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cramerthegr8 posted:So yesterday I passed the oral assessment with a 5.4. How likely is that to get me off the list. I'm in the consular cone and have no languages.
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Oct 24, 2019 12:03
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the_chavi posted:Well now that handshake day is four days' past, time to start looking at projected vacancies for next year. Sigh... I hate this.
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Nov 3, 2019 12:58
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problematique posted:What’s everyone’s thoughts on the strategy of not taking bidding seriously during the regular season and waiting until late spring before a summer TED? I’ve been hearing consistently from a lot of people that do this and that they almost always land a sweet NOW position that inevitably opens up for whatever reason and get a job with minimal competition. I thought this was bs but then I hear about and know quite a few that do exactly this with seemingly no real negative repercussions. I've heard of this strategy working, but I wouldn't be willing to try it. There will inevitably be people who have to break handshakes because of medical/family issues or because they decided to go elsewhere. Positions get upgraded at the last minute or jobs may get new language requirements. I saw some sweet 03 Consular jobs that were added right before handshake day, for example. So there are lots of ways this can happen, but if you have EFMs, I'd hate to put them through this kind of uncertainty, especially since bidding is already uncertain enough as is.
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Nov 5, 2019 10:39
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Hungry Hippo posted:I'm on pace for 7 total full EERs after my first 2 tours, plus 1 short form in there as well... The only good thing is I think that may be the reason why I got promoted this year, but still, I would love for once to just do one EER per year.
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Dec 25, 2019 03:50
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Dr. Red Ranger posted:So this process takes as long as the government needs it to, yes? We've passed the 6-8 weeks time period since submission of narratives and I haven't received any contact. I'm sure the holidays prolong that whole process too. Or it could mean that it's been 11 months since your last FSOT and now you're eligible to take it again?
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Dec 30, 2019 22:51
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Man, small posts suck. I will never bid on a small post again.
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Mar 9, 2020 12:40
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Bruxism posted:I disagree! Glad we hashed that out. LOL. Correction. Small posts with bad managers suck. Happy to continue our negotiations!
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Mar 10, 2020 11:35
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the_chavi posted:How's everyone set up for telework options going forward? We have the plans in place but haven't implemented yet, which is super cool because pretty much all of our flight options out of Turkey have been shut down.
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Mar 14, 2020 13:11
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the_chavi posted:Is that still true? We're shutting down most of our consular operations... And for Nurabsal, congratulations! And condolences on the state of limbo you're in now. What a way to get indoctrinated to this FS life!
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Mar 29, 2020 01:21
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What do you do when you want to stay in cone and are looking at the bid list and don't like most of what you see there? What is the minimum number of bids we need (bidding CA) in order to be compliant?
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Aug 30, 2020 00:16
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My bid list is not looking so hot either. There were so few positions I was interested in that I had no choice but to add positions that I have no chance of getting. One of those positions already has more than 25 bidders and bidding just opened.
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Sep 23, 2020 10:21
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Business of Ferrets posted:I mean, I’m only half joking when I say that if you’re bidding on a job with 25 other bidders and you don’t already know you’re getting the job, you’re not getting the job.
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Sep 24, 2020 12:08
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the_chavi posted:I give myself a 50 percent chance of getting one of the three jobs I'm bidding with 20+ other bidders - rolling in with a lot of wasta and I'm well known to the hiring managers - but it's still stressful, to put it mildly... Right now I'm the only at-grade and in-cone bidder for three of my top four bids. But they're in places most people would probably not want to serve in. Here's hoping the assignment officers realize I'm doing them a favor here!
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Sep 28, 2020 11:14
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1of7 posted:I have one place I'm bidding where, like you, I'm the only at grade/in skill bidder. But, it's borderline for me whether or not I'll even bid on it. I made the top 3 at my #1 choice, so I'm a little worried that being the only bidder at another post will result in me getting "deconflicted" and then I won't get an offer for my #1. Do they really do that? If you're the only bidder for one of your lower-ranked bids, they'll give you that job just because there's no one else even though you are highly competitive for some other position you ranked higher? Oh no! All of my top four bids have 5 or fewer bidders. I'm the only at-grade/in-cone bidder for one of them and one of only two at-grade/in-cone bidders for two more. I have an interview with my #4 choice scheduled soon, but that's the only interview I'll have since the other positions are not "consultative" per CA. But if the interviewers ask me whether I'll accept a handshake if offered, I will scream. I mean, I REALLY want my #1 choice and think I have a REALLY good shot at getting it and I don't want #4 to screw me over with #1.
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Oct 7, 2020 13:23
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Just heard from my #2 post that I'm their #2 candidate. Here's hoping that their #1 choice has ranked my #2 choice as their #6 choice or something and withdraws from consideration because they get another "air kiss" from a post higher up on their bid list. I hate this process.
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Oct 20, 2020 11:57
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Congratulations! BLC emails should be coming out next week, right? Or is that only a CA thing?
