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When I spoke with a diplomat in residence at my old uni about this she said that as long as you can cover them up while in professional attire you are more likely ok rather than not. According to her the State is fairly lenient on these things so you shouldn't rule yourself out just because of them but just to make sure I'd check with some one who has more authority on the subject than I do (I have none except what I'm passing along).
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Jan 18, 2011 01:41
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To you guys that are already in State, is there any worry or concern being expressed over hiring freezes/staff reductions now that the House has gone full retard? Earlier in the thread there was gossip about State adding more FSOs so hiring would be for a short time slightly less cut throat until they increase their numbers. Snowballs chance in hell that this is still the case?
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Jan 23, 2011 05:27
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If I remember right the way it was explained to me is once you reach FS1 you make your bid for SFS. Once you make that first bid a timer kicks in and if you don't make SFS by the time it runs out (however many years it is to allow you more than one shot at making SFS) you get retired. If you choose to never go for SFS once you reach FS1 after a certain amount of time you are also retired. You might also be able to stay at FS1 until you reach the age cap, I'm not as sure on that one as I am for going for SFS.
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Jan 23, 2011 09:55
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Well, I made it to the PNQ stage, lets hope that the government doesn't shut down and my hiring process isn't interrupted! Edit: Where can I find a chart to put my score in context? Dameius fucked around with this message at 21:52 on Mar 3, 2011 |
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Mar 3, 2011 21:40
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I guess if we are all posting scores...code:Dameius fucked around with this message at 19:01 on Mar 6, 2011 |
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Mar 4, 2011 00:46
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Con
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Mar 4, 2011 14:20
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No one knows for sure but the best speculation I've seen based on comparing scores is that there is a maximum of 70 points available in each section plus 12 points for the essay.
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Mar 4, 2011 23:39
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RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS posted:Really? I thought that the instructions before you took each section told you how many points each section counted for. I thought it was just the number of questions. I didn't really pay much attention to the instructions after a quick skim of it so I might be remembering wrong.
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Mar 4, 2011 23:44
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Well, PNQ is due today for everyone that passed the FSOT with me. Hopefully everyone has got their answers in or are wrapping it up. Good luck to the four or five of you guys that came out of the woodworks.
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Mar 24, 2011 01:09
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Happydayz posted:Yep! You too. If you are near a good sized university I'd see if they have a diplomat in residence there as they can help coach and prepare you for the QEP if you advance. They are all given some training materials that they are encouraged to use to help prospective students prepare with. Plus they can help you with everything except the PNQ which you've already done anyways. Dameius fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Mar 24, 2011 |
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Mar 24, 2011 03:24
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tismondo posted:Good luck to you (and everyone else) as well! It's my first time submitting and I'm not wholly optimistic given my relative lack of life experience, but we'll see. At least if I fail I'll have a building block to improve upon should I make it to PNQs again in the future. Apparently everyone gets the same six questions but they are randomly ordered, which category was your first question?
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Mar 24, 2011 04:38
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tismondo posted:Intellectual skills. I know I can analyze complex situations and come up with creative alternatives but I couldn't come up with a really good story to illustrate that. I ended up using something from my first year of university... It was 9 years ago and also doesn't lend itself well to a narrative i think the QEP folk will be interested to read. I had a hard time finding a narrative that would be both compelling to read, answer the prompt fully, and be verifiable by a third party as well. Though I am fairly happy with the answer I gave after spending a lot of time just trying to think of something.
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Mar 24, 2011 05:27
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If there is a job on the bid list that doesn't open up for the same length of time as it would be for you to learn the language at post, what are the odds for your first tour out? Like if it were a Critical or Super Critical (and lets just say that there aren't other people with that particular language).
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Mar 31, 2011 06:17
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Thanks SWAT. I was a little out of it so I wasn't sure if I was being clear but it looks like you understood. How is week one going? What exactly are you doing so far besides all the routine paperwork you said day one was.
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Apr 1, 2011 15:48
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Man I really picked a good time to try to join the soft power side of our IR.
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Apr 7, 2011 22:40
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Hey SWAT can you elaborate a little on what you've heard/know about the competition for Con since that is what I'm shooting for?
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Apr 18, 2011 06:55
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Diplomaticus posted:So I literally tore FSI apart looking for my missing wallet could have been just about anywhere in the main buildings (I was all up and down that poo poo today). Those are always the best days. At least you found it then and not tomorrow morning on the way to work. If you don't mind answering, I have a question real quick. When you are on the register and they give you an offer, are you accepting an offer to work a specific embassy for your first tour or just accepting the position of [your cone] at a to be determined embassy which you then bid for and find out during A-100? Also I would really appreciate anything you can say about A-100 in general. My gf and I have started trying to figure out what would happen if I get all the way through the hiring process and how all of that would work out so the more information I have to share the better I'll feel here. Edit: The parent link is in the OP but I really think you should stress that everyone who is interested but hasn't registered for the test yet should read everything on this particular page: http://careers.state.gov/officer/selection-process Dameius fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Apr 22, 2011 |
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Apr 22, 2011 04:37
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Natural Ice posted:So apparently they have reopened the May 2011 A-100 and I got an invite! I'll be starting A-100 in DC on May 23 under the Consular track. After years of going through this process and multiple attempts at the FSOT and 2 at the OA, it's sort of a weird feeling to finally be at this stage, but I'm excited for whats to come. Congrats, man! Would you be willing to share what your score was on the registry? Good luck with everything and hope you can transition smoothly over to State.
