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So what's the best thing to do around here for St. Pat's weekend? I was thinking of giving Dupont Circle a try. Edit: vvv Well I was in The Ocean Walker... Gin and Juche fucked around with this message at 23:54 on Mar 14, 2014 |
# ? Mar 14, 2014 22:51 |
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# ? Mar 29, 2024 11:04 |
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Gravel Gravy posted:So what's the best thing to do around here for St. Pat's weekend? I was thinking of giving Dupont Circle a try. I was going to walk to Piccadilly Circus.
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# ? Mar 14, 2014 23:45 |
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TCD posted:I'd love a Mexico City gig. one of the guys i work with just left for there. (i am still holding out for a panama gig)
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# ? Mar 15, 2014 03:23 |
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I realize this is much shorter notice than the 1-week window that is customary in this thread, but would anyone be willing to take a look at 4 of my PNQs? I'm still struggling with two of them, but getting a review of the four I've finished would be a big help. They're due Wednesday at midnight.
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# ? Mar 15, 2014 05:25 |
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Skandiaavity posted:one of the guys i work with just left for there. I just talked to a guy that's going there.
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# ? Mar 15, 2014 09:17 |
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tismondo posted:I realize this is much shorter notice than the 1-week window that is customary in this thread, but would anyone be willing to take a look at 4 of my PNQs? I'm still struggling with two of them, but getting a review of the four I've finished would be a big help. Yeah, I'd be happy to. Can you PM them my way with a preferred e-mail address? I'll send them back with Word tracked changes.
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# ? Mar 15, 2014 14:14 |
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TCD posted:I just talked to a guy that's going there. Initials JP?
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# ? Mar 15, 2014 16:21 |
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Zoots posted:Yeah, I'd be happy to. Can you PM them my way with a preferred e-mail address? I'll send them back with Word tracked changes. PM sent. Thank you!
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# ? Mar 15, 2014 18:25 |
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Happy to look at PNQs for anyone who needs them. PM me your email and I'll write back with mine. Also, which one of you A100 goons just added me on Office Messenger?
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# ? Mar 15, 2014 22:31 |
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Skandiaavity posted:Initials JP? Nope.
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# ? Mar 15, 2014 22:42 |
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Snow days... when the board games start at noon and the drinking starts at one.
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# ? Mar 17, 2014 19:29 |
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the_chavi posted:Snow days... when the board games start at noon and the drinking starts at one. While I did enjoy not having to wake up at 5am I am kind of disappointed in that I was supposed to hear John Kerry host a talk for us interns later today. Hopefully it will get rescheduled, but I kinda doubt it.
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# ? Mar 17, 2014 21:12 |
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the_chavi posted:Happy to look at PNQs for anyone who needs them. PM me your email and I'll write back with mine. PM'd you about seeing your PNQ. If anyone else is willing to share theirs, it would be a major help. Thanks.
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# ? Mar 17, 2014 21:55 |
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Gravel Gravy posted:While I did enjoy not having to wake up at 5am I am kind of disappointed in that I was supposed to hear John Kerry host a talk for us interns later today. Hopefully it will get rescheduled, but I kinda doubt it. the town hall is still on, I think. :>
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# ? Mar 18, 2014 01:40 |
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Skandiaavity posted:the town hall is still on, I think. :> Awesome, just got that message. Maybe I'll see some of you guys down there.
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# ? Mar 18, 2014 14:49 |
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Holy dick, I took the practice exam 1 on the state website and it said my chances of passing the first part was >99%. However, I flubbed the grammar a bit and my chance of passing that section was 5%. Overall it said my chance of passing was 85%. Do you have to pass each subsection or do they only consider the composite score?
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# ? Mar 19, 2014 05:12 |
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Peven Stan posted:Do you have to pass each subsection or do they only consider the composite score? You only need a composite score of 154 or higher.
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# ? Mar 19, 2014 15:37 |
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PNQs submitted! I swear, it's easier to write a 50 page paper than 6x200 word essays about yourself... The perfectionist in me had me editing until 10 minutes before the deadline. A big thank you to all the goons who offered to help out with reviews! My PNQs are a million times better than they were last year, and I think I really have a handle on what they're looking for now. Crossing my fingers for good news in a couple months.
