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First my position excepted (which was convenient since I was the only one not on leave) then they realized it wasn't and they furloughed me and sent me a non-excepted notice. Then they told me to come in to do a rotation through one of the excepted positions anyway.
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Jan 10, 2019 11:36
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Does anyone know if FSI is reopening next week? Sure would be nice to be able to report for language training. The email was a bit unclear. I know a lot of the instructors are contractors.
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Jan 18, 2019 16:00
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Tyro posted:Does anyone know if FSI is reopening next week? Sure would be nice to be able to report for language training. The email was a bit unclear. I know a lot of the instructors are contractors. A friend of mine is supposed to start language and was told to report Tuesday.
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Jan 19, 2019 02:39
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From our EX shop: “FSI Classes resume on the 22.”
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Jan 19, 2019 02:51
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Yeah I got the same email later in the day. Hooray!
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Jan 19, 2019 09:11
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Question for thread members in the FS: If you failed out of the FSOT process your first or second (or third) time, but succeeded later, what do you think may have been the difference that got you in?
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Jan 20, 2019 04:22
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Did you get your score breakdown from the testing service? That would be a good place to start, if they still offer it.
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Jan 20, 2019 14:06
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I passed the initial FSOT with pretty good numbers, but not the QEP review.
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Jan 20, 2019 18:09
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Passed QEP in Dec. OA scheduled for March this year. I think what helped me with my PN's was having two very good writers that know me well review them. I'm also a veteran and was able to use a solid professional story from my mil career to answer the questions. As for the FSOA it's so general I don't know if you can study for it effectively. I took it blind and passed with an average score.
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Jan 20, 2019 19:08
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Are many FSOs veterans?
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Jan 21, 2019 20:20
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The Unholy Ghost posted:Are many FSOs veterans? I don't think it's any different than other government or private sector jobs. Veterans do get 0.17 point bonus after they are placed on the register. The thing is military has Foreign Area Officer career paths that attract a lot of people who might have applied to the FS. Basically they remain officers but focus on geographic areas and serve at high level HQ staffs and Pentagon as regional experts and diplomatic military liaisons. They also may serve as military attache or embassy military staff. Honestly if I would have staid in and become a FAO then I would get better pay and benefits, but I don't have a IR Political Science background with language and area expertise, so FS is a better shot for me. What is your background?
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Jan 22, 2019 00:25
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Howard Phillips posted:I don't think it's any different than other government or private sector jobs. Veterans do get 0.17 point bonus after they are placed on the register. IR Bachelor's. I was interested in the Air Force, but it turned out that there were no officer positions open for at least two years. Then I found out that my holding dual citizenship virtually disqualified me from even enlistment, unless I officially cancelled my non-US citizenship. I was not comfortable with this--especially after my experience wrangling with the recruiters--so I dropped the military as an option. Might think about it again in the future (my family has a bit of a military history), but I always thought the FS would be a much better fit for me. The Unholy Ghost fucked around with this message at 01:29 on Jan 22, 2019 |
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Jan 22, 2019 01:27
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The Unholy Ghost posted:IR Bachelor's. A colleague couldn't get his clearance until he renounced a citizenship. Just saying, that may/may not be a deal breaker on this side too.
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Jan 22, 2019 05:31
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TCD posted:A colleague couldn't get his clearance until he renounced a citizenship. Just saying, that may/may not be a deal breaker on this side too. IT was the same case in the military. Military buddies going up for TS/SCI had to renounce their citizenship.
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Jan 22, 2019 17:47
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It depends on the citizenship (and maybe the position), I think? I was shocked to learn a colleague had dual German citizenship and a TS (no SCI). Seems like that shouldn't be allowed but this was also Obama times
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Jan 23, 2019 05:44
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Not going to comment on it directly, but there are a lot of misconceptions about clearances being discussed in this thread. Please be careful about what advice you follow.
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Jan 23, 2019 05:51
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Morale is noticeably down at my post. I can't imagine why.
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Jan 24, 2019 21:43
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zzonkmiles posted:Morale is noticeably down at my post. I can't imagine why. Oh, are you in Caracas?
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Jan 25, 2019 13:38
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On our fourth high-level visit of the month, all tied to Syria. I am deeply looking forward to a paycheck or three.
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Jan 26, 2019 18:18
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First day back this week after shutdown - mad dash by everyone at Post to book r and r travel for the summer.
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Feb 2, 2019 05:37
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Cross posting from the Federal Jobs thread: Hey goons I found a job I really want to apply for and work at in the state Department- how do I spruce up my resume for it(Foreign Affairs Officer) so it makes it to the point where I can get interviewed. I have a relevant Army MOS and I’m a current State Dept contractor(but not in DC). Help a brother out!
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Feb 4, 2019 04:15
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SCRwM posted:First day back this week after shutdown - mad dash by everyone at Post to book r and r travel for the summer. For those of us who are part of the summer transfer season, this whole budget thing is pretty disconcerting.
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Feb 5, 2019 07:10
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zzonkmiles posted:For those of us who are part of the summer transfer season, this whole budget thing is pretty disconcerting. In a normal year transfer season is always fun...
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Feb 8, 2019 03:42
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Passed the FSOT again  Hopefully I'll get to OA again this time as well
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Feb 28, 2019 15:31
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Slaan posted:Passed the FSOT again Congrats. Any tips for the OA? I got mine coming up.
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Mar 3, 2019 04:52
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Well, I didn't pass so take it with a grain of salt. - memorize your resume and break it down into aspects you can use for the interview section. You don't get much time to prepare. - do sims of the group discussion section. I hadn't and was struggling to get used to the format rather than focus on the task at hand - write practice memos - ensure you are answering the question asked, ignore the fluffy context they put in to mislead you onto side paths
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Mar 3, 2019 14:03
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Howard Phillips posted:Congrats. Any tips for the OA? I got mine coming up.
