Foreign Service FAQ’s

Throughout the month I’ve been collecting questions about the Foreign Service from Facebook fans and a few rapscallions who e-mailed me instead. Here are my answers.

• What cone leads to Ambassador?
  • I got several e-mails asking me this. It’s a complicated question, and I have four comments. a)Most FSOs never become Ambassadors. If that’s your main goal, a better route may be to earn a lot of money and donate it to a candidate at some point in the future. You should always reach for the stars, but being an FSO is about the day-to-day joys of serving and representing your country. b) Traditionally political officers have fared best. c) The real question is what cone will be most likely promoted to Ambassador after your 20ish year career. That, no one knows. I think we’re seeing an ascendant management cone, but that may be a result of State’s diminished influence under the previous administration. c) Again, don’t join just to become an Ambassador.
• How much input do you have in choosing countries to be stationed in the beginning of your career? Can you reject an assignment? How much input do you have later in your career after tenure?
  • You have some input on your first two assignments. The first one is hardest, you and the people who started around the same time as you are given a list that is about the same size as your group. You get to provide some input before a group of experienced officers choose where everyone goes. You can’t reject that choice. This is the worst part, because these posts are mostly ‘leftover’ posts that no second tour officer wanted to fill. On your second assignment, you’re given a list of hundreds of posts from which you have to choose 20ish. Generally you’ll get one of those. The first assignment isn’t terribly fair or transparent, but you’ll have a lot more leeway later on. On your third+ tours you’re free to go wherever. You just have to convince the powers that be that you’re the best man for that job. It’s a complicated process too, but don’t sweat it at the outset.
• I have [medical condition]. Will I be able to get clearance?
  • I did my best to offer some solutions before, but all I can do is recommend that you contact Medclearances@state.gov. I e-mailed them to ask about asthma (the most requested condition), but frankly their answer was “it depends” and that they couldn’t provide any more information than that. With regard to mental health conditions, there was an excellent article in this month’s Foreign Service Journal that gives a frank assessment.
• You said that [preferred cone]’s part of the written exam asked specific questions, but then you said they’re all the same?
  • Yes, I made a mistake. In my Hegemonist hubris I used an older study guide when writing the cone sections. Sorry about that, I’m changing them this weekend.
• I noticed on several websites, including your blog, that the general FSO process takes a number of months. However, it has also come to my attention that those with strong command of a language such as Mandarin Chinese/ Farsi/ Arabic may be sent on some sort of expedited track, receiving a telephone interview and a handful of extra points. Herein lies the murkiness! Are there any statistics or rough estimates on how much faster the process becomes for one of us lucky enough to possess fluency in a SCNL, and perhaps, how the chances of entry are increased? I remember hearing from a FSO that SCNLers who score well on the telephone interview are essentially ‘all but guaranteed jobs.’ I feel this may be a stretch. Regardless, any thoughts or insight would be much appreciated.
  • You get an early phone test, because they want to make sure to zip you through the QEP. Then, after the orals, you get an extra .4 on your score, which should zip you past most of the waiting list. Your biggest bonus will probably be several months off the waiting list (depending on how well you did before the score bump). [Special thanks to Nina who both e-mailed me this question and then selflessly posted it on Facebook!]
• Branching off of the previous SCNL question: Are the points awarded for language proficiency cumulative (i.e. being awarded a .4 points for Dari and then an additional .17 for Spanish) or does State only allow one language for the bonus?
  • Mark answered this question a few days ago. Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who participated!

This post is part of my unofficial Guide to the Foreign Service Exam.

Tagged as: FSOT