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# ? Mar 20, 2014 05:57 |
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So now that I've submitted my PNQ's (I wish I had thought to come here for editing advice, but oh well), I'm thinking about the actual QEP. How much does your foreign service exam score factor into it? I scored a 174 on the test proper, but thanks to trying to add an extra sentence with 15 seconds to go, my essay got pretty garbled and I only scored a 6. There's nothing I can do about it now, but I'm just curious.
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# ? Mar 21, 2014 02:34 |
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Econosaurus posted:So now that I've submitted my PNQ's (I wish I had thought to come here for editing advice, but oh well), I'm thinking about the actual QEP. How much does your foreign service exam score factor into it? I scored a 174 on the test proper, but thanks to trying to add an extra sentence with 15 seconds to go, my essay got pretty garbled and I only scored a 6. There's nothing I can do about it now, but I'm just curious.
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# ? Mar 21, 2014 03:54 |
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Econosaurus posted:So now that I've submitted my PNQ's (I wish I had thought to come here for editing advice, but oh well), I'm thinking about the actual QEP. How much does your foreign service exam score factor into it? I scored a 174 on the test proper, but thanks to trying to add an extra sentence with 15 seconds to go, my essay got pretty garbled and I only scored a 6. There's nothing I can do about it now, but I'm just curious. I have no special insight into this, but I suspect that your FSOT score matters a good deal. The only change between when I failed the QEP and when I passed it -- other than 1 more year of work experience-- was that my FSOT score improved fairly dramatically. P.S. my essay score was pretty bad, so I wouldn't stress too much about it.
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# ? Mar 21, 2014 04:57 |
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Well my FSOT grade was pretty crap, so here's hoping the essay is enough to pull me through!
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# ? Mar 21, 2014 15:38 |
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Somebody just showed us a picture of Baghdad's IPC... from 1981
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# ? Mar 24, 2014 10:16 |
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tismondo posted:The QEP is kind of a black box... They never give any feedback other than a final thumbs up or thumbs down, and the panel members rotate regularly so it's conceivable that individuals influence the process from year to year. No one except the people in the room really know what matters more. ^ What he said. State says that your FSOT scores (including the essay), your self-declared language proficiency and your resume are all taken into consideration. The BEX establishes a "cut-off score" which varies from cohort to cohort and from cone to cone. Candidates exceeding this score are invited to the OA; candidates who don't meet this score are relegated to taking the FSOT again one year later. In my three attempts, I was only invited to the OA on my last attempt and I had a 173/8 on the FSOT. My scores on my two previous attempts were also passing, but lower than this. When I took my (failed) OA earlier this month, the assessors said that the QEP for our cohort was very strict because the registers had too many candidates. So I'd imagine the QEP for the February 2014 cohort will also be really strict. Once the registers thin out a bit and once State hires at more than attrition again, the QEP may become a bit less severe.
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# ? Mar 24, 2014 13:28 |
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Shageletic posted:Well my FSOT grade was pretty crap, so here's hoping the essay is enough to pull me through! Maybe I am misunderstand your post, but when I took the FSOT there was a cutoff that you had to meet otherwise they wouldn't even look at the essay.
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# ? Mar 24, 2014 15:57 |
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Gravel Gravy posted:Maybe I am misunderstand your post, but when I took the FSOT there was a cutoff that you had to meet otherwise they wouldn't even look at the essay. The 154/6 cutoff still exists. I think what he means is that even though he passed the FSOT, his score was probably in the mid-150s to low-160s or so, rather than in the 180s. Kinda like saying a 5.4 is a meh OA score even though it's passing. Someone who got a 5.8 would say that's a good score.
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# ? Mar 24, 2014 18:06 |
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Gravel Gravy posted:Maybe I am misunderstand your post, but when I took the FSOT there was a cutoff that you had to meet otherwise they wouldn't even look at the essay. Yeah basically. Got a 157, not proud of it. Should have taken it more seriously.
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# ? Mar 24, 2014 22:42 |
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They just opened up the IMS announcement. Do they do decentralized interviews at the embassies, or do you HAVE to go to DC?
