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CherryCola posted:Has anyone gotten their results from the test yet? It's exactly three weeks today and I'm getting really nervous. Do they only send a message if you've passed or will they send a "sorry you're terrible" message as well? Nothing yet.
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Oct 28, 2009 17:39
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I passed!!! Now on to the personal narrative. I'm realizing now how little experience I have leading other people.
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Oct 28, 2009 19:05
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Got the first out of likely many rejections today for a career right out of college. Was just your standard "thabks, but..." Letter. Wonder if the letter is the same of you flat out failed or weren't up to snuff with others going for the political cone. Edit: not to sound mopey. Kinda didn't expect much would come out of my first run, at least - know what to expect next year. Gin and Juche fucked around with this message at 19:28 on Oct 28, 2009 |
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Oct 28, 2009 19:24
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CherryCola posted:I passed!!! Now on to the personal narrative. I'm realizing now how little experience I have leading other people. How did you receive the notification?
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Oct 28, 2009 19:29
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https://actapps.act.org/fsotresults/goLoggedIn.do nvm, found it. 
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Oct 28, 2009 19:41
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Vilerat posted:https://actapps.act.org/fsotresults/goLoggedIn.do Sorry dude Guess I should look into the Mustang route so I can not take the FSOT. TCD fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Oct 28, 2009 |
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Oct 28, 2009 20:14
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TCD posted:Sorry dude I failed so that others might pass! That's ok, I'm REALLY ENJOYING messing with this new SMART garbage I couldn't imagine just giving it all up.
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Oct 28, 2009 20:18
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Vilerat posted:I failed so that others might pass! That's ok, I'm REALLY ENJOYING messing with this new SMART garbage I couldn't imagine just giving it all up. Haha, I'll hit you on Communicator tomorrow. /me crosses finger poo poo doesn't hit the fan.
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Oct 28, 2009 20:21
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I seem to have failed as well. I was pretty much just taking it as a lark, but I'm more insulted/confused than anything else. The geography/political questions were straight out of eighth grade and there's no loving way I failed the essay portion. The only thing I can think of that put me under the bar were the retardedly nebulous "think of a time you helped someone who wasn't born in the US" style questions. Oh well. Not the first time I have failed at something.
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Oct 28, 2009 21:22
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Defleshed posted:I seem to have failed as well. I was pretty much just taking it as a lark, but I'm more insulted/confused than anything else. The geography/political questions were straight out of eighth grade and there's no loving way I failed the essay portion. The only thing I can think of that put me under the bar were the retardedly nebulous "think of a time you helped someone who wasn't born in the US" style questions. Well you can fax in to get your detailed results. I'm pretty sure I bombed the english grammar section.
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Oct 28, 2009 21:27
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Vilerat posted:Well you can fax in to get your detailed results. I'm pretty sure I bombed the english grammar section. Yeah there's no way that was my bad section either. I was 99th percentile in English on the GRE. I will fax in, but christ they don't get back to you for 6 weeks.
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Oct 28, 2009 21:57
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Is the biographical portion something that could really help someone? I was afraid I was going to fail because I probably bombed all the economics related questions and the essay was economics related too so I doubt I did great on that. However, I did pimp out all my foreign friends and language experience, so I don't know if that's what got me through or what. Oh and they also had some questions about India, so I really lucked out there, I think. edit: Good job, SWATjester!! Maybe I'll seeyah in the field! (well if we both get past everything else, that is.) CherryCola fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Oct 28, 2009 |
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Oct 28, 2009 22:01
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CherryCola posted:Has anyone gotten their results from the test yet? It's exactly three weeks today and I'm getting really nervous. Do they only send a message if you've passed or will they send a "sorry you're terrible" message as well? Got mine today, I passed.
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Oct 28, 2009 22:09
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To those that passed: next stop, QEPS?
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Oct 28, 2009 23:08
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I guess you can toss me on to the reject pile. I am somewhat surprised I did not pass. Guess I'll have to get the results to see where I need to improve for next year. Best of luck to those that passed.
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Oct 28, 2009 23:17
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Anyone have advice for the personal narrative/QEP portion?
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Oct 29, 2009 00:00
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Congrats to the folks that passed and to VR on his SMART installation (I can't wait) Condolences to the folks that didn't make it. Better luck next time.
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Oct 29, 2009 00:15
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Vilerat - I already spoke with Mark (and he was very helpful!), did you have any advice on what not to write for the IM position coming up?
