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TCD posted:It doesn't make any sense either because, outside of the exam, when do we not have auto correct? I can only hope that the person reading the exam is not as apt at spelling as my third grade teacher. Or that the grading program doesn't have one either. Writing academic papers nonstop this semester has left me using unnecessarily large words and not having any form of spell checking is going to loving blow. But of course, I'm already well beyond over preparing and starting to get into dangerously OCD range. I've read a good portion of the public FAM, at least the relevant sections. I've been reading the DS website bit by bit. I've scoured the internet for every single experience from the BEX that I can manage. I also just finished filling out a fresh SF-86  And I've got nearly a month to go  I can only hope that I can get into the March A-100 class, otherwise the next one is scheduled for July. And that would suck many dicks, because I would have to attend another semester of graduate school instead of getting the hell out of there.
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Oct 18, 2012 03:57
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Vasudus posted:I can only hope that the person reading the exam is not as apt at spelling as my third grade teacher. Or that the grading program doesn't have one either. Writing academic papers nonstop this semester has left me using unnecessarily large words and not having any form of spell checking is going to loving blow. You want to track Specialist Orientation classes, not A-100. Good luck on the interview. I'm not DS, but most DS that I've seen who are respected are thoughtful most of the time, and forceful when required. If you’re too hard charging, I’ve seen some bridges burned.
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Oct 18, 2012 13:31
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Quote from my DS buddy at post (who most people now refer to as my husband since we're basically inseparable). "DS is the best job in federal law enforcement if you don't want to be a cop."
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Oct 18, 2012 14:48
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Diplomaticus posted:Quote from my DS buddy at post (who most people now refer to as my husband since we're basically inseparable). Right, especially when overseas in an RSO role in a non-AIP post. You're more of diplomatic security advisor with a gun. Domestic, it's a different story (but you can do some pretty cool jobs). Either way, I think RSO is a pretty good gig and have thought about applying but probably won't.
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Oct 18, 2012 15:35
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TCD posted:It doesn't make any sense either because, outside of the exam, when do we not have auto correct? Nope nope nope, you should keep auto correct turned OFF. A, you have lots of foreign names to spell in your work at State. B, if it's unfortunately turned on when you're using a borrowed terminal to send an email to your CG, Ambassador, two DASs, and the Deputy Secretary, you will inevitably see D(B)'s staff aide's name miscorrected to "Mr. Terrorism" right after you click Send/SBU. Not that I've done this or anything.
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Oct 18, 2012 20:29
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TCD posted:You want to track Specialist Orientation classes, not A-100. Good luck on the interview. I'm not DS, but most DS that I've seen who are respected are thoughtful most of the time, and forceful when required. If you’re too hard charging, I’ve seen some bridges burned. Yeah, that's the class that I was looking at from the FSI FY13 booklet. I could have sworn it was still called A-100 but I guess not! Diplomaticus posted:Quote from my DS buddy at post (who most people now refer to as my husband since we're basically inseparable). YOU AREN'T HELPING MY ANXIETY
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Oct 18, 2012 22:12
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Vasudus posted:I can only hope that the person reading the exam is not as apt at spelling as my third grade teacher. Or that the grading program doesn't have one either. Writing academic papers nonstop this semester has left me using unnecessarily large words and not having any form of spell checking is going to loving blow. Dude, you are set...with that preparation, you are already a step ahead of the pack. Just stick to words you KNOW you can spell. Crazy vcab isn't going to help you out; clarity and simplicity will. Diplomaticus posted:"DS is the best job in federal law enforcement if you don't want to be a cop." This is good and bad advice. It's true that once you leave the domestic side, law enforcement definitely is less prominent, but, depending on what field office you end up in, you will definitely be participating in "traditional federal law enforcement activities." In the context of your BEX, neither come on with too strong of or too dismissive of an attitude towards LEO work. A lot of agents have chips on their shoulders about one stance or another and you don't want to hit a nerve. Once again, don't stress and let me know if you have specific questions you are stressing about. Cheers.
