The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2016 41 Glenn Guimond is a public diplomacy officer currently serving as an assessor with the Board of Examiners (HR/REE/EXAM/BEX). His former assignments include the Czech Republic, Papua New Guinea, Jamaica, Iraq (PRT Baghdad), Ethiopia, Austria and Venezuela. T he traditional path to becoming a For- eign Service officer has evolved over the years as the State Department continues to seek a pool of candidates representing the diverse fabric of the United States, as well as ensure that the process more accurately and fairly chooses from among them. The State Department’s Board of Examin- ers assesses applicants to the Foreign Service. BEX assessors identify innovative thinkers and entrepreneurial leaders to be the next generation of Foreign Service officers and specialists, strengthening the department and the Foreign Service to meet the challenges of a complex global landscape. BEX evaluates aspiring FSOs, specialists and limited non- career (LNC) candidates in 21 career tracks, including regional medical officers, consular fellows, information management specialists and others. To make use of the most appropriate and effective methods available, the BEX teamworks with depart- ment stakeholders and industrial psychologists to vet, validate and update test materials. This article outlines the basic steps to becoming a Foreign Service officer. The hiring process for special- ists and LNC candidates is similar and spelled out on the State Department’s careers website, careers.state.gov. Using a “total candidate” approach introduced in 2008, the current selection process improves the department’s ability to recruit and hire the best, compete more effectively with the private sector and be more efficient. Each step of the process is under continuous review to ensure efficacy and impact. The data for this evaluation comes, in part, from the candidates themselves in post-assessment surveys and social media platforms. Surveys of the new officers’ supervisors in the field provide additional data where “the rubber meets the road.” If deficiencies are identified, corrections are proposed, evaluated and—if found appropriate—implemented. One very important thing remains the same: the process itself continues to be considered the “gold standard” in profes- sional recruitment. The various steps in the entry process are briefly described here. More detailed information is available at https://careers. state.gov/work/foreign-service/officer. Examining State’s Foreign Service Officer Hiring Today FOCUS ON CAREER DIPLOMACY TODAY Here's an inside look at the process of becoming a Foreign Service officer, considered the “gold standard” in professional recruitment. BY GL ENN J . GU I MOND