The Foreign Service Journal, June 2014

32 JUNE 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL a Romanian diplomat might manage responsibilities related to one of the three major categories: political, consular and trade services. In smaller missions, one offi- cer might do work in all three categories. Joining the Corps I joined the Romanian Foreign Service in 2006 following a hiring process that lasted several months. It was an open contest, and the competition was fierce. The exam was one of the toughest I ever took. There were only a limited number of positions available, after several years with no openings. The baseline requirements were strict: a university degree (any subject is acceptable, making the career available to those with all kinds of backgrounds and abilities); command of two foreign languages; and spe- cific skills, abilities and per- sonal qualities like judgment, adaptability and communica- tion and organizational skills. All those require- ments were tested during an extended process that included several stages: the writing test, where knowledge of specific world events had to be expressed in two foreign languages; an interview to evaluate oral communication and networking skills; and screening processes, consisting of physical and psychological tests, and a background check for the security clearance. Building a Career After completing the admission process, I joined the corps as a diplomatic attaché and was accepted into the political The “DOS-lish” language was something special: about 45-percent English and the rest ... acronyms. Transatlantic Diplomatic Fellows with Deputy Secretary of State William Burns at the 2013 TDF graduation ceremony. From left: Olivier Gauvin (France), Diana Tase, Petr Michalek (Czech Republic), Deputy Secretary Burns, Aaretti Siitonen (Finland), Claude Veron-Reville (European Union) and Arif Yeter (Turkey). Bogdan Banu