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# ? Mar 25, 2014 02:47 |
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You have to go to DC.
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# ? Mar 25, 2014 03:17 |
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I posted in this thread about a month ago, to talk about the recruitment process for the British Diplomatic Service. I found out yesterday that I passed the last round of testing and will (pending security clearance) be starting at the Foreign Office in November. So that's pretty exciting, and if any of you ever end up posted to London possibly we'll interact in some manner.
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# ? Mar 30, 2014 00:11 |
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Exculpatrix posted:starting at the Foreign Office in November.
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# ? Mar 30, 2014 01:51 |
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Exculpatrix posted:I posted in this thread about a month ago, to talk about the recruitment process for the British Diplomatic Service. I found out yesterday that I passed the last round of testing and will (pending security clearance) be starting at the Foreign Office in November. So that's pretty exciting, and if any of you ever end up posted to London possibly we'll interact in some manner. Woah! I've talked to a number of friends who haven't made it that far - that's huge!! I'm going through clearance now. All my docs age submitted and interviews completed - is there any way to check the status of my case? So little info
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# ? Mar 30, 2014 02:12 |
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Exculpatrix posted:I posted in this thread about a month ago, to talk about the recruitment process for the British Diplomatic Service. I found out yesterday that I passed the last round of testing and will (pending security clearance) be starting at the Foreign Office in November. So that's pretty exciting, and if any of you ever end up posted to London possibly we'll interact in some manner. That's fantastic. Congratulations! How is your career path structured? Are you one of the diplomatic services that start all new officers on a "home assignment" before going overseas? I think the US is one of the few that immediately (after a brief training) send officers abroad as the default path. The Mantis posted:Woah! I've talked to a number of friends who haven't made it that far - that's huge!! Have you checked with securityclearance@state.gov?
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# ? Mar 30, 2014 14:00 |
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problematique posted:That's fantastic. Congratulations! How is your career path structured? Are you one of the diplomatic services that start all new officers on a "home assignment" before going overseas? I think the US is one of the few that immediately (after a brief training) send officers abroad as the default path. My understanding from talking to people currently there is that everyone does a one year posting here in London in a policy role, then either a one year corporate role or language training, before heading abroad in the third year.
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# ? Mar 30, 2014 14:57 |
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The Mantis posted:
I'm in the same boat! Interviewed two weeks ago, now just playing the waiting game... Meanwhile, I have a friend who submitted her docs the second week of February, had her interview about ten days later, and had her interim clearance by March 1st. SO MAD.
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# ? Mar 30, 2014 15:17 |
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problematique posted:Have you checked with securityclearance@state.gov? Honestly did not know that was a thing! Just reached out. Thanks!
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# ? Mar 30, 2014 17:54 |
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The Mantis-- did you hear back from them yet? And how long had it been since you completed your paperwork and your interview before you sent that email? My interview was in mid-March, so I'm curious, but don't want to be pushy or anything yet...
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# ? Apr 2, 2014 16:14 |
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CronoGamer posted:The Mantis-- did you hear back from them yet? And how long had it been since you completed your paperwork and your interview before you sent that email? My interview was in mid-March, so I'm curious, but don't want to be pushy or anything yet... I'm on the same timeline. I reached out last Friday and heard by Monday. Just a curt email saying my case is "still pending with investigations." I assume that means they're still gathering information/trying to track people down? My plan is to shoot out an email once a month. God knows how long it will all take :-/
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# ? Apr 2, 2014 20:19 |
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The Mantis posted:I'm on the same timeline. I reached out last Friday and heard by Monday. It seems very random. I reached out on a Friday and got the same response, then received notice that I was on the register the following Monday or Tuesday. For perspective I had a boring attorney background, with no close foreign friends, so it was about 2 weeks from interview to register. Others have different experiences, including one of my classmates who was the child of a foreign diplomat, and took 1.5-2 years.
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# ? Apr 3, 2014 21:42 |
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# ? Mar 29, 2024 11:04 |
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security clearances (also to a point, medical) are really a mixed bag. What works for some won't necessarily work for others. Just take your time, be patient and follow up courteously.. I am sure your case manager wants to close the case as badly as you do.
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# ? Apr 7, 2014 08:18 |