The Foreign Service Journal, June 2008

J U N E 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 15 career as a diplomat for the State Department’s Foreign Service does not provide rich- es or, in most cases, fame. Yet it has a reputation as an elite and prestigious profession, in service to America. This cachet has endured through the generations in part because of the mystique surrounding the difficult exams candidates must pass in order to join the diplomatic corps. Only 2 to 3 percent of those who apply are offered a position. There is a strong attachment inside the Foreign Service to the gateway to the diplomatic career, and passing the F O C U S O N T H E F S P E R S O N N E L S Y S T E M W HO I S THE “T OTAL C ANDIDATE ”? FSO H IRING T ODAY T HE F OREIGN S ERVICE INTAKE PROCESS HAS BEEN REVAMPED . H ERE IS A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE NEW EXAM AND OTHER CHANGES . B Y S HAWN D ORMAN A Terry Tidwell/Miracle Studios