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Oct 29, 2009 00:21
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AKA Pseudonym posted:Congrats to the folks that passed and to VR on his SMART installation (I can't wait) SMART (State messaging and archival retrieval toolkit, which is the replacement for the old telegram system) is a piece of poo poo. I hate it and I'm bitter as hell that they are deploying this half built garbage for their worldwide beta deployment. quote:Vilerat - I already spoke with Mark (and he was very helpful!), did you have any advice on what not to write for the IM position coming up? Well the initial part is just the big rear end application packet but at some point you have to write essays just like the generalist position. It's not as harsh as the generalist one though and I got the impression they are just trying to make sure you aren't an idiot once they invite you in.
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Oct 29, 2009 00:53
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I passed, by the Grace of God, although I have a feeling it was probably by the seat of my pants.
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Oct 29, 2009 01:05
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Congrats to the passers! Well done! To those who didn't: seriously, tons of FSOs took the exam multiple times before getting hired.
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Oct 29, 2009 15:22
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Business of Ferrets posted:Congrats to the passers! Well done! Well like I said, I was really just taking it in order to have FS open as an option to me, not because I was banking on it as a carreer. I'm just dumbfounded as to how I could have possibly failed. Taking tests on poo poo is about the only thing I've ever been good at. I haven't felt like this since the last time I tried to play basketball.
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Oct 29, 2009 15:26
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Business of Ferrets posted:Congrats to the passers! Well done! I'm going to be up for 2 soon as an IMS. I think my window of it being "worth it" is closing.
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Oct 29, 2009 15:31
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Defleshed posted:The only thing I can think of that put me under the bar were the retardedly nebulous "think of a time you helped someone who wasn't born in the US" style questions. It still boggles my mind that the bio section is a graded event, and counts for a substantial part of the final score. All depending on what people volunteer about themselves. 
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Oct 29, 2009 15:52
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Business of Ferrets: Any advice on the PN? I could use all the help I can get moving forward from here.
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Oct 29, 2009 16:18
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Passed, but got news today that I failed my security clearance for another job, so I guess that kinda scraps my career in U.S. government. 
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Oct 29, 2009 22:56
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Did you fail or did they just decide not to further pursue it? For a lot of the contracting positions, if it looks like you might not pass they will just cancel the whole thing, but another agency might not.
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Oct 29, 2009 23:41
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Yeah, it was just interim clearance. I'm sure I'd pass if I went through the whole shebang, but now I've got the additional "Yes" check next to any apps that ask if I've ever failed a security clearance application.
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Oct 29, 2009 23:54
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On that topic, anybody know what the process is like at State? is it an auto reject or do they just give it individual consideration?
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Oct 30, 2009 00:22
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Smeef posted:Yeah, it was just interim clearance. I'm sure I'd pass if I went through the whole shebang, but now I've got the additional "Yes" check next to any apps that ask if I've ever failed a security clearance application. There's usually a little space where you write something in (in my limited experience so far anyways), so you might have a chance to explain it in future applications. If you don't mind me asking, any idea what hosed you? Sent in my supporting documents for the Courier position this morning, fingers crossed 
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Oct 30, 2009 01:13
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Pompous Rhombus posted:There's usually a little space where you write something in (in my limited experience so far anyways), so you might have a chance to explain it in future applications. I have very extensive international travel experiences to strange places, and not surprisingly have a large group of international friends as well. The catch-22 of course is that these are traits that were important for getting the initial offer.
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Oct 30, 2009 03:05
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Xandu fucked around with this message at 05:21 on Jun 10, 2011 |
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Oct 30, 2009 03:07
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Smeef posted:I have very extensive international travel experiences to strange places, and not surprisingly have a large group of international friends as well. The catch-22 of course is that these are traits that were important for getting the initial offer. Ruh-roh, me too (nothing Axis of Evil-y though) I got a Secret in April but they didn't call up any of my references AFAIK. I got a scary e-mail a month before I got mine saying Diplomatic Security had denied DoS's request for an interim clearance, but then added it was because they hadn't finished the investigation at that point. Of course Gmail's inbox shows just that first sentence, so it gave me a quick "WTF, oh crap" moment before I opened it. Xandu posted:That sucks; I'm hoping spending the next year in Syria and Beirut won't screw me over at a later date. I don't think it necessarily would. From meeting with the investigator and filling out my own SF-86, it'll be a lot easier to get a clearance later on if you can find some reputable-looking Americans over there to get to know and later list as references. Registering with the embassy would also help. (I wonder if you could even write little reports or something every month for the local Diplomatic Security post to keep on file for a later investigation?) Someone with a higher clearance and/or more familiarity with the process could probably answer your questions better than I could on that stuff though. I've been idly kicking around the idea of trying to go to Tehran to study Farsi or to Myanmar for Burmese, dunno if that'd be a little too far out there for them or not.
