The Foreign Service Journal, September 2003

a skillful Internet “research librarian,” someone who keeps up-to-date with search engines and Web sites that compile other sites. The second direction I see is that of the Administrative Assistant. A high- caliber OMS would easily be able to fill any staff assistant position (and some have done so in the past with great suc- cess). Regardless of the amount of automation added to a post, the chief of mission will always need an assis- tant, in one form or another. So do many other officers in large sections. This is not so much to run errands as to keep tabs on how the COM’s time is parceled out. If you fill up his or her schedule, there is no time left for independent thought, but if you guard the COM’s time too jealously, you risk being perceived as an impediment to real office success. He or she — incoming OMSs have not achieved gender parity, but sever- al of the most recent training classes had 10 percent to 20 percent male membership — will also see to it that there is paper in the fax, printer, copier and bathroom. Such Adminis- trative Assistants might supervise FSNs and even American staff, coordinate special projects and do con- siderably more “programmatic” tasks that are currently shared among many. Although some may say the time is coming when the OMS function will cease to exist due to automation, I believe that, in some combination of the jobs outlined above, there will always be a place for us. ■ F O C U S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 41 The ubiquitous desktop computer has transformed OMS work in a crucial respect. A recent entrant to the Foreign Service, Llywelyn C. Graeme has served as an Office Management Specialist in Abuja for the past two years. His second tour starts in Beijing this fall. Spend your time the way you want . Do the same with your per diem . • Free Breakfast Buffet • Fitness Center • Laundry • Sundowner socials Your per diem goes much farther. So the next time you travel, spend some time here at Staybridge Suites . And Make It Your Place. Tysons-McLean 6845 Old Dominion Drive McLean, VA 22101 Phone: 703.448.5400 Fax: 703.506.0001 Owned by McLean Hotel LLC and Operated by Grand Duke Hotel, LLC Visit Staybridge Suites An ice cream soda is one of the few items we cannot mail. Drugs, cosmetics, sundries mailed to every country in the world. • Homeopathic & Herbal Remedies • Natural Body Products