The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2016

44 JULY-AUGUST 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL followed, and were able to explain, the intricacies of the group discussion. On the Careers portion of its website, the State Department provides resources that help familiarize candidates with the process. These resources include a “Foreign Service Officer Oral Assessment Information Guide”; a letter from the staff director of BEX, which contains a detailed explanation of the Oral Assessment and the 13 dimensions it measures; sample exercises; and a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the assessment. Clearances Candidates who pass the Oral Assessment will receive a con- ditional offer of employment and instructions about obtaining medical and security clearances to continue their candidacy. There is no guarantee of employment at this stage. Once the clearances are completed, the file goes to the Suitability Review Panel. The Register When candidates successfully pass the Foreign Service Officer Test; Qualifications Evaluation Panel; Oral Assessment; security and medical clearances; and a suitability review, they are placed on a hiring register. Candidates are rank-ordered on the register based on the specific career track they chose at the time they registered for the FSOT and their Oral Assess- ment score, plus any additional credit for language ability or veterans’ preference they may receive. Veteran’s preference points or credit for demonstrated for- eign language proficiency may raise a candidate’s standing on the register. Instructions on how to receive additional credit in these areas are provided on successful completion of the Oral Assessment. Where We Stand In recent years, up to 17,000 candidates have taken the Foreign Service Officer Test annually. A much smaller number advance to the QEP review, and approximately 1,000 per year are invited to the Oral Assessment. It should be kept in mind that FSO hiring targets are adjusted regularly. Many candi- dates with excellent qualifications who may have received an invitation to the Oral Assessment at a time of increased hiring will not receive one when the department’s hiring targets are lower or if there is an increase in the overall number of candi- dates. The process is highly competitive, and many candidates repeat the process more than once before succeeding. The available data suggests that the current entry process results in a diverse, motivated and productive workforce. Minority representation in the Foreign Service has increased over the past 10 years, but is still not where the department would like it to be. In Fiscal Year 2003, Hispanic candidates represented 4.7 percent of FSOs hired, while in FY2015, 9.7 percent of those hired were Hispanic. The percentage of African-American FSOs hired rose from 5.5 percent in FY2006 to 12.1 percent in FY2015. Although incoming Foreign Service classes are increasingly diverse and have nearly reached gender parity, except in a few specialist categories, it will take time before the workforce as a whole reflects these gains. Our surveys of supervisors of new entry-level officers tell us that they possess strong work experience, technical and IT skills, and professionalism. Though this information is welcome, it by no means signals an end to the evolution of the entry process. FSOs themselves are expected to adapt to changing circumstances and to improve their performance over time. They do this through soliciting feedback from their peers and supervisors, as well as through critical self-assess- ment. The entry process for their profession should be no different. The United States Department of State is fortunate to have so many outstanding candidates interested in joining the ranks of the Foreign Service. Those who have worked with the department’s entry-level professionals in recent years can attest to their outstanding skills and abilities. We will continue to evaluate the selection process to ensure that we are hiring the very best. n The first update in a decade to the group exercise portion of the Oral Assessment was the addition of the “Ambassador Brief.”