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Oct 19, 2012 03:30
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the_chavi posted:Nope nope nope, you should keep auto correct turned OFF. A, you have lots of foreign names to spell in your work at State. B, if it's unfortunately turned on when you're using a borrowed terminal to send an email to your CG, Ambassador, two DASs, and the Deputy Secretary, you will inevitably see D(B)'s staff aide's name miscorrected to "Mr. Terrorism" right after you click Send/SBU. Auto correct is no bueno. Spellcheck, however, is a God send, as long as you're willing to give the suggested changes a quick glance. Definitely you do not want to "accept all changes" or whatever the option is, because your colleagues will laugh at you behind your back for months after you send out that tuberculosis paper with all those references to "MDR-TV". And when I say "your colleagues", I mean "me". For MONTHS. (I felt like I earned laughing rights because I was the sorry bastard who had to do the final clearance on the report, and thus the sorry bastard who had to comb through the paper changing all the necessary "TV" references back to "TB".) pamchenko fucked around with this message at 11:32 on Oct 19, 2012 |
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Oct 19, 2012 11:28
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First order of business on a new computer is to disable Smart Quotes. You'll thank me later.
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Oct 19, 2012 12:30
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Business of Ferrets posted:First order of business on a new computer is to disable Smart Quotes. You'll thank me later. Oh god, the Smart Quotes debacle. Don't even get me started.
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Oct 19, 2012 13:00
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Bruxism posted:This is good and bad advice. It's true that once you leave the domestic side, law enforcement definitely is less prominent, but, depending on what field office you end up in, you will definitely be participating in "traditional federal law enforcement activities." In the context of your BEX, neither come on with too strong of or too dismissive of an attitude towards LEO work. A lot of agents have chips on their shoulders about one stance or another and you don't want to hit a nerve. Well, he's an -I. I probably should have given some of the broader context behind it -- he's bidding on a DC position that will give him some amazing certifications, and his point is that when he started, he got to do cop stuff at a domestic field office, which was cool, and got to do RSO stuff at one post and RSO-I stuff at another; combined with the job he's bidding on now he would have a very competitive package to go into any law enforcement agency in the US, whether that's state or federal, a traditional cop job, or a specialized agency, or even a private security/consulting/investigations job. So his point was, it's one of the best jobs in federal law enforcement, just that you're not going to be a traditional cop for 100% of the time that you're there. Business of Ferrets posted:First order of business on a new computer is to disable Smart Quotes. You'll thank me later. Was just reading an article on that. Here's how. I'd recommend also disabling the Autoformat As You Type for fractions, the copyright (c) shortcut, the euro (e) shortcut, and automatic superscript for ordinals.
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Oct 19, 2012 13:05
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Diplomaticus posted:Was just reading an article on that. Here's how. I'd recommend also disabling the Autoformat As You Type for fractions, the copyright (c) shortcut, the euro (e) shortcut, and automatic superscript for ordinals. Yup. Also, the auto-dash. Unless you want people to think you don't know the difference between a hyphen and a dash.
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Oct 19, 2012 13:18
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Business of Ferrets posted:Yup. Also, the auto-dash. Unless you want people to think you don't know the difference between a hyphen and a dash. I had to explain to my Chargé today why he had to be named as the Charge in our cables. "But I can enter it into the Smart system like that!" Yes, but...
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Oct 19, 2012 19:47
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I'm signed up for the exam in 2013. It's my first time taking it and I'm wondering how it will work out. Is there like an area that you report to that is close-ish to where I'm at (Chicago)? I've been looking through the last few pages of the thread to get an idea of what to expect for the test so now I'm kinda nervous, I'll have to get familiarized with more current events and brush up on my civics since it's been a while. I'm thankful to the goon who asked about the weight thing, I was worried about that. I signed up for consular, I think. I was torn between management, being where my skills would probably come more into play, or consular, where I had more interest in. I have a teaching degree and a lot of experience working in schools and local communities, so hopefully I'll be able to find a way to worm that into the bio section. Like I mentioned with being torn between which two areas I wanted, if after the test they deem I would be better for management or something, would they assign me to that or would I be denied outright? I don't mind if they move me to an area that they would rather me in, I'm just hoping I didn't screw myself over. Hopefully I'm just way stressing out over something that I shouldn't be. I've taken a few state tests to get my teaching certification, so this process isn't completely foreign, but I'm still nervous.
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Oct 20, 2012 05:41
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CeramicPig posted:If after the test they deem I would be better for management or something, would they assign me to that or would I be denied outright? Your choice of cone is, for the most part, set once you choose it on your application. There are obviously exceptions to this rule, but counting on switching or being switched is apparently a big mistake.