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Oct 24, 2020 13:12
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Natural Ice posted:Things played out as I expected on my end. Didn't end up as BLC for any of my bids, and consular bidders let me know that even the 'low bid' posts i've added have all already been accounted for. Basically been told to just wait until after handshake day and see what's left. RIP me. I got the same kind of email. I definitely bid realistically--I bid on several low-bid/SND posts and ranked them highly too. And I was bidding on deputy unit chief jobs too, which are definitely reasonable for a third-tour bidder. But now I'm scrambling. I know I'm #2 for one post, so I'm hoping the BLC drops or takes another handshake elsewhere.
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Oct 28, 2020 12:54
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Blooregard posted:Hope everyone got the handshake they wanted! That awkward moment when CA releases the list of jobs that are still available and you see that this list includes positions you had already bid on the first time around...
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Nov 5, 2020 22:17
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Natural Ice posted:Update, ended up getting a handshake for a non-consular job about a week after handshake day. Turnaround time between interview and the offer was only 4 days.
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Nov 18, 2020 10:19
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Xelkelvos posted:Did my FSO exam a few weeks ago. Got 5 points. Threshold was 5.25 points. What does it mean?
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Nov 25, 2020 16:28
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the_chavi posted:Hurrah, we have funding - no shutdown today. Looks like we won't have to worry about anymore shutdowns for the next two years.
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Jan 6, 2021 09:48
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Why are all these sweet jobs popping up after I accepted my handshake? Grrrr...
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Jun 27, 2021 07:44
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Howard Phillips posted:How do Consulor Fellow jobs work? When I see it on USAJobs it shows "many vacancies" but I'm trying to target a specific (niche) country where I have language skills. There are two kinds of Consular Fellows: 1) Those who were hired because of their ability to speak a specific language (Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish) 2) Those who made it to the FSO register, but were extended a Consular Fellows job offer (which they did not have to accept). Many people with relatively low register rankings took the CF offers since that was preferable to expiring from the register. They may speak some foreign languages or they may speak only English. If you are in the first group, you will spend your one or two tours serving in consular positions where you can use your foreign language skills. Additionally, these positions are typically in countries that are less popular destinations that speak the same language you speak. In other words, if you're a Spanish speaker, don't think of the CF program as a shortcut to getting that consular job in Barcelona. You'll be more likely to get assigned to Santo Domingo or some other "less nice" spot in Latin America. If you are in the second group, you'll be assigned to English-speaking consular positions anywhere in the world. These positions are usually in hardship locations. If you have a valid language score, that may help you be assigned to a location where you can use that language. Nigeria, India, and the Philippines were popular destinations for CFs in this group pre-COVID. You will do two tours at most as a CF for a maximum of five years. There may be an option to extend for a sixth year, but I am not sure about that. Once the five-year term is up, your contract is finished. Also the CF positions only deal with consular jobs. You won't see CFs working in the embassy's political section, for example. But anyone in any career track (people in the second group) can serve as a CF. And even though consular work is varied, you can expect to be dealing primarily with visa adjudications as a CF. The CF program can be a nice way to give the Foreign Service lifestyle a test drive. It can also be a decent consolation prize if you wanted to be an FSO, but your register score is not competitive. Of course, if you put in five years as a CF and then get hired as a non-consular FSO, you may end up doing nine years (four tours) of consular work before you can branch out and do the work you enjoy.
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Sep 3, 2021 13:01
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Ummm...asking for a friend. How bad is it to break a handshake maybe 6-9 months before you are supposed to arrive at post? Would the handshake breaker's corridor reputation take a fatal hit?
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Jan 12, 2022 01:38
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Business of Ferrets posted:If I’ve learned anything in my 20 years of federal service, it’s that nothing short of being tried and convicted of a felony is “fatal” career wise. This is encouraging. Unfortunately "my friend" has already been paneled and has travel orders and is studying a language for a job that he will no longer be going to.
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Jan 12, 2022 15:19
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the_chavi posted:I'm finally in a unicorn Western Europe post and wondering why half my office is bitching about the food here. "They don't have good northeastern Chinese food!" "Ugh I can't get a taco anywhere!" You see a lot of these kinds of complaints and questions on Failing Houses. "Does anyone know where I can buy cranberries in London?" People just wanna humble brag, I guess. But yeah, you won't be seeing me in EUR for that very reason.
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Feb 3, 2022 13:59
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the_chavi posted:Hey Goons. If you've got the means, kick in to the FSN relief fund for our colleagues in Turkey. Something like half of our LGF in Adana are living in their cars, the consulate building hasn't been cleared for reentry, and we can't set up a tent city on the grounds of the consulate for our local staff + families because tent materials aren't readily available. Oh wow. Yeah, suddenly those common gripes about the local wi-fi not working or the road in front of your house being filled with potholes don't seem so serious anymore.
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Feb 28, 2023 14:11
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| # ¿ Apr 19, 2024 20:45 |
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Awww I just missed you. I was there earlier this month. Be sure to try the Mexican restaurant. $1 tacos on Thursdays!
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Apr 18, 2023 02:57
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