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darsh5000 posted:I just went to a State Department career session at my school (I'm still a junior in college), and the number of oppurtunities one can have as an FSO are really amazing. The recruiter mentioned something about increasing the number of accepted FSOs by 1/3 for the next few years--does anyone here know if that is true or not. I am definately going to start looking at the FSO test, and begin planning for it at this point. there's a test in two weeks, then I think the next one after it is in February or March. and according to some of the current roll info that some here have found, even if they increase hiring by 1/3, there's a loooooooot of people involved. It sounds really competitive, but hell, that's not putting me off at all.
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Sep 23, 2010 07:15
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darsh5000 posted:I just went to a State Department career session at my school (I'm still a junior in college), and the number of oppurtunities one can have as an FSO are really amazing. The recruiter mentioned something about increasing the number of accepted FSOs by 1/3 for the next few years--does anyone here know if that is true or not. I am definately going to start looking at the FSO test, and begin planning for it at this point. State has been trying to hire increased numbers lately, so I think the recruiter is probably pretty accurate. There really aren't all that many FSOs in the world; probably about 6,000-7,000 if not fewer. And that is to man every post, worldwide, plus about 1/3 of us in DC at any one time. So an increase in numbers would probably be a good thing. And yeah, the opportunities for FSOs are phenomenal. Off the top of my head, some interesting gigs include:
Surely, these are all competitive, but realistic nonetheless for interested FSOs. And that doesn't even include the "normal" jobs all over the world, or full-time language study, etc. This variety is one of the huge benefits of a Foreign Service career.
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Sep 23, 2010 07:57
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Just scheduled my FSOT for Oct 4. Since I became interested in the FSO experience I have stayed in my awesome job and also took up a degree part-time, with plans to finish in six years, so my life's pretty well mapped out for a while. I'm looking forward to the FSOT and I'll probably study the Constitution a little, but I'm more or less looking at it as a standardized trivia quiz, plus knowledge about the exam in case I want one day to elevate an FSO career to a Plan B. Perhaps that's why I'm excited, I love trivia. If I thought I was going to get somewhere in the process, I'd kind of feel like I would be wasting someone's time, but I don't have any awesome experiences to wow anyone when it comes to the subjective bits of the selection process anyway. Can't wait to come back to this thread afterwards and . . . not discuss the particulars of the exam.
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Sep 23, 2010 14:51
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Business of Ferrets posted:State has been trying to hire increased numbers lately, so I think the recruiter is probably pretty accurate. There really aren't all that many FSOs in the world; probably about 6,000-7,000 if not fewer. And that is to man every post, worldwide, plus about 1/3 of us in DC at any one time. So an increase in numbers would probably be a good thing. So will the government pick up the bill for FSOs who want to get a masters degree? or did I read this wrong? EDIT: Is a MA worth anything if you're already an FSO?
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Sep 23, 2010 16:23
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Omits-Bagels posted:So will the government pick up the bill for FSOs who want to get a masters degree? or did I read this wrong? Within specific programs, FSOs can receive a masters degree. These programs tend to be at the military schools or the Princeton program. Only one or two people a year can do the Princeton program, though I believe there is a similar program for consular officers to earn a MSW at another university (one person a year, I believe). For FSOs, there is no material benefit to earning an advanced degree if you already work at State. You can't even list it on your yearly evaluation.
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Sep 23, 2010 16:34
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TCD fucked around with this message at 22:11 on Dec 8, 2015 |
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Sep 23, 2010 18:05
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Is it a good idea to get the exam out of the way early, so that I have time to retake if I gently caress up? I'm a junior currently, and I'm thinking of taking it in December so I can retake midway through my senior year if things go badly. One of my professors is actually a FSO stationed as a diplomat-in-residence at my university, and they indicated it was probably a good idea, but I wanna know what you guys think. Also, is there anything in particular I should know about it beforehand?