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Oct 20, 2012 06:06
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tismondo posted:I don't know if the FSOT scores you based on general aptitude for the Foreign Service, or if it scores you on your aptitude for the cone you chose. If I had to guess, I'd say it's the latter (particularly for the QEP) so if you have no skills in the cone you chose you're more likely to be rejected. Someone else here likely knows much more about this than I. I had never thought about that question before. I don't know if anyone knows -- the FSOT is administered by ACT, and I couldn't imagine their scoring rubric not being proprietary and private. They definitely won't change your cone in the testing process though. If it were me designing the exam/entrance structure, I would make it so that its general aptitude. We're generalists, we can go into any of the jobs out-of-cone and likely will, and all of the jobs in the FS require all of the various aptitudes of the 13 D's in significant amounts. CeramicPig posted:I signed up for consular, I think. I was torn between management, being where my skills would probably come more into play, or consular, where I had more interest in. I have a teaching degree and a lot of experience working in schools and local communities, so hopefully I'll be able to find a way to worm that into the bio section. You probably made the right choice. Sign up for what you want to do, not what you think you're best at. Keep in mind that consular often ends up supervising more local staff than anyone else except management, and does so at a faster level. And other aspects of management experience are more prevalent in consular than in other cones (except Management of course). Leif. fucked around with this message at 10:05 on Oct 20, 2012 |
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Oct 20, 2012 09:51
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Diplomaticus posted:I had never thought about that question before. I don't know if anyone knows -- the FSOT is administered by ACT, and I couldn't imagine their scoring rubric not being proprietary and private. ACT administers the test, but the test itself and the scoring rubric were designed by State in conjunction with one of the big management consulting firms. (Kinsey, maybe?) The test is largely designed for general aptitude, but there is some specific job knowledge required, handled by the job-specific category in the FSOT and more specifically by the qualifications established to get through the QEP. My understanding is that the QEP rubrics for generalists have not been published, but there's a similar QEP for people going through the EPAP application process, and it is very specific about certain skills, experiences, and qualifications needed to qualify for certain positions. (I'm not going to go into the details here, because that may also be subject to an NDA, even though I didn't get one!) If you appear to be more qualified for a different cone than the one in which you've applied, I don't think they'd shift your candidacy to that cone, largely because you have shown your candidacy for cone #2 incidentally, and not in response to direct questions and testing about it. You answered oranges to an apples question, and while that gives some insight into your orange ability, you haven't fully proven to BEX that you're capable of doing an oranges job. Just my two kuruş. I've not served on BEX, but I've spent a good deal of time wondering about their inner thought processes. 
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Oct 20, 2012 10:08
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So have I completely screwed myself? I wasn't banking on being switched or anything, I'm just really worried about screwing anything up. I have a good amount of supervising experience since being an art teacher is essentially supervising people doing the poo poo you just taught them to do, encouraging progress, and implementing corrections.
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Oct 21, 2012 08:10
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I think you'll be fine.
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Oct 21, 2012 08:32
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Are there any success stories from people who don't have a degree? I'm waiting for my test results at the moment. Even if I pass, can I reasonably expect to succeed with "some college?"
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Oct 21, 2012 22:21
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SirDarce posted:Are there any success stories from people who don't have a degree? I'm waiting for my test results at the moment. Even if I pass, can I reasonably expect to succeed with "some college?" All generalists that I know have at least a bachelors.
