The Foreign Service Journal, June 2008

Finally, in 2006, Director General George Staples undertook an extensive review, with strong support from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In December of that year, he described the goal of the review in a message to all employees: “I was determined that we continue our tradition of seeking the best of the best. But I also want- ed to see whether we could find ways to improve our selection process. I had three specific goals in mind: that we improve our ability to find the best; that we compete more effectively with the private sector to attract the best; and that we make our process faster in hiring the best.” State enlisted McKinsey to look at the hiring process and make recommendations. The consulting firm found the Foreign Service selection process to be excellent, according to HR Senior Adviser Dick Christenson, but said State could do even better by incorporating best practices from the private sector. “We were tinkering with the system whereby the Foreign Service selects its future generations,” Christenson recalls. “It was a daunt- ing task,” and the first requirement was to “Do no harm.” Improving the “Gold Standard” Certain best practices were already in place, McKinsey concluded; namely, the Foreign Service Written Exam, a proven cognitive test, and the Oral Assessment — both of which McKinsey considered the “gold standard.” The one significant missing element, routine in the private sector, was a long, close look at experience and background early in the hiring process. McKinsey recommended a “Total Candidate” approach. As the DG explained in his December 2006 message, this approach was “aimed at discerning a full range of qualities that may make a candidate particularly well suited for FS work” — not simply exam scores. For many years, the entry process has been mostly “blind,” in the sense that examination of the candidate’s background was one of the last steps. Exactly when examiners were allowed to know who the applicant was has varied. Legend has it that back in the days when prestigious school ties were in fashion, examiners for the Oral Assessments would keep neutral ties on hand, and anyone wearing a school tie or other identifying acces- sories would be asked to change. From the mid-1980s until about 2001, the blind nature of the testing was strict. Examiners did not see the file until a candidate succeeded in reaching what was essentially an exit interview, having passed through the daylong Oral Assessment. Only then could candidates wow the examiners with fluent Arabic, a Ph.D. in inter- national relations, Peace Corps experience or years work- ing for a nonprofit in Latin America. If they happened to have useful experience, great. But they had to get over most of the hurdles before anyone could consider that background. This created a level playing field for candi- dates, but maybe it was too level. Perhaps that experi- ence mattered and should be counted much earlier. “The Total Candidate approach makes sense, in prin- ciple,” AFSA State Vice President Steve Kashkett tells the Journal . “It has always seemed silly to many of our members that the initial — and most important — step in weeding out candidates for the Foreign Service was based solely on doing well on a general knowledge writ- ten examination, much of which had nothing to do with foreign affairs. Instead, I think it is reasonable to look at things like proven overseas experience, as well.” Following the McKinsey review, some consideration was also given to the establishment of a mid-level entry program. AFSA strongly objected, however, and at this point, such a program is not in development. Looking for Someone Else? Minorities, Warriors, Cowboys “We want the Foreign Service to look like America” is a common refrain from Sec. Rice and HR officials. Increasing diversity at State is a priority and, as Recruiting Outreach Director Ann Syrett points out, this refers not only to race and ethnicity, but to geography and other elements. But, says HR, this must be accomplished through outreach work to raise awareness of the FS career option. The goal is to cast a wider net to attract the best minority applicants. In recent years, the recruiting divi- sion has developed programs to reach more historically black colleges and universities. In addition, the Diplomats in Residence (senior officers assigned to uni- versities around the U.S. by the recruiting division) focus on reaching out to talented minority students. Once an applicant finds the Foreign Service, however, there is no special preference; all compete on merit and now, to a greater extent than before, on experience. “There is nothing in the new selection process that would either advantage or disadvantage a minority applicant,” says Christenson. State’s Office of the Legal Adviser has F O C U S 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 17