I've been on cloud nine for the past couple months looking forward to my Foreign Service career on the not-so-distant horizon. I often daydream about my first post and relish in the thought of my wife and I leading rockstar lives as a Foreign Service power couple. Over the last week though, some of this fantasizing has given way to a sense of anxiety and anticipation, hence the title of this blog.
First of all, I learned that my rank on the political register has slipped six spots. I now sit at 26, which is still relatively secure but might not be high enough for a call to the next class tentatively scheduled to begin on July 18. I might have to wait until the following class in September or even two months beyond then. The delay wouldn't be all bad but I have grown increasingly eager to begin my career.
My fortunes these days are mostly being driven by the federal budget impasse. Until Congress and Obama agree on a budget for the remainder of the fiscal year, the State Department has no hiring authority. Although there are a range of different scenarios, I personally think an agreement will be reached around the April 8 deadline and offers for the July class will start going out soon thereafter. I will be following the news from Washington closely and then checking my email even more compulsively. I am counting on a number of factors but unfortunately they are all beyond my control.
Secondly, my wife is now awaiting word whether she will proceed to the next stage of the Foreign Service selection process. She just submitted her Personal Narrative Questions (PNQs) tonight and will probably find out the results in the next month or two. PNQs ask potential candidates to describe various skills such as leadership, communication and intellect. This ain't your typical job cover letter. Boilerplate language won't cut it. The responses must reflect both breadth and depth in experience while highlighting results in a very succinct manner. We've worked late the last couple nights on fine tuning her responses. I'm obviously biased but I can honestly say that they are exceptional. If she does not receive a passing score, it will be because the level of competition and hiring slowdown have raised the bar to near insurmountable standards. If she does pass, we will celebrate together and then she will start preparing for the decisive Oral Assessment sometime after the summer.
Well, that about sums up my current state of mind. Hoping for good news to share in my next posting.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
First Post Preferences
First of all, this post is a bit silly. I am a long ways from shipping out for the Foreign Service. I have not even received an official "call" and will have no idea about possible postings until I begin orientation in DC. That hasn't stopped me from incessant daydreaming though. In fact, I have been having recurring dreams about being assigned to random posts, which I have gleaned from others going through this process is very common. Just to show how my subconscious mind works in mysterious ways, I was weighing the pros and cons of Bujumbura (Burundi) and Nouakchott (Mauritania) several weeks ago and last night it was the social life in Baghdad's embassy compound. Go figure.
Anyway, in an attempt to put some of these ruminations to bed (literally and figuratively) and since so many people ask where I am headed, I've decided to state my preferences for potential postings. Keep in mind these preferences could change (maybe after my wife reads this tonight). Nevertheless, I thought it would be a good idea to record some preliminary preferences to guide my thinking later on.
Without further ado, here are my three rank-ordered preferences accompanied by a brief rationale:
1) Political officer opportunities: Although most available postings for first timers are consular because of the high demand for immigrant visa services, I would like to have some opportunities to perform some of the responsibilities of a political officer in my first tour and, if not, definitely in the second. This is by no means a sure thing but I'm hoping that making it my first preference will help. I have heard that there is a limited number of political jobs in each bid list with a few assignments split between consular and political duties. Those posts, almost regardless of location, would appeal to me. My understanding is that some smaller posts also allow new officers to serve in various roles. In short, I feel that it is very important that my new career entail something related to my academic and professional background in politics. After all, this cone is why I wanted to join the Foreign Service in the first place.
2) Safe environment for family: My wife and kids are along for the Foreign Service ride, for better and worse, so the least I can do is mitigate the latter in terms of living conditions. More than half of the State Department posts around the world are classified as "hardship" not so much because they are in war torn countries ravaged by endemic disease, but because the living standards are below what we enjoy in the United States. The reality is that I will serve in several posts that are hot, crowded and polluted. I feel there are ways to deal with those inconveniences. I do not, however, want to go somewhere with rampant crime and indiscriminate violence such as any of the Mexican border posts. Bear in mind that U.S. embassies go to great lengths to ensure the safety of their personnel but the mental wellbeing of my family is of utmost importance. For this reason, my family would not accompany me to a post where the normal everyday environment was unsafe. Hopefully this preference will not come into play.
3) Arabic-speaking post: Sorry to disappoint those who were pining to visit us in Rome next year. We will likely enjoy a cushy European post later in my career but not as a newbie. In fact, I am required to serve one of my first two tours in an Arabic-speaking post and would strongly prefer to meet this requirement at the outset so I have more latitude while bidding for my second tour. I also happen to feel a strong call of duty in light of the profound changes in the Middle East. Given the swelling registers of eligible candidates for the Foreign Service, I am also fortunate that my Arabic proficiency is my ticket in and I suspect it eventually will be for my wife as well. And finally, don't think that we will be stationed in some desert wasteland. Believe it or not, the Arab world has a lot of diversity and some capitals are very cosmopolitan. A posting in Morocco would be ideal because of its politics, food and people. Other attractive family-friendly posts include Jordan, Israel (Jerusalem), Syria and Oman.
