Okay, so the three conditions of employment haven't scared you away. You're still interested in going through with this process. You think you want to become an FSO, but are unsure of how to proceed. This post will focus on how to start your application off right and inform you of what types of positions are available. The Department of State (DOS) publishes this information on its official webpage. Having gone through (most of) this process before, I can elaborate a bit. There are eight steps, some of which are easier than others. So, let's get started!
Step 1: Choose a Career Track
Think of a person who says he wants to join the military. "I want to be a soldier," he says enthusiastically. Okay, that's great, but it's not that simple. There are many kinds of soldiers. They perform different functions and have different domains of expertise. Soldiers can work in the military police force, infantry platoons, finance offices, courthouses, field hospitals, radio studios, munitions warehouses, animal clinics, and tanks. The Foreign Service works in a similar fashion. At the beginning of the process of becoming an FSO, candidates have to choose one career track (sometimes called a "cone") that will govern what kinds of assignments they receive once they've been sworn in.
There are five career tracks for FSOs: Consular, Economic, Management, Political and Public Diplomacy.
Consular officers are troubleshooters. They issue passports and visas. They also provide services to Americans in emergency situations, such as those who are incarcerated, those who need to be evacuated, those whose wallets or purses were stolen, and those who are dealing with international child custody disputes.
Economic officers do a lot of research and liaisoning with foreign businesses and governments with the goal of finding or advancing opportunities for American investment abroad. They often have a portfolio of specific economic sectors to monitor, such as airlines, energy or tourism.
Management officers are the administrators of the embassies themselves. They secure adequate housing for embassy workers, manage the embassy motor pool, recruit and train locally hired staff, and ensure that future sites for American missions and such comply with security requirements.
Political officers keep tabs on the general social and political conditions of a country. They monitor election results and write reports on how these results may impact relations with the United States. They also identify the primary actors in a foreign government or conditions among the local populations that may lead to instability.
Public diplomacy officers serve as official mouthpieces for the United States government abroad. They use foreign media to articulate United States policy. They regularly scan the local media and look for opportunities to use it to advance American interests. They also coordinate cultural exchange programs.
There are no particular educational or professional requirements for any of these career tracks. You do not need a degree in journalism to be a public diplomacy officer, nor do you need to have an MBA to be an economic officer. Having said that, you should carefully consider the career track you choose because it is very difficult to change career tracks later on. DOS has a useful tool on their webpage that is designed to help you decide which career track you are best suited for. It's worth checking out.
Care should be taken regarding choosing a career track. A candidate can choose only ONE career track, and this choice cannot be changed. Candidates should also choose a career track according to their personal interests, not what they perceive as the "easier" track to get into. Since we're talking about your actual JOB here, you would be doing yourself a huge disservice if you don't choose the track you are most passionate about.
There are various Internet forums that recommend applying for one track or another because the applicants stand a greater chance of being hired due to a lower number of candidates. This is horrible advice for several reasons:
1. The hiring needs of one year may be different from the hiring needs of another year. You may think you can game the system by applying as a management officer "because that's the worst track," but because the hiring process may take up to two years or even longer, you may be surprised to find that the needs of the Foreign Service have changed and that there is an oversupply of management candidates by the time you apply.
2. Because it is so hard to change career tracks and because you need to do work in your chosen career track in order to attain tenure, do you really want to risk working 20 years in an elite organization doing work you really don't like? If you really want to become a public diplomacy officer and draft press statements for the ambassador, why would you apply to become a consular officer and potentially have to interview visa applicants for hours each day?
3. The people who review your applications may question why you chose a career track that does not appear to be a good match for your qualifications. If you have a lot of business experience and have managed economic portfolios, how can you use this experience to explain why you want to be a political officer? If you can't translate your background into a compelling rationale for your candidacy, why should you be admitted to the Foreign Service? This kind of strategizing could result in a failed candidacy.
Once you have decided which career track you wish to pursue, let me remind you that FSOs are considered "generalists." In other words, DOS may need you to serve in positions outside of your designated career track. Additionally, all new FSOs are required to serve a consular tour (and/or possibly a management tour) in one of their first two assignments. FSOs at some smaller posts may perform the functions of several officers at the same time. Thus, a consular officer might also work as a public diplomacy officer and a management officer. This is just something to keep in mind.
One last thing. Please remember which track you signed up for. And if your memory is no good, then write this down somewhere. You cannot change your career track once it has been selected. And you cannot retrieve this selection in the event that you forgot it.
(It should also be noted that there is another half to the Foreign Service besides Foreign Service Officers. The Foreign Service also consists of Foreign Service Specialists (FSSs). FSSs have specific functions at American missions abroad, such as security, construction, or medical. After all, embassies need people to maintain their computer networks, issue medication, and provide security. More information about FSS tracks is located here. This blog, however, will focus only on the process of becoming an FSO and, hopefully, my future career as one.)
The next step of this process is where things get serious...
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