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Oct 30, 2009 03:43
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From my experience, (which is a higher clearance, just not in DoS), They don't necessarily look at where you go, but when you go is more important to them. Even briefly working alongside them, I can tell that the DSS is very thorough. To the point where the CIA has in the past occasionally asked them for assistance, and vice versa. It's kind of like an img-timeline in that respect; You can go to Syria tomorrow and they won't think much about it, but like twenty bells go off if you went in 1988. If you go over there with a few friends it helps your case immensely. likewise if you have some kind of tourist element from it (ala blown glass keychain from palestine), and based off your interview they will know you went over for tourism. They very rarely actually follow up on leads because they probably already know about them  I mean, you're filling out stuff back to what, High school, middle school? on your SF-86 and they verify everything, even the stuff you've missed. I've had most of my references checked (I asked them or they called me up and asked me if I was OK) If there's any DSS goons i'd like to know Shouldn't need to be said, but for anyone undergoing the clearance process, regardless of level: be honest, 100%. Don't care if you do drugs, did them, you're 15,000 in debt to the IRS, or your best friend's a pimp and human trafficker. Some of the questions are completely insane, but answer them truthfully anyway. Just be honest, they're going to find out anyway. And be careful on your interview, I don't know about DoS, but I do know that DoD can try to occasionally trip you up on the clearance. My interviewer asked me why the St. Peter's Basilica was in the opposite end of Rome. edit: apologies for off tangent thread, back to Foreign Service Chat.
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Oct 30, 2009 06:23
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Sooo someone tell me about QEP and my personal narrative.
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Oct 30, 2009 14:53
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SWATJester posted:Business of Ferrets: Any advice on the PN? I could use all the help I can get moving forward from here. Wish I could help more, but the narrative was not used when I went through the process. Based on what I found on State's recruiting website, I would probably give a very brief personal experience, describe what I learned, then clearly state how I think it made me a better FSO candidate by keying it to the precepts listed on the website. Be sure to follow directions closely. Also, keep in mind that they are probably running down a list of precepts giving scores based on your responses; I would make sure all the precepts were addressed, because partial credit will be better than no credit. Try to find a balance with your tone; don't sell yourself short, but at the same time don't sound like a douche. Sound confident and self-assured, but humble. Try to let your personality show through a bit, but keep it mostly professional. I think it's interesting to note that this is basically the process we go through every year on our annual evaluations.
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Oct 30, 2009 15:13
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SWATJester posted:Sooo someone tell me about QEP and my personal narrative. I did talk to someone...I guess about these kinds of things in general, because I wasn't sure what I could really put down for leadership experience. I organized a film screening for my department last year, basically did the whole thing myself...but I guess somehow that still constitutes leadership, so I'm going to put that down. The questions don't seem that difficult though.
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Oct 30, 2009 15:57
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Skandiaavity posted:Vilerat - I already spoke with Mark (and he was very helpful!), did you have any advice on what not to write for the IM position coming up? I went through the QEP IMS position last year.... I don't remember what I wrote exactly, but it worked. Just be honest, thoughtful, and have somebody proof what you wrote. Also, they do have that packet during the Oral Exam fyi.
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Oct 30, 2009 16:53
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TCD posted:I went through the QEP IMS position last year.... tyvm. I tried my best! (the personal section was the hardest so I just tl;dr'd my life and how funny it is, but you've got to keep your head clear, pretty much) I had somebody proof it, but it was spelling and not content. So I'm cool in that respect. Just submitted my application.  I tried to keep word count to a minimum.. now off to get my transcripts and certificates and and fax them 
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Oct 30, 2009 21:16
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don't worry about foreign travel for your clearance - especially if it was tourism related. Going to some crazy countries might be an issue - but if you have a history of international travel to a variety of countries there is a ready explanation right there.
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Oct 30, 2009 22:31
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