For years, The Foreign Service Journal has periodically published "FS Know-How" columns featuring information, advice and experiences that are specific to life in the Foreign Service. We are pleased to present an archive of these columns in one central location.
- Turning Your Favorite FS Skills into Your Next Career by Eileen Smith (January-February 2026)
- A Brief RIF Explainer by David Roberts (April-May 2025)
- Cultural Competency for Effective Communications by Charles Morrill (March 2025)
- How To Be a Zooming Success by Robin Quinville (April 2022)
- Invest in the Next Generation: Ideas from the Entry-Level Group at Mission Pakistan by M.J. Crawford and Keome Rowe (March 2022)
- Supporting Special Needs Families Abroad by Karem R. Ensley (November 2021)
- Whistleblower Protections: A Nonpartisan Necessity by Alain Norman and Raeka Safai (September 2021)
- Retirement Planning 101 by John K. Naland (April 2020)
- 2020 Tech Guide to Foreign Service Life by Daniel Morris (December 2019)
- Reclaim Your Unclaimed Property by Lori Johnson (May 2019)
- 10 Things I Wish I Had Known: Confessions of a Recent Retiree by Dolores Brown (October 2018)
- Going Home: How to Buy a House for Home Leave and R&R by Donna Scaramastra Gorman (June 2018)
- Taking Care of Our Own by John K. Naland (March 2018)
- Are You Retirement Ready? by Donna Scaramastra Gorman (January-February 2018)
- My Legal Battle with the World’s Worst Property Manager by Aaron P. Karnell (May 2017)
- Estate Planning for the Foreign Service Community by Sam Schmitt (January-February 2016)
- Raising Foreign Service Kids by John Naland (November 2015)
- Going Back to Work: A Step-by-Step Guide for Foreign Service Spouses by Anna Sparks (September 2015)
- The Big Downsizing: Retirement Lessons by Eileen Malloy (July-August 2015)
- Tips from the Belly of the Python by John Fer (May 2015)
- You and Your Packout by Debra Blome (May 2015)
- Child Custody Issues in Foreign Service Divorces by Ann La Porta, Susan Keogh and Diane Holt (October 2014)
- A Practical Guide to International Divorce in the Foreign Service by Richard Seipert and Elizabeth Fitzsimmons (December 2013)
- Retirement Planning Shortfalls by John K. Naland (July-August 2013)
- Use Checklists to Make Visa Interviews Smarter by Jeffrey K. Zinsmeister (September 2012)
- Personal Record Keeping in the Foreign Service by Stephen H. Thompson (June 2012)
- Coping with High-Stress Posts by Joseph Adamo Mussomeli (November 2011)
- Helping a Colleague Cope with the Death of a Loved One by Joan B. Odean (November 2011)
- For Better Fraud Interviews, Think Like a Lawyer by Jeffrey K. Zinsmeister (February 2011)
- Effective Networking for Diplomats - Introverts or Not by Ruth M. Schimel (December 2009)
- Coping with Dietary Restrictions Overseas by Kelly Armstrong (November 2009)
- PD: A View from the Promotion Panel by Julie Gianelloni Connor (October 2009)
- 'Virtually' There: FS Spouses Build Careers Without Borders by Katherine Jacobs and Carolyn Ho (September 2009)
- Maximizing the Value of the Political Adviser Function by John D. Finney and Alphonse F. La Porta (October 2008)
- Mail Handling Tips by Lee Ackerman (November 2007)
- Dealing with Identity Theft by David Zwach (May 2007)
- How to Read and Write an EER by John J. Eddy (March 2007)
- What I Wish I Had Known by Robin Holzhauer (November 2006)
- Making the Most of Your Thrift Savings Plan by Steven Alan Honley (April 2006)
- FLO Is Here to Help with Career-Employment Issues by Donna Ayerst (November 2005)
- Tips for Getting Op-Eds Published by Dennis Jett (October 2005)
- Cause and (Household) Effects by Thomas F. Daughton (April 2005)