FSO Career

It’s 2022, which means it’s time to review whether the Department of State has become more diverse since 2016, when we conducted our first review. I am writing this portion of the post before examining the data, so with it being five years, I’ll be interested to see if any change has taken place. That said, …

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For many citizens in overseas countries, the Foreign Service Consular Officer is the principal diplomat they will (ever) interact with. Adjudicators of visas and primary support to U.S. citizens abroad, the Consular Officer must hold a broad range of skills. Unlike the other career tracks, acting as a Consular Officer for your first or two …

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The Foreign Service Economic Officer helps strengthen (or minimize) ties between the U.S. and the host country. By working with many different people in and out of government, the Economic Officer seeks out the information that will benefit U.S. business. This can be as global as putting together a trans-ocean agreement or environmental package, to as local as determining …

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The ones who keep the embassy or consulate running, the Foreign Service Management Officers are in charge of projects both small and large. Staff leaders, management officers supervise (potentially several) local staff from the beginning, and are trained to be able to manage real estate, human resources, logistics, construction, budgeting, and more. What follows are three …

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When you think of the Foreign Service, the duties of the Political Officer is the one that comes to mind the most for people. Keeping up with national and international trends that affect the host country, speaking and networking with government officials and subject matter experts on a topic, and writing numerous reports, the role …

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The cultural bridge between the U.S. mission and the host country, the Public Diplomacy Foreign Service Officer is the gatekeeper and promoter of information concerning the U.S. During your career, you may represent a post as the spokesperson, promote student and professional development exchange via the Fulbright Program, and/or organize discussion groups with the local …

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Former Vice President Joe Biden is president-elect. The changing of the guard will bring a change in policy, management, vision, and action for the Department of State and the Foreign Service. With everything still relatively early, let’s take a fun, and by no means official, look into what the future could entail. Let me know …

What does a Biden administration mean for the Foreign Service? Read More »

The question isn’t a new one, it is an important one, and one that continues to be asked: does the State Department have a diversity problem? Whenever there is a discussion of workforce development and the State Department, it appears. At times, the driver to increase diversity is strong, and at other times it is …

Does the State Department have a diversity problem? Read More »