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Oct 21, 2012 22:46
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I really need to stop scouring the internet for stuff about DS. Especially when it's a Sunday and I could do this all day tomorrow at work. I alternate between complete sorrow thinking I'll never pass it and total excitement thinking I'm going to kill it. The most encouraging thought was the realization that the majority of the people that don't pass appear to be total loving morons. Like people that don't follow current events or understand that there is a shitload of travel involved, so they get kentucky fried on the interview. That helped when I read post after post on another forum about failing the BEX; I wondered how most of these people put their pants on every day without multiple attempts. I found a guide to general interviews called the STAR method. I didn't realize it but I was already doing what was listed - but tomorrow I'm going to print out and answer every question on the second page. http://www.drexel.edu/scdc/resources/STAR%20Method.pdf Maybe I should apply for a FSOT date too and hedge my bets 
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Oct 22, 2012 00:45
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Humility is also a valuable asset for a DS agent.. Don't write people off for failing the OA. Who knows what BEX thinks or determines; perhaps they got a particularly tough interview/BEX. Or maybe they passed BEX's expectations but didn't do well in the structured interview (SI). A large majority of people do not pass the OA, regardless of cone - statistically, it's very small (the 'chokepoint' in the process), I think something like 20% of applicants pass it. And it may take several tries! I don't know what DS process is like, but in the generalist OA, you're interviewing alongside your peers/'competitors', as well. Edit: not being negative, but giving it straight. I wish you the best of luck with your OA! Skandiaavity fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Oct 22, 2012 |
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Oct 22, 2012 01:52
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Skandiaavity posted:Humility is also a valuable asset for a DS agent.. Oh no, I'm not writing them off for not passing the OA because it's difficult or anything. It's probably very hard. I'm just reading the people who failed it and were like 'I didn't want to travel so they ended the interview right there' which is a  when you're applying for, you know, the foreign service. Or when they say that they haven't done an essay in 10 years and didn't prep for the written exam. Prepping and not passing is one thing, intentionally going into it blind and then tripping up on easily avoidable components is another.edit to sound less dickish: I was getting depressed when I kept reading about all these people who posted they failed the BEX for whatever reason. I then found out that for the majority of these people, they either didn't prep at all or clearly had some reading comprehension issues with the main, bolded parts of the job description. It made me feel better, because if I'm going to fail this fucker at this point it'll be because I wasn't good enough, not because of lack of preparation for the most important interview/exam I've had in 10 years. Vasudus fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Oct 22, 2012 |
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Oct 22, 2012 01:59
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Vasudus posted:The most encouraging thought was the realization that the majority of the people that don't pass appear to be total loving morons. No offense but that's just the subset dumb enough to bitch about it on the internet. I failed my first DS BEX, along with 3 of my best friends who were very well qualified. Most of the DS agents I know had to apply multiple times to make it in. It's competitive as hell. I'm not saying this to dishearten you but to let you know to bring your A game. Seriously, I did take the FSOT to hedge my bets on DS, and it looks like I very well may end up a generalist instead. Go for it. edit: saw your 2nd post. Yeah a bunch of candidates self-select themselves out, don't be one of them. Know yourself, know the job, and sell yourself.
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Oct 22, 2012 02:02
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Tyro posted:Know yourself, know the job, and sell yourself. At this point it's really taking me out of my comfort area to start doing that again.
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Oct 22, 2012 03:32
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Vasudus posted:I really need to stop scouring the internet for stuff about DS. Especially when it's a Sunday and I could do this all day tomorrow at work. I alternate between complete sorrow thinking I'll never pass it and total excitement thinking I'm going to kill it. More stuff to read: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/10/the-amazing-story-of-what-happened-in-libya/263597/ Play-by-play of what the agents did in Benghazi, from interviews with them. quote:The most encouraging thought was the realization that the majority of the people that don't pass appear to be total loving morons. Like people that don't follow current events or understand that there is a shitload of travel involved, so they get kentucky fried on the interview. That helped when I read post after post on another forum about failing the BEX; I wondered how most of these people put their pants on every day without multiple attempts. This happens in generalist OAs too. Some people go in just mindblowingly unprepared. quote:
Do it!
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Oct 22, 2012 08:48
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Diplomaticus posted:This happens in generalist OAs too. Some people go in just mindblowingly unprepared. It just boggles me why people would apply for such a position, make it all the way to the end and then just stop caring. That's like doing a relay race, one that you trained for all your life, getting to the last leg of the run and just walking the rest of the way. If you didn't want to do it anymore, why didn't you just drop out? The dude who didn't want to travel caused me to practically choke on my drink though. I wonder how many people end up being nonselects because of stuff like this - certainly the OA/BEX is difficult, that's without a doubt. But part of my wonders how much of that 80-85% fail rate is because of things like that, versus simply not being good enough. I signed up for the Feb FSOT for POL. Might as well. I can always cancel it if I get into DS, or just ride it out for the experience of doing the FSOT/QEP/whatever. Never hurts to have options.
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Oct 22, 2012 20:26
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I'm about to register for the test is it a good idea to buy the study guide from ACT or am I okay preparing with the free materials available?
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Oct 22, 2012 20:47
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Vasudus posted:I'm just reading the people who failed it and were like 'I didn't want to travel so they ended the interview right there' which is a This happens way more than you think, but sometimes done deliberately by DS agents. Once you become an agent and have that CITP certification, your options to lateral to another agency open up considerably in some ways. DS has you sign a training agreement saying you won't skip town within your first year, but that's not a serious issue. It's a nice card to have in terms of finding other positions, but Ive met more than a few agents who want to jump ship as soon as they get done with the training.