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Sep 23, 2010 19:09
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Fraction Jackson posted:Is it a good idea to get the exam out of the way early, so that I have time to retake if I gently caress up? I'm a junior currently, and I'm thinking of taking it in December so I can retake midway through my senior year if things go badly. One of my professors is actually a FSO stationed as a diplomat-in-residence at my university, and they indicated it was probably a good idea, but I wanna know what you guys think. The entire process takes long enough that you wouldn't reasonably be receiving an offer until your senior year anyway, at the earliest, possible until after you graduated. Assuming everything goes well, that is. The offset is that your QEP processs may be more difficult because of the lack of degree. It's a trade-off.
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Sep 23, 2010 23:57
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Hello Foreign Service thread! Currently a sophomore in college, like darsh5000 went to a State info session last week. I was going to try and take the test this October just to see how it is but I had classes during all the times they offer it, so I'll probably try again in February. I'm just taking it really to get used to it, since there's no way I'll pass the QEP. Hopefully once I get serious it'll still be hiring surge time. I was just wondering if you all had any tips for someone who still has a few years to build skills/resume/experience? I'm planning on studying abroad in Argentina and Peru, and am learning Spanish/going to start learning Hindi.
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Sep 24, 2010 00:53
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harperdc posted:there's a test in two weeks, then I think the next one after it is in February or March. Yeah I don't have enough time to prepare for the October test, so I'm going to take it in February tentatively. The practice questions from the state department recruiter's booklet were very easy, but I'm not sure if they're reflective of the entire test.
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Sep 24, 2010 04:50
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Badger of Basra posted:Hello Foreign Service thread! Currently a sophomore in college, like darsh5000 went to a State info session last week. I was going to try and take the test this October just to see how it is but I had classes during all the times they offer it, so I'll probably try again in February. I'm just taking it really to get used to it, since there's no way I'll pass the QEP. Hopefully once I get serious it'll still be hiring surge time. I graduated from college in 2008, and my suggestion is just to start thinking and working on this type of stuff — networking, forming Plan A, B, C and D for jobs after college, getting familiar and comfortable with your "elevator pitch," your quick 30-second speech about who you are, what you want to do and how people can get you there. Don't worry or fret about it every day — especially not as a sophomore, you have two more years left to enjoy of undergrad — but keep it in mind. It's one of the things I wish I'd done and paid more attention to. As for the FSOT, my interpretation is that they take people with varied backgrounds and skillsets. Have an interest, and start working to bolster that — Hindi might be good to learn, but English is a more transparent, widespread language in India than it. Think about focusing on Spanish and Latin America and work in school to gain skills applicable to one of the tracks. Don't want to get preachy, but I've just gone through all this recently and there are some things I definitely wish I'd known when I was in that position.
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Sep 24, 2010 05:12
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FYI, State announced a new position for a Foreign Medical / Pharmacology Specialist this morning. Don't know if we have any med people in here but figure it's worth throwing out.
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Sep 28, 2010 16:40
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harperdc posted:I graduated from college in 2008, and my suggestion is just to start thinking and working on this type of stuff — networking, forming Plan A, B, C and D for jobs after college, getting familiar and comfortable with your "elevator pitch," your quick 30-second speech about who you are, what you want to do and how people can get you there. Don't worry or fret about it every day — especially not as a sophomore, you have two more years left to enjoy of undergrad — but keep it in mind. It's one of the things I wish I'd done and paid more attention to. Thanks! I'd mainly been thinking about Hindi because I'm half-Indian and I feel a weird obligation to do it and also that sweet, sweet Critical Needs points bonus.
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Sep 28, 2010 23:55
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Badger of Basra posted:Thanks! I'd mainly been thinking about Hindi because I'm half-Indian and I feel a weird obligation to do it and also that sweet, sweet Critical Needs points bonus. ah. well that would make more sense than if you were a white dude with no ties to the language or culture. CONTENT: poo poo, I really need to start studying 
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Sep 29, 2010 02:03
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So any of the A-100 members/grads here - any idea how often I should be bugging HR for my position on the register? I don't know what'd be the point in doing it daily or weekly, as what would change, right? Is like once or twice a month OK?
