The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2016

42 JULY-AUGUST 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Starting the Process Each candidate must carefully consider and choose a career track before applying. While all U.S. diplomats are expected to communicate U.S. foreign policy and advance U.S. interests worldwide, each track has a specific focus. Formerly known as “cones,” the five FSO generalist career tracks of the Foreign Ser- vice are consular, economic, management, political and public diplomacy. The Foreign Service Officer Test Candidates seeking to become Foreign Service officers, or generalists, next register for the Foreign Service Officer Test, which is offered three times a year—in February, June and October. Registration is open for the five-week period imme- diately prior to a specific testing window (this is a change from the previous, continuously open application period). When registering, the candidate submits an application and selects a seat at the same time. The candidate also must make a career track selection when registering. Applications are valid only for that particular test and expire when the testing window closes. Once an application for a test window is submitted, it cannot be changed. Candidates may test only once in a 12-month period. Eligible candidates may submit new applications during each registration period, allow- ing them to update employment or other important informa- tion, and change their contemplated career track if they wish. The FSOT is a critical part of the FSO selection process, covering the job knowledge, English expression and biographic information necessary to work as a Foreign Service officer. The test is administered online and is comprised of a series of multiple-choice questions and an essay. There are many resources available to help familiarize a candidate with the test at the Department of State’s website, https://careers.state.gov. Information provided there includes a Suggested Reading List and Course List; employee videos that communicate the range of work that Department of State professionals perform abroad and at home; a digital brochure, “Becoming a Foreign Service Officer,” which contains sample test questions; and links to download the DOSCareers mobile app to test themselves with “retired” questions from the FSOT . There is even an online practice FSOT that simulates the actual testing experience and gives a prospective candidate an estimate of his or her likelihood of passing the real test. Those who took the practice FSOT and then took the actual FSOT had higher scores and higher passing rates than those who did not take the practice FSOT. Like all elements of the entry process, the FSOT is under constant review. In response to dissatisfaction among Foreign Service managers over the quality of entry-level officers’ writing ability, BEX is seeking ways to better measure a candidate’s business writing skills. A 2,800-character word limit was applied to the essay portion of the February FSOT to encourage more concise text. BEX is also considering the addition of situational judgment questions, which will assess a candidate’s judgment and interpersonal skills. Personal Narratives If a candidate passes the FSOT, he or she then has three weeks to write six personal narratives (PNs), which answer questions describing the knowledge, skills and abilities a can- didate would bring to the Foreign Service. These six promotion precepts (Leadership, Interpersonal Skills, Communication Skills, Management Skills, Intellectual Skills and Substantive Knowledge) are predictors of success in the Foreign Service. The PNs offer candidates the opportunity to highlight not just what they have done, but how they did it and what they learned. Candidates are asked to provide examples from their experiences that demonstrate their abilities; identify learn- ing experiences; and show how their learning experience will contribute to success in their chosen career track. Essentially, they must show they have the skills to be a successful FSO. Each career track is reviewed by a different panel made up of officers from that career track during the Qualifications Evaluation Panel. The Qualifications Evaluation Panel Implemented in 2007, the QEP uses a total-candidate approach to review candidates’ educational and work back- ground, their responses to the PN questions, their self-evalu- ated language skill level and their FSOT scores. Although the QEP is a total file review, the candidate has the most control over it through his or her responses in the PNs. Like all elements of the entry process, the FSOT is under constant review.