Department of State does not list specific degree requirements for a foreign service officer role. Earning at least an undergraduate degree cultivates the knowledge and skills to pass the required exams and assessments. Furthermore, earning an advanced degree, such as a Master of Arts in Diplomacy, can deepen the skills to excel in a foreign service officer role and help an individual stand out amid an often competitive field.
Foreign service officers have the option to pursue one of five different career-tracks, which must be listed on their application for the Foreign Service Officer Test.
Each career track offers lucrative compensation and incentives. Before being placed, candidates must complete a written and oral examination. They must also submit to a thorough background and medical check performed by the Department of State to determine their eligibility for top security clearance and suitability for working in high stress environments.
Once cleared, candidates are reviewed by a panel of foreign service members and assigned to an embassy or consulate. Here, they will fill one of the following roles. There is often paperwork that must be completed and a review that must be conducted to clear a citizen to live or work abroad.
Consular officers interact with United States citizens who are hoping to enter or leave a country. They perform tasks ranging from issuing visas to providing critical information about the nation to travelers. Relaying information regarding criminal cases that occur abroad to the families of the accused or the victims is another extremely sensitive responsibility given to consular officers.
Economic officers in the Foreign Service are tasked with developing a comprehensive understanding of the region in which they are stationed, using that knowledge to aid the interests of the United States government and its citizens. Because the position requires a thorough understanding of the economics of the area, economic officers are often contacted by American companies to answer questions regarding legal fees and fines, and by individuals who are seeking to do business abroad.
These officers are responsible for making sure the activities of the consulate or embassy in which they are posted are carried out smoothly. They often set up events, oversee employees, and communicate key information between all levels of the consulate staff by preparing reports and participating in meetings.
These diplomats will often interact with foreign ambassadors and officials to plan the best course of action when international issues or concerns—such as armed conflicts—arise. Political officers also analyze current political climates and negotiate on behalf of the United States with local government officials to maintain the security of American interests.
The position requires frequent discussion of American culture, values, and history with the local community. To be fair and honest; to avoid deceit, favoritism, and discrimination; to present issues frankly and fully, without injecting subjective bias; to work without letting personal bias prejudice actions. By absorbing and retaining complex information drawn from a variety of sources; to draw reasoned conclusions from analysis and synthesis of available information; to evaluate the importance, reliability, and usefulness of information; to remember details of a meeting or event without the benefit of notes.
To work and communicate effectively and harmoniously with persons of other cultures, value systems, political beliefs, and economic circumstances; to recognize and respect differences in new and different cultural environments. How can you showcase your oral communication skills at the U. By speaking fluently in a concise, grammatically correct, organized, precise, and persuasive manner; to convey nuances of meaning accurately; to use appropriate styles of communication to fit the audience and purpose.
Department of State define planning and organizing? Though there are no education requirements for applicants, many Foreign Service Officers enter the field with advanced degrees. In the past, consular officer careers were not as competitive as the Political Officers and Public Diplomacy Officers career tracks.
Choosing talent makes the foreign service strong. Think of the military: It takes its talent young, either officers or enlisted, and molds them into technicians and leaders. While the average entry age for the Foreign Service is older than the military, the objective is the same — mold an effective cadre of competent, courageous officers. The core skills for representing the U.
Ambassadors do it on a regular basis, sometimes in a public way but more often quietly. Yet, to think of State and its embassies as an extension or American business, or its people as a marketing tool for America, is a mistake.
What do we need at State? First, the department needs to recruit those who show promise in those areas noted above, and to cultivate those skills through ever more challenging assignments and long-term training. Second, the department headquarters has experienced an explosion of fiefdoms, often to address an immediate pressing need or to carry out a new policy initiative that regular channels would relegate to a second tier; these units seem never to go away.
We ought to clear out the underbrush.
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