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Apr 27, 2011 11:34
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Congratulations, man.
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Apr 30, 2011 00:13
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Diplomaticus posted:The FSOT doesn't require a whole lot of study, not like the OA. I got the cliff's notes book (OK I guess, but not really great.) and printed out the sample questions (much better). Maybe spent a couple hours one day and a couple hours another day before I got bored with them. To give you some anecdotal evidence to back this up, I took this test in February after graduating major/minor PoliSci/History. I had planned on studying maybe 10 hours a week for the month or so before the test. I ended up not studying at all and I passed comfortably. However I will say I spent a lot of time just for leisure reading a lot on current events and the theory that goes behind the driving forces of current events which I think really helped my score a lot. If you count the "fun" reading I did as studying then it would probably average out to like 15 hours a week of studying. I'd say an easy gauge is that if you feel comfortable having an informed discussion on any given current event topic and can explain the parts of the federal government then you are about 80% of the way there with out trying too hard.
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Apr 30, 2011 06:02
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Diplomaticus posted:Also who do I need to update in the OP? You can list me as QEP Process if you want though they are about to announce within a week or two (by no later than end of May) who in the February FSOT group will advance to the FSOA so you'll be needing to update the OP again shortly anyways.
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May 14, 2011 23:43
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Invites to FSOA went out today. I'm going through the process again next year it seems. Ah well, I was having second thoughts about having picked consular over political and this will give me a chance to build up proficiency in a super critical needs language or something. Was already starting to work on Mandarin so there is that I guess.
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May 16, 2011 18:22
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Macunaima posted:How much does critical-needs language ability pigeonhole an FSO? I was once functional in Arabic, but am not particularly interested in living in the Middle East. If you accept points for a super critical needs language during the hiring process you have to serve at least two tours in a country that uses that language. Once I believe pre-tenure and once mid-career or so. I don't think you get any points for critical needs languages or (for sure) below.
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May 16, 2011 19:20
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After brushing up on the constitution and a basic skimming of U.S. History I'd strongly suggest doing a read up of famous American cultural references. Basically, if they are likely to show up in a PBS special on America you should be able to talk about it at least in passing. Stuff like where jazz started, some of the famous American architects and such. Third tier stuff to stress out over is the media. Stuff like the really big papers and magazines across the world and their political leanings and where they are based out of. Equally on the third tier would be stuff like geography such as what the names of geographic areas in the world, usually current flashpoints. If you work in a place that you could listen to the radio while you work you could pick up most of all of this by just listening to NPR during the day with a few hours link hoping on Wikipedia. If you've been completely removed from current events for a long period of time you might want to scale that up some.
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Jul 6, 2011 21:26
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Rangaku posted:Well that's a relief, no sleep to be lost there then. If it isn't a super critical needs language you are not likely to be tested on it at all during the first stages of hiring. If I remember right you technically could, but pro ably won't.
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Jul 9, 2011 09:44
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) a "Super-Hard" but not "critical-needs" language. I don't suppose the the telephone interview for that comes until after the FSOT, correct?
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Diplomaticus posted:A couple weeks I believe? 3 weeks exact if I remember right.
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Jul 10, 2011 19:52
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Diplomaticus posted:It's quite significant, though statistically probably less now since more people are failing the written test first. Just to support this: a diplomat once told me that for every person that makes it throuh, another roughly 10k applied and didn't make it. That figure matches up with yours so it seems about right.
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Jul 19, 2011 08:11
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TCD posted:Before I joined, I thought that being a PAO might be a good career, but having seen it in action, hell no, I do not want the PD cone. Also, I became great friends with our consul and that cone seems more and more interesting as technology advances. Right now, my desire is Econ, shortly followed by Pol and Consular Would you mind expanding on that, particularly the consular part? I applied this year under con, but it was a pretty even toss up between con and pol and I'm still having a hard time trying to decide which cone I should reapply under next eligibility.
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Aug 16, 2011 02:51
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Business of Ferrets posted:Your field of study doesn't matter at all. In fact, I don't think there even is a degree requirement. Technically the only requirements are 18+, US citizen, and medically fit to serve at any post in the world if I recall correctly. Once you add in the applicant pool having years of work experience and/or an assortment of advance degrees help your chances though.
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Sep 1, 2011 06:33
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Macunaima posted:Yar. Just got invited to OA. Fourth time. Good luck! Hope you make it through this time because it sounds like it is only going to get more difficult these next (hopefully only) couple years.
