The Foreign Service Journal, June 2008

have increased with each of the first three tests. The September test was only offered in the U.S., while by December overseas testing became available at 86 embassies (including Baghdad). Available testing centers overseas should continue to increase. But HR is not particularly worried about these numbers. The total num- ber of candidates taking the written exammay not reach the high numbers of the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative years, but HR’s Dick Christenson says that might be just fine. “It’s not a popularity contest. The bottom line is, are we getting the right people?” Because registration can no longer be done casually, HR believes that it is getting a more serious pool of appli- cants. Already, the no-show rate for those who sign up for the written exam dropped significantly with the first offer- ing of the new exam — it was less than 10 percent, down from a high of 50 percent in previous years. Still, HR officials are walking a fine line with the new front-loaded registration requirements. They want seri- ous applicants and may not need 20,000 to sign up to find the best several hundred to hire. But they also do not want to deter capable candidates by making the registra- tion too cumbersome. And, in fact, many applicants who begin the registration process do not complete it. In addi- tion, it can be an advantage to be popular; high applicant numbers feed the image of a highly competitive and desir- able employer. A number of candidates told the Journal that the time and information needed to register were too significant a burden. “Frankly, the time it now takes to complete the entire applica- tion just to take the new written test is too much,” explains former candidate Phil Goss, who passed the orals once. “The new procedures, in my opinion, weed out the best and the brightest, because, though intended to identify these people, the procedures end up putting the highest-caliber individuals off. … I suggest a more aggressive recruiting approach rather than a weed- ing-out approach. I, among many others, simply can’t be bothered to jump through the hoops nowadays.” Others thought that the deterrent was probably a good idea. “I do think that including essays in the application process probably dissuaded many potential candidates from applying,” says candidate Steve Gratzer. “However, I believe that this is probably a good thing, as anyone who is considering such an important career choice should be able to commit to that minimal amount of extra work. If they can’t complete six short essays, they probably would not handle other inconveniences well.” A Work In Progress HR officials take feedback seriously and say they will continue to improve the process. Concerns among can- didates about the notification system have already result- ed in one change. Written exam results were being sent along with QEP results, so those who passed the written exam did not know that until after the evaluation phase and, in many cases, only after references were contacted. To improve transparency and to decrease wait times, HR has implemented a new dual notification system. Written exam results are now to be sent out within eight weeks, before the QEP has concluded its work; and QEP results will be sent out within eight weeks of that review. More efforts to help keep candidates informed about the process are being discussed within HR. While still a work in progress, there is no doubt that HR is trying to maintain the integrity of the hiring process. Meanwhile, the first Total Candidates began joining training classes this spring, and it remains to be seen how, and even whether, they differ significantly from their predecessors. n 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 25 Learn More ... State Department Careers Web site: http://careers.state.gov/officer/selection.html The Study Guide (a guide to the FSOT) http://www.act.org/FSOT Guide to the Foreign Service Officer Selection Process www.careers.state.gov/docs/3.0_FSO_RegGuide.pdf Foreign Service Officer Test YahooGroup: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fswe Foreign Service Oral Assessment YahooGroup: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fsoa Inside a U.S. Embassy: www.afsa.org/inside Foreign Service Journal: www.fsjournal.org The search today is for candidates who not only have intellectual abilities, but real-world skills.