
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Nov 16, 2012 00:13
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PNQ's submitted! Now I might be able to focus on all the other work I need to be doing. On another note, what do you current FSOs think about the political circus surrounding Benghazi? I listen to a few hours of NPR during my daily commute, and it's pretty much all I hear about anymore. Luckily, they had Christopher Hill on the other day and he was able to set some callers straight. robotastronaut fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Nov 16, 2012 |
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Nov 16, 2012 00:22
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robotastronaut posted:On another note, what do you current FSOs think about the political circus surrounding Benghazi? I listen to a few hours of NPR during my daily commute, and it's pretty much all I hear about anymore. Luckily, they had Christopher Hill on the other day and he was able to set some callers straight. What do I think? I think that I know every person involved in what happened in Benghazi and in Tripoli, and I'm really loving sick of the political games about the death of my boss and my coworkers. That's what I loving think. the_chavi fucked around with this message at 01:39 on Nov 16, 2012 |
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Nov 16, 2012 01:30
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the_chavi posted:What do I think? I think that I know every person involved in what happened in Benghazi and in Tripoli, and I'm really loving sick of the political games about the death of my boss and my coworkers. That's what I loving thing. Politicians aren't human beings - they're going to twist everything to support their 'side' to gain points for the next election', leaving the rest of us as detritus on the roadside.
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Nov 16, 2012 01:36
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robotastronaut posted:PNQ's submitted! Now I might be able to focus on all the other work I need to be doing. At this point Sen. Paul is just trolling with regards to MSGs and Benghazi. My personal opinion of course. Vile and I chatted almost daily including the day ( it could have been the 10th) that he died. I was literally, an email away from being tdy to replace vile in Oct, so there's not a day that goes by that I don't think of Sean. While I could go on, this isn't the right venue.
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Nov 16, 2012 01:40
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TCD posted:At this point Sen. Paul is just trolling with regards to MSGs and Benghazi. My personal opinion of course. *snaps of approval*
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Nov 16, 2012 01:46
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the_chavi posted:What do I think? I think that I know every person involved in what happened in Benghazi and in Tripoli, and I'm really loving sick of the political games about the death of my boss and my coworkers. That's what I loving think. Thank you so much for sharing this. It's good to, for once, hear an honest opinion by someone who is not a politician. My mom is one of the people who believes there's some huge conspiracy and cover up surrounding Benghazi. I told her about Sean and that I had been inspired to reapply for the Foreign Service and she started crying and freaking out because Obama and Clinton don't care about diplomats and they're going to send me off to die or something. It makes me really sad.
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Nov 16, 2012 03:30
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CherryCola posted:Thank you so much for sharing this. It's good to, for once, hear an honest opinion by someone who is not a politician. Ugh....what a frustrating mischaracterization.
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Nov 16, 2012 04:08
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Homie S posted:Don't sweat it. Lots of people do not pass the first time, and I've met some really switched on agents that were 2 or 3 time BEX takers. I do the local DS recruitment rounds and I always push that the first time is a great way to see how it works and if you don't pass you're able to have some insight into the next time you choose to try. Good luck. I'm not so worried about it. Yeah, I wish I made it past the retardedly high standards this year, but I'll get it next time. The BEX was a great many things but unfair was not one of them. FSOT in Feb anyway, who knows where that'll go.
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Nov 16, 2012 04:58
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I've just submitted my PNQs. Really close to the deadline, and without much editing...  School kept getting in the way.I do think they are a huge improvement over what I turned in last year, though (Lawd, reading those again was painful. What was I writing?!) and my FSWE score improved from last time, so... Well, we'll see. Joining the ranks of the anxious waiters. Good luck to you all!
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Nov 16, 2012 05:08
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the_chavi posted:What do I think? I think that I know every person involved in what happened in Benghazi and in Tripoli, and I'm really loving sick of the political games about the death of my boss and my coworkers. That's what I loving think. Amen.
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Nov 16, 2012 05:19
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Joining the ranks of those giving a million thanks to Chavi for looking through my narratives. Let's make the next A100 course goons only! 
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Nov 16, 2012 06:09
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I'm currently trying to submit my PNQs and the website is down. Has this happened before? Is it just crashing because everyone is trying to submit right now? Maybe the State Department is trying to weed out procrastinators.
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Nov 16, 2012 06:38
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robotastronaut posted:PNQ's submitted! Now I might be able to focus on all the other work I need to be doing. Amb Stevens came out to Rome during the war for all the contact group meetings. He was a really nice guy. Otherwise what I think has pretty much been said already. Don't want to add to the echo chamber.