This exercise obviously entails a lot of wishful thinking but I do think it is grounded in reality. It will also be fun to look back on this post before I present my actual preferences to the Career Development Officer who will use them to help determine my first assignment. Right now, I will just have to commiserate with other diplomats in waiting who have bid list envy and follow other bloggers who provide flag day recaps with overjoyed reports about assignments matching their preferences.
Unfortunately, all of the uncertainty surrounding the federal budget has cast a dark cloud over the "Foreign Service wannabe" blogosphere. The HR Department announced today the cancellation of a previously scheduled orientation class for May. I had taken myself off the call list for this class but am hopeful of entering the next one in mid-July. In the meantime, I'll share any new developments (instead of weird dreams) and continue to throw darts at my world map on the wall.
Anyway, in an attempt to put some of these ruminations to bed (literally and figuratively) and since so many people ask where I am headed, I've decided to state my preferences for potential postings. Keep in mind these preferences could change (maybe after my wife reads this tonight). Nevertheless, I thought it would be a good idea to record some preliminary preferences to guide my thinking later on.
Without further ado, here are my three rank-ordered preferences accompanied by a brief rationale:
1) Political officer opportunities: Although most available postings for first timers are consular because of the high demand for immigrant visa services, I would like to have some opportunities to perform some of the responsibilities of a political officer in my first tour and, if not, definitely in the second. This is by no means a sure thing but I'm hoping that making it my first preference will help. I have heard that there is a limited number of political jobs in each bid list with a few assignments split between consular and political duties. Those posts, almost regardless of location, would appeal to me. My understanding is that some smaller posts also allow new officers to serve in various roles. In short, I feel that it is very important that my new career entail something related to my academic and professional background in politics. After all, this cone is why I wanted to join the Foreign Service in the first place.
2) Safe environment for family: My wife and kids are along for the Foreign Service ride, for better and worse, so the least I can do is mitigate the latter in terms of living conditions. More than half of the State Department posts around the world are classified as "hardship" not so much because they are in war torn countries ravaged by endemic disease, but because the living standards are below what we enjoy in the United States. The reality is that I will serve in several posts that are hot, crowded and polluted. I feel there are ways to deal with those inconveniences. I do not, however, want to go somewhere with rampant crime and indiscriminate violence such as any of the Mexican border posts. Bear in mind that U.S. embassies go to great lengths to ensure the safety of their personnel but the mental wellbeing of my family is of utmost importance. For this reason, my family would not accompany me to a post where the normal everyday environment was unsafe. Hopefully this preference will not come into play.
3) Arabic-speaking post: Sorry to disappoint those who were pining to visit us in Rome next year. We will likely enjoy a cushy European post later in my career but not as a newbie. In fact, I am required to serve one of my first two tours in an Arabic-speaking post and would strongly prefer to meet this requirement at the outset so I have more latitude while bidding for my second tour. I also happen to feel a strong call of duty in light of the profound changes in the Middle East. Given the swelling registers of eligible candidates for the Foreign Service, I am also fortunate that my Arabic proficiency is my ticket in and I suspect it eventually will be for my wife as well. And finally, don't think that we will be stationed in some desert wasteland. Believe it or not, the Arab world has a lot of diversity and some capitals are very cosmopolitan. A posting in Morocco would be ideal because of its politics, food and people. Other attractive family-friendly posts include Jordan, Israel (Jerusalem), Syria and Oman.
This exercise obviously entails a lot of wishful thinking but I do think it is grounded in reality. It will also be fun to look back on this post before I present my actual preferences to the Career Development Officer who will use them to help determine my first assignment. Right now, I will just have to commiserate with other diplomats in waiting who have bid list envy and follow other bloggers who provide flag day recaps with overjoyed reports about assignments matching their preferences.
Unfortunately, all of the uncertainty surrounding the federal budget has cast a dark cloud over the "Foreign Service wannabe" blogosphere. The HR Department announced today the cancellation of a previously scheduled orientation class for May. I had taken myself off the call list for this class but am hopeful of entering the next one in mid-July. In the meantime, I'll share any new developments (instead of weird dreams) and continue to throw darts at my world map on the wall.
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| "No, I don't really do this. I haven't gone off the deep end yet!" |
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Things falling into place...
Just quickly wanted to share some exciting new developments on the Foreign Service front:
1) First and foremost, my wife received the good news today that she passed the Foreign Service Written Exam (FSWE), which is the first step in becoming a Foreign Service Officer (FSO)! She still has a long ways to go before we rock the world together as a FSO tandem but this is a real accomplishment given the unspoken fact that the test has become more challenging. To prepare over the last couple months, I mercilessly thrust upon her wonkish books about economic and foreign policy. She also spent