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Mar 4, 2019 19:51
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Any financial management specialists on here? Just found out I get to do an OA for that coming up soon. I'm curious to see if anyone has insight into what that life is like vs. a FSO's. Also have the OA for the generalist position in May--small chance of either working out, I know, but I think I'd still rather go the generalist route. But hey, either one would be pretty awesome:)
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Mar 9, 2019 00:26
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Slaan posted:Passed the FSOT again In addition to preparation based on advice here and in the official prep packet, get a good night's sleep, relax, be yourself, and enjoy the process. Trying too hard doesn't seem to work as well as being authentic.
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Mar 9, 2019 18:23
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I think my chancery is an incubation unit for various viruses. My whole section has been passing the same illness up and down the hallway since October, with various mutations every time it starts the trip over again. Bid Ankara! =/
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Mar 14, 2019 18:17
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the_chavi posted:I think my chancery is an incubation unit for various viruses. My whole section has been passing the same illness up and down the hallway since October, with various mutations every time it starts the trip over again. London was brutal - between the million TDYers and taking the tube/bus to work, I was always sick.
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Mar 16, 2019 03:38
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The Unholy Ghost posted:Question for thread members in the FS: So I think the lack of answers here points to the idea that you really don't have a lot of control whether you get in, or more accurately, after the FSOT there is no way to tell how well you fit the standard to pass or fail. It's an encouraging thought. I think I'll go through the process again, and if I pass the FSOT and get rejected at another stage without a syllable of explanation a second time, I'll be done.
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Mar 16, 2019 07:15
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Any last minute advice on the FSOA? I've done a live practice session off of the yahoo group. Will be reviewing the flow and format of the OA again. Is there a competitive element during the Group Exercise? With limited time I feel like it's important to speak more and be heard more without being overbearing or an rear end in a top hat. Thoughts?
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Mar 16, 2019 14:47
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The Unholy Ghost posted:So I think the lack of answers here points to the idea that you really don't have a lot of control whether you get in, or more accurately, after the FSOT there is no way to tell how well you fit the standard to pass or fail. The FSOT is the easiest stage of the process. But a lot of people pass the multiple choice section, but fail the essay. Others take the test just to see what happens even though they know they didn't study. So maybe people who failed it before now have the benefit of experience or are more serious about their studying. It's impossible to know.
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Mar 16, 2019 22:59
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zzonkmiles posted:The FSOT is the easiest stage of the process. But a lot of people pass the multiple choice section, but fail the essay. Others take the test just to see what happens even though they know they didn't study. So maybe people who failed it before now have the benefit of experience or are more serious about their studying. It's impossible to know. Yea I took it in February for the first time without studying. Did decent on the multiple choice with a 173 but got a 5 on the essay. I was exhausted by the time the essay section came up and froze, only getting two paragraphs down. I'll take it again next year and practice timed essay response beforehand.
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Mar 16, 2019 23:17
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laxbro posted:Yea I took it in February for the first time without studying. Did decent on the multiple choice with a 173 but got a 5 on the essay. I was exhausted by the time the essay section came up and froze, only getting two paragraphs down. I'll take it again next year and practice timed essay response beforehand. If you got a 5 on the essay, I would recommend a rescore. A 5 means that one rater passed you (with a 3) while the other rater failed you (with a 2). With a rescore, if your score is revised to a 6, you can continue the hiring process with the next cohort at the PN/QEP stage instead of waiting a year for the FSOT again. Contact Pearson. There's no downside for you to do so.
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Mar 17, 2019 09:40
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zzonkmiles posted:If you got a 5 on the essay, I would recommend a rescore. A 5 means that one rater passed you (with a 3) while the other rater failed you (with a 2). With a rescore, if your score is revised to a 6, you can continue the hiring process with the next cohort at the PN/QEP stage instead of waiting a year for the FSOT again. Contact Pearson. There's no downside for you to do so. I thought about it, but my essay was only two paragraphs full paragraphs, with a one sentence conclusion paragraph. My argument was good, so I guess one of the graders took pity on me. I'll give them a call tomorrow. No reason not to give it a go - thanks! This year was a test run for the FS, but I was hoping to make it as far as possible so that I could get OA experience.
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Mar 17, 2019 12:47
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Nutrimentia posted:In addition to preparation based on advice here and in the official prep packet, get a good night's sleep, relax, be yourself, and enjoy the process. Trying too hard doesn't seem to work as well as being authentic. Authentic, yes. I can confirm this as I examined before, although for specialists like B&F and IM. Beyond, "not a crazy person" which is hopefully immediately apparent, foremost in everyone's mind is, "Would this person be enjoyable to work with?" Regardless of any other aptitude, "enjoyable to work with" is an essential part of the matrix. Although for FS types doing the exam, enjoyable can also mean "interesting" to work with. Displaying a bit of social nervousness is perfectly fine. Everyone in the FS is pretty much nervous all loving day at work, regardless of cone. There's always something to be nervous about. So can a nervous you and a nervous me still make work enjoyable? Remember, the vast majority of the FS are people, while perfectly ordinary, who love to find themselves at the corner of Walk and Don't walk in a foreign country, "they're paying me for this?", while doing an honorable thing for their country merely by doing their work in weird places. They're fun people and you want to work with them. (I recruited for awhile too, I suppose it shows).
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Mar 28, 2019 01:00
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Good to see you back, forums user the popes toes
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Mar 28, 2019 13:14
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Business of Ferrets posted:Good to see you back, forums user the popes toes Hey, thanks. Just popping in after retirement to say it's all worth it.
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Mar 28, 2019 15:36
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