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Sep 29, 2010 06:41
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SWATJester posted:So any of the A-100 members/grads here - any idea how often I should be bugging HR for my position on the register? I don't know what'd be the point in doing it daily or weekly, as what would change, right? Is like once or twice a month OK? If you follow the shadow register on the Yahoo group you should only need to check your position right around the time a new class will be called, since that is the only time it will matter. Don't be one of those people who calls every two weeks. 
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Sep 30, 2010 11:03
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Business of Ferrets posted:If you follow the shadow register on the Yahoo group you should only need to check your position right around the time a new class will be called, since that is the only time it will matter. Yeah, that's what I thought too, but apparently there have been late invitations going out causing things to change unexpectedly. Also the POL one is not very well updated, it has a lot of out-of-date people. I'll take the advice though, and limit it -- it's not like knowing an updated position gets me invited any faster.
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Oct 2, 2010 03:15
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So I am taking the test today at 3:00 and I'm kind of nervous so I am making sure I have everything covered. What exactly do I need to bring to the test and what should I bring?
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Oct 4, 2010 17:22
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Tiger Crazy posted:So I am taking the test today at 3:00 and I'm kind of nervous so I am making sure I have everything covered. What exactly do I need to bring to the test and what should I bring? You don't need to bring anything except a printout of your registration confirmation and photo ID. They'll make you leave everything else outside the testing area, anyway. You get a whiteboard with a dry erase marker for notes, and the test itself is on a computer.
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Oct 4, 2010 19:13
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Tiger Crazy posted:So I am taking the test today at 3:00 and I'm kind of nervous so I am making sure I have everything covered. What exactly do I need to bring to the test and what should I bring? Best of luck to you!
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Oct 4, 2010 19:19
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Took it at 10am today. Seemed pretty easy, though I almost ran out of time on the essay, 30min not enough for the topic. Not that this means I passed. The computer interface sucks and the 200 character limit on the biographical section was a PITA. if I fail, it will be because my explanations sucked. No I can't name 4 individual times I did X because X happens 12 times everyday in my job and they blur together!
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Oct 4, 2010 21:45
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nm posted:Took it at 10am today. Seemed pretty easy, though I almost ran out of time on the essay, 30min not enough for the topic. I took the test on Saturday and I felt the same way, I kept running out of space on the biographical section. I also don't think there's enough time to complete it, I felt pretty rushed to put in those explanations. I also felt I didn't get enough time to write a good essay, especially considering how many characters they gave you to do it in. Dunno how I did, as I know I made at least a few really boneheaded mistakes in the job knowledge section, though the English expression section was a breeze. Guess I'll know in the next few weeks...
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Oct 4, 2010 22:00
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Just got done myself. I feel like the biographical info text entry sections were deliberately short because the details will be dealt with in later stages of the process, which makes me wonder why they exist at all. They could have just written "tweet about your experiences." I, too, feel like the essay section was a bit quick, but I guess that's the point of the exercise, to see if you can put words together under pressure. Overall I was pleased with my effort. Now to sit back, wait, forget that I took the exam, and then get an email sometime in November reminding me.
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Oct 5, 2010 00:03
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Genpei Turtle posted:
Ya I felt I messed up a little on the job knowledge but the English Expression was pretty easy. Echoing the statement on the essay if they are going to give a long complicated essay 35-40 minutes would be a better time.
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Oct 5, 2010 02:43
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I think that went pretty well. Probably missed one or two easy questions in the job knowledge section, but I'm sure I crushed the English grammar stuff, the essay (I feel like I wrote about 800-900 words for that in about 20 minutes), and the bio ( but seriously, I think I had good, concise answers for what was being asked). Only took me about 1:40 total for everything. Here's hoping I get good news in a few weeks.