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Sep 20, 2011 06:49
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mtreecorner posted:Hey all! One thing you might consider, though it would most likely have to wait until the next year's (2013-2014) application cycle, is the Fulbright fellows program. I'm actually going through the application process right now for one of their English Teaching Assistantships in East Asia to teach overseas for the 2012-2013 academic year so if you decide to pursue this I could give you some advice on the process. You'll get around 8-14 months of in-country immersion and language training while there you could register to take language classes from a local uni or language school on top of that. Depending on the country you apply to you may or may not need prior language proficiency so you need to take that into consideration. I believe that China requires some level of Mandarin proficiency before landing in China, though if you are already learning Mandarin now you should be ok. If you don't want to do their teaching grant they have straight up research grants as well. Looks like for China they offer 60 research grants, no ETA (teaching) grants and a few public health grants for PhD students in epidemiology. Basically, I'd check out the site and then starting around next summer check back to see what next year's administration of it is offering and see if you are willing to give it a go. The only requirements are US citizen at time of application and completion of your undergrad degree by time of grant start. Generally you shouldn't have completed a PhD and the program is targeted for recent undergrad graduates and grad students still working on their graduate degrees. From what I've heard so far though, if you have a Master's degree but not a PhD and can make a compelling reason to get the grant you'll still have a competitive chance.
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Sep 25, 2011 00:28
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I haven't gone through the State clearance process yet so grain of salt and all. If you were to go through FBI you'd never make it but from what I've heard from talking to people in State is that the main purpose of the security clearance is to make sure you can't be blackmailed/coerced into giving away classified information. The fact that you pretty much immediately left the lifestyle and do not have any more associations with it will help your case as well as time distance from the events. A friend of a friend used to take ecstasy every weekend from like 16-18 then joined the Air Force and needed a TS. He had a six month probationary period where he was "randomly" selected for a piss test every week, he always came clear and they gave him the clearance. So basically reiterating what everyone else said: You won't know until you try and it depends. Also get used to the answer, "it depends," because you are going to hear it a lot.
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Sep 29, 2011 03:04
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Ronald Spiers posted:Meh, don't envy them. Become them. Easier said than done these days.
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Oct 7, 2011 10:03
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nm posted:I ran out of characters on most of those. Without really planning on doing it I ended up treating the essay like the 5-paragraph format they teach in elementary-high school. Only I had more than three body paragraphs and made sure to address counters to my position. I ended up with a very high score on the essay sticking to as little flair as possible. As long as you finish within the time limit and tie everything back to your thesis statement the essay should be a breeze that you can do on autopilot if you've ever had to take at least one writting intensive class in college. Good luck to you guys and when you move on to QEP make sure you give yourself plenty of time for multiple revisions.
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Oct 9, 2011 23:22
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nm posted:Yeah, basically. You and me both. Turns out the whole QEP thing takes a little bit more effort than the FSOT. 
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Oct 10, 2011 01:24
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Tyro posted:gently caress yeah. 174.85 on the MC and a 10 on the essay. Time to start my PNQs. Your scores aren't so much different than mine (you have higher MC, lower essay) and I washed out at the PNQ stage. I'd strongly strongly suggest you get a first draft of all the PNQ responses done the first week, ASAP. Then revise, revise, revise, revise. Good job on the score though, same for all you guys. Edit: I can't stress enough how important it is to take the time to revise and fine-tune the language on the PNQ responses. Dameius fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Oct 28, 2011 |
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Oct 28, 2011 01:29
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Jedi Knight Luigi posted:Is it possible to take the test without yet choosing one of the five career paths? When you are applying to take the test you have to pick a cone as part of the application.
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Dec 13, 2011 17:42
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Jedi Knight Luigi posted:So if you fail it and later retake it, are you unable to change your cone? No, if you fail and have to retake it you start over from step 01 again which gives you the chance to apply under a different cone. The only requirement there is that you can apply once a year. So if you take the February test in 2012 you are taking the first administration of the FSOT in 2012 and won't be eligible to take the FSOT again until the first administration in 2013 (which will most likely be in February again).
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Dec 13, 2011 17:48
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dancehall posted:Well, just registered for the February exam. Guess I should start learning the first thing about it! Any specific recommendations for study? (Political track) Be able to talk about current events in politics and American history both political and social (like jazz, architecture, etc...). Know some generic business management stuff. Also start thinking about how to very succinctly describe the things you've done and the people you've met in your life. If you are a Liberal Arts major paper writing machine you'll be fine for the writing section and if you've majored/minored in Political Science or History you'll likely need very little studying for the general information section. Don't want to downplay it too much, but at the same time it isn't the hardest test in the world.
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Jan 14, 2012 07:01
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I've put off testing for another year while to build up my resume. I applied for a Fulbright ETA and I find out by the end of this week if I move on to the second round of cut offs. This waiting is giving me flashbacks to when I was waiting to hear if I made it to the OA stage. Congrats to getting on the register, Skand and to anyone taking the FSOT coming up, good luck. Ffffffffffuck this waiting game. Fake Edit: Top of the page E/N post, classy.
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Jan 18, 2012 21:47
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