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Nov 16, 2012 07:47
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I Love Topanga posted:I'm currently trying to submit my PNQs and the website is down. Has this happened before? Is it just crashing because everyone is trying to submit right now? "Please note that while we're not expecting any technical difficulties, things do happen, so please leave yourself plenty of time before the 11/15/12 deadline. PNs must be submitted by 11:59 pm Central Time on 11/15. A candidacy cannot go forward without these narratives. There is no grace period for late submissions." I seem to recall the same thing happening in the past - so yeah, it's likely the crunch of a lot of people submitting all at once. tismondo fucked around with this message at 09:44 on Nov 16, 2012 |
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Nov 16, 2012 09:42
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just got an e-mail saying there was some kind of outage or charlie-foxtrot with their servers and that the deadline is extended an extra day. this is why I got them in early.
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Nov 16, 2012 16:17
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tismondo posted:I got an email a week ago reminding me to submit and also giving a warning: Yeah, I got the same email. I'm crossing my fingers hoping this is some extraneous circumstance and I'll still be able to submit. The yahoo group is all aflame. It seems as though ACT pulled the site down at 11:59p EST instead of CST like the letter says. Maybe this will be enough?
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Nov 16, 2012 16:18
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Just received an emailfsot@act.org posted:Dear FSOT Candidate, Let's hope this luck carries me all the way to post!
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Nov 16, 2012 16:24
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I Love Topanga posted:Yeah, I got the same email. I'm crossing my fingers hoping this is some extraneous circumstance and I'll still be able to submit. This isn't directed to you in particular, but to anyone reading:  People. This is an actual job to which you're applying. Stop dicking around and submit the required materials early. Don't do it on the day it is due. Last minute gets you screwed, five times out of ten. That is all.
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Nov 16, 2012 16:32
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Business of Ferrets posted:This isn't directed to you in particular, but to anyone reading: No offense taken. In my defense it wasn't as though it was the first time I had logged in. Lots of tweaking and touch ups without submitting. Not only is this a job, but a dream job. You can imagine my horror when I went to finalize the essays and couldn't log in.
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Nov 16, 2012 17:04
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Business of Ferrets posted:This isn't directed to you in particular, but to anyone reading: Completely agree. While I will say that the ACT testing system is a clunky piece of poo poo that crashes if you look at it wrong, it's a good prep for actual State systems (like FSBid or HR Online or E2) that always crash on the day Important Things are due. Don't gently caress this step up, folks.
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Nov 17, 2012 02:01
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Business of Ferrets posted:This isn't directed to you in particular, but to anyone reading: Seriously, this is important. I just received an email this week saying I didn't pass the QEP for IMS. I can really only blame it on one thing. I waited till the last day to apply, get my resume put together, and answer the questions. I know I didn't answer them very well since I was rushed, and I didn't realize that the 300 world limit that was on the website was actually wrong, and the application website actually took a 1000 word limit response. In other words, I submitted short responses lacking lots of details because I waited till the last minute and didn't have time to readjust. Also, I don't really graduate from college till later next month, so that may have something to do with it as well. Either way, I'm going to start working on my responses early next year, and I'll be ready to reapply for the next one. At least I already have a good civil service IT position to hold me over till then.
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Nov 17, 2012 02:04
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the_chavi posted:Completely agree. While I will say that the ACT testing system is a clunky piece of poo poo that crashes if you look at it wrong, it's a good prep for actual State systems (like FSBid or HR Online or E2) that always crash on the day Important Things are due. Don't gently caress this step up, folks. A State IT guy clears on the above statement. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST loving MINUTE TO GET poo poo DONE IN THE USG.
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Nov 17, 2012 03:01
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I was just wondering about this but I'm assuming that while at an overseas mission State people have to abide by the laws of the US when those laws conflict with the local laws (to an extent). The example I was thinking of was basically stuff like drug use, prostitution, whatever other edge case behaviors there may be. I know State generally is pretty live and let live as far as lifestyles are concerned so yeah.
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Nov 18, 2012 01:03
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Dameius posted:I was just wondering about this but I'm assuming that while at an overseas mission State people have to abide by the laws of the US when those laws conflict with the local laws (to an extent). The example I was thinking of was basically stuff like drug use, prostitution, whatever other edge case behaviors there may be. I know State generally is pretty live and let live as far as lifestyles are concerned so yeah. Planning a party?