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Oct 23, 2012 02:58
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I think that's in all the fields. They make you sign a 1-2 year agreement saying you won't quit, or if you do, you're responsible/liable for all the costs (travel, training, room & board, etc) of everything up until that point. No idea how common it is across the board. I know some people quit initially because "ACS" wasn't what they signed up for; or IMS had too many responsibilities.
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Oct 23, 2012 03:06
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Diplomaticus posted:More stuff to read:
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Oct 23, 2012 09:56
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Skandiaavity posted:I think that's in all the fields. They make you sign a 1-2 year agreement saying you won't quit, or if you do, you're responsible/liable for all the costs (travel, training, room & board, etc) of everything up until that point. I don't think it's that bad. IIRC it's only within your first year at post (for generalists), and I think that the only thing you pay is your relocation expenses. I'd have to doublecheck though.
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Oct 23, 2012 14:41
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Diplomaticus posted:I don't think it's that bad. IIRC it's only within your first year at post (for generalists), and I think that the only thing you pay is your relocation expenses. I'd have to doublecheck though. Last time I checked it was: if you resign after you complete your first tour, you're all good; if you resign during your first assignment but after having been there a year, you pay for relocation expenses for you and your family and belongings back to the USA (or wherever you are going); if before you have completed the first year of your first assignment, you are on the hook for everything, including training costs and per diem received. All can be waived for genuine humanitarian reasons. Also, keep in mind that if you quit before you are tenured, you have to start over with the FSOT if you want to join again. If you quit after tenure, you may be reinstated at your previous grade and career track for up to five years after resignation, though there must be a deficit in grade/cone and the Department must want you back (i.e., not having such a poor corridor rep that you're toxic, etc.). If you wait longer than five years, you have to start again from the FSOT.
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Oct 23, 2012 15:02
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Today's (and probably tomorrow as well) "Holy poo poo, you better pass this interview you gently caress" goal is prepping for and hopefully mastering behavioral interviews. I've got a huge fuckoff list of BI questions that I've found and I'm making a cheat sheet thing for it. Assuming I do pass this stupid thing and I'm not just obsessing for nothing, I'll be sure to put together a guide on what I've been doing to prep. I spend 2-3 hours a few days a week digesting all sorts of specific information that might be helpful to people down the line.
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Oct 23, 2012 20:53
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The State's press conference yesterday was great.State Dept posted:MR. TONER: Good afternoon, folks, on a fine autumn day in Washington, DC. The Secretary, as you all know, is in Haiti. I’m here, and I’m ready to take your questions. Is this pretty typical in terms of tone? Or is it just the stress of the loses and the politics and the campaign has folks trying to unwind whenever possible?
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Oct 23, 2012 23:20
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My question for you all-- Is judgment something that can be trained, and if so, how? (e: the rest of this question probably belongs in the MBA thread or something but this part is relevant, I think) hitension fucked around with this message at 14:20 on Dec 2, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 00:39
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hitension posted:^I don't think State Department officials are really allowed to badmouth the current administration, right? Certainly not in an "official" situation? A FS career is basically one long apprenticeship where you learn by doing as well as by watching how more senior officers handle issues. Though it will never make up for having just plain bad judgment, such experience is very helpful when trying to decide how best to deal with a new situation. In the end, we're all hired and promoted based on our demonstrated judgment.
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Oct 24, 2012 02:25
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atlas of bugs posted:The State's press conference yesterday was great. Matt is a special case. I don't actually know who he works for, but I read the press briefings every single day looking for his comments. They range from argumentative, incisive, to utterly gut-wrenchingly hilarious comedy. Don't get me wrong, he's not a clown, he's just got a really good sense of humor and the tenacity of an investigative journalist. I'mma dig through some of them and find some of the highlights.
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Oct 24, 2012 10:42
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Azuth0667 posted:I'm about to register for the test is it a good idea to buy the study guide from ACT or am I okay preparing with the free materials available? I think the guide is totally worth it -- if you really want to pursue a lifelong career in diplomacy, $29 is a small price for a little help. I took the test 10/2, and am ~patiently~ awaiting the results. The practice tests in the guide absolutely helped get me into the proper mindset which is half the battle with standardized testing.
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Oct 24, 2012 14:27
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