The Foreign Service Journal, June 2008

kept a close eye on the process to ensure it meets all legal criteria. Candidates are asked to voluntarily fill in a form on race and national origin, but that information, according to Donna Visocan of the Board of Examiners, is kept out of the appli- cant file and is collected for statistical analysis only. “The data is used by our recruitment section to determine which groups they may need to target to get more diverse applicants,” says Visocan. In part because the new hiring process is being initi- ated during a time when the demand for people to serve in Iraq is putting a strain on the whole personnel system, some FSOs have assumed that the changes were being made to fill Iraq jobs. But there does not appear to be a direct connection: all incoming FS personnel agree to worldwide availability, which is nothing new. That said, staffing demands for Iraq, and to some extent Afghani- stan, do dictate that many officers joining today will need to serve there. More generally, the number of unaccompanied post- ings has risen dramatically, from about 200 a few years ago to over 900 positions today (generalist and specialist posi- tions combined). Incoming FSOs should probably expect to serve in an unaccompanied post at some point in their careers, and directed assignments to war zone posts are not out of the question. State may now need many more so-called “expeditionary” diplomats, but HR tells the Journal that the examiners do not select on that basis. Another concern expressed by FSOs is that high stan- dards might be compromised and the process “dumbed down.” HR officials say they are aware of that concern but see it as unfounded. The written test is shorter, they acknowledge, but it is not easier. However, the passing score for the written exam can be lowered to bring more candidates to the QEP; and the passing QEP score can also be lowered to bring more candidates to the orals. While standards remain high, State is admittedly look- ing for a slightly different diplomat today, someone who might be described as the “perfect diplomat plus.” It used to be acceptable to “just be brilliant,” Christenson explains. Now, “brilliant is good, but we want people who know how to be practical and solve problems, how to work well with people.” The search today is for candi- dates who not only have intellectual abilities, but real-world skills. The traditional reporting function is giv- ing way to more action-oriented pursuits. This is tied, in part, to Sec. Rice’s Transformational Diplo- macy initiative. As she explained in her February speech on the subject at Georgetown University: “America must recruit and train a new genera- tion of Foreign Service profession- als with new expectations of what life as a diplomat will be. … We see it in the jungles of Colombia where our diplomats are helping old guerrilla fighters become new democratic citizens. We see it in Zimbabwe, where our diplomats are taking up the just and peaceful cause of a tyrannized people.” So You Want to Be a Diplomat? The First Hurdle As part of the effort to streamline and speed up the testing process, State tossed out the old blue books and pencils, opting instead for an entirely online Foreign Service Officer Test. Testing windows are open for eight days, several times a year, so that no one has to wait more than a few months. And the test now takes about three hours, as opposed to the previous five. Registering for the exams, however, now requires a greater up-front effort by the candidate than ever before, and can be considered the first substantial hurdle in the entry process. For many years, signing up for the written exam was about as simple as sending in your name. There was, and still is, no fee. Known as the ultimate “smarty-pants” test, many people have taken the test without serious plans to pursue an FS career, just to see if they could pass. Today, applicants must be pretty sure they are serious when they log on to register. Registration is fully online; there is no paper application. (Note to exam-takers: Save or print your forms, because you cannot access them again once you hit “submit.”) The State career Web site — www.careers.state.gov — says it should take about three hours to register, but many applicants tell the Journal it takes far longer. Included in registration is a new requirement to write six 200-word “mini-essays” in response to ques- F O C U S 18 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 8 There has been a decline in the percentage of female applicants for the first three rounds of the new written exam.