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Nov 18, 2012 01:32
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Dameius posted:I was just wondering about this but I'm assuming that while at an overseas mission State people have to abide by the laws of the US when those laws conflict with the local laws (to an extent). The example I was thinking of was basically stuff like drug use, prostitution, whatever other edge case behaviors there may be. I know State generally is pretty live and let live as far as lifestyles are concerned so yeah. If you're hinting at an awesome weekend in Amsterdam, no we cannot partake in most of those activities while employed by DoS.
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Nov 18, 2012 03:50
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This is purely out of curiosity, but what happens when the host country's laws are stricter than those of the USA? Freedom of speech/censorship issues in certain countries come to mind, as do countries where particular dress codes are required. V What a satisfying answer. hitension fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Nov 18, 2012 |
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Nov 18, 2012 03:59
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hitension posted:This is purely out of curiosity, but what happens when the host country's laws are stricter than those of the USA? Freedom of speech/censorship issues in certain countries come to mind, as do countries where particular dress codes are required. Depends
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Nov 18, 2012 04:17
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TCD posted:Depends Does that translate to Marine House is open season and everywhere else in country it depends? Amsterdam weekends were in the umbrella of things I was wondering about and I figured that would be the answer. Not all that surprising too considering State, post-Kissinger, started to structure things to keep foreign service people from going native -or so I've heard at least.
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Nov 18, 2012 06:16
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As a general rule does DoS have the same hard-on (pun intended) for anti-human trafficking stuff that DoD does?
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Nov 18, 2012 07:24
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iyaayas01 posted:As a general rule does DoS have the same hard-on (pun intended) for anti-human trafficking stuff that DoD does? If anything, our hard-on is way...harder.
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Nov 18, 2012 08:03
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iyaayas01 posted:As a general rule does DoS have the same hard-on (pun intended) for anti-human trafficking stuff that DoD does? We have officers specifically dedicated to it, and we are responsible for the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, so our hard-on is pretty huge. DOL's is pretty big also.
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Nov 18, 2012 11:20
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TCD posted:A State IT guy clears on the above statement. Up to, and including, post transfers. Mmm, getting your visa just days before you're scheduled to fly out, after all your tickets are purchased and you're already packed out. (en route to Post, BTW. Six days in Japan, woo hoo.. No E-mail or anything like that until the 30th. should have gmail access.)
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Nov 18, 2012 14:27
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Dameius posted:I was just wondering about this but I'm assuming that while at an overseas mission State people have to abide by the laws of the US when those laws conflict with the local laws (to an extent). The example I was thinking of was basically stuff like drug use, prostitution, whatever other edge case behaviors there may be. I know State generally is pretty live and let live as far as lifestyles are concerned so yeah. Generally, if it's okay in the US federal code there are ways for you to do it overseas if local laws are more restrictive. For example, we bring in alcohol under diplomatic exemption to countries where it's banned. This can change, however, if you're colocated with military, eg at a FOB in Afghanistan operating under General Order #1. If it's illegal in the US under federal law, then generally as USG personnel you can't do it overseas, even if it's legal where you are, under pain of losing your clearance or your job.
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Nov 18, 2012 20:11
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Skandiaavity posted:Mmm, getting your visa just days before you're scheduled to fly out, after all your tickets are purchased and you're already packed out. My personal record is getting orders cut, packed out, tickets booked, and departing for home in 72 hours. Dumbest thing I've ever done, especially because I was the guinea pig at post for testing out the my itinerary function in HROnline.
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Nov 18, 2012 20:13
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hitension posted:This is purely out of curiosity, but what happens when the host country's laws are stricter than those of the USA? Freedom of speech/censorship issues in certain countries come to mind, as do countries where particular dress codes are required. You're also obliged to follow the laws of the host country. There might be exceptions but I'm not aware of any. Women posted to Saudi Arabia, for example, wear burquas in public.
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Nov 18, 2012 20:25
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AKA Pseudonym posted:You're also obliged to follow the laws of the host country. There might be exceptions but I'm not aware of any. Women posted to Saudi Arabia, for example, wear burquas in public. There's nuance there - women posted in Saudi are not required to wear abayas (not burqas, those are in Afghanistan and are solid blue) but they are strongly encouraged to wear them in non-official settings. For official duty you are strongly encouraged NOT to wear them. In no cases are American women in Saudi required to cover their hair. But again, speaking generally, you're supposed to be a good guest in the country in which you're posted.
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Nov 18, 2012 20:38
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