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Oct 7, 2010 00:19
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IMS/IMTS promotion cable is out. No 2, but I made the bridesmaid list so woop woop. Was my first time eligible so I'm pretty happy with this.
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Oct 7, 2010 13:23
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Hey congratulations Vile Rat.
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Oct 7, 2010 16:01
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Congratulations, Vilerat! I know you can get a section-by-section score breakdown for the actual FSOT, but is there any way to get one of those for the QEP? My results letter doesn't say anything about it.
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Oct 7, 2010 17:57
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Vilerat posted:IMS/IMTS promotion cable is out. No 2, but I made the bridesmaid list so woop woop. Was my first time eligible so I'm pretty happy with this. I totally missed that. Congrats.
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Oct 7, 2010 18:02
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Took my FSOT today, I got lucky because the essay question I got is a subject I'm very passionate about and something I've written 3 papers on in the last year for school anyway. Managed to knock out 4800 words in the 30 minutes. I'm extremely excited to get my results, how long should I expect it to take?
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Oct 7, 2010 19:15
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I took my FSOT on 8 June 2010, and got my (passing) results on 30 June 2010. 4800 words in 30 minutes? You said you were passionate about the subject, but that's 160 words a minute! Did you run a coffee IV on yourself right before the test?
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Oct 7, 2010 19:27
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Wait I'm totally dumb as hell and I think I just realized that it was a character count at the top, not a word count. I have no clue how I could have possibly mistaken the two but I was tired as hell because I only got two hours of sleep  Falls about in line with the average compositional wpm in that case.
2 Track EP fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Oct 7, 2010 |
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Oct 7, 2010 19:40
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Glad to know I'm not the only one to confuse character count with word count on the essay. I could've sworn that said words...ah well. I think I wrote about 800-900 words in 20+ minutes...didn't really see the need to say much more. I made arguments on my topic, supported them as best I could, and that was pretty much it. I've got a ton of experience as a writer, though, and know when brevity is best.
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Oct 7, 2010 20:04
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2 Track EP posted:Took my FSOT today, I got lucky because the essay question I got is a subject I'm very passionate about and something I've written 3 papers on in the last year for school anyway. Managed to knock out 4800 words in the 30 minutes. I'm extremely excited to get my results, how long should I expect it to take? You see that was my problem. If the question had been something like "tell me about semi trucks" I could ahve banged that poo poo out. It was an interesting and complex topic
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Oct 7, 2010 23:52
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I took the written exam yesterday, and I wished I had more time for the essay. Then again, I've wished that for every timed essay I've ever written, so I'm OK with it.
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Oct 8, 2010 00:27
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Vilerat posted:IMS/IMTS promotion cable is out. No 2, but I made the bridesmaid list so woop woop. Was my first time eligible so I'm pretty happy with this. Congrats Vile ... it will happen sooner vs later for you
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Oct 8, 2010 02:29
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Only took three weeks of I don't remember hearing an answer to this question: I'm planning on doing a Master's International MPA degree (or an MPA in general). Does having a Master's boost your starting income, or anything else?
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Oct 8, 2010 07:52
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Slaan posted:I'm planning on doing a Master's International MPA degree (or an MPA in general). Does having a Master's boost your starting income, or anything else? This page shows how having an advanced degree will affect your starting salary. (See "Salary Determination.")
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Oct 8, 2010 10:18
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Slingshot Smith posted:Congrats Vile ... it will happen sooner vs later for you Somebody told me that if you get an MSI during a promotion cycle they look at your EER's a bit differently the next cycle but I haven't seen anything to support that.
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Oct 8, 2010 17:02
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Vilerat posted:Somebody told me that if you get an MSI during a promotion cycle they look at your EER's a bit differently the next cycle but I haven't seen anything to support that. In other news, second assignment is in WHA.
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Oct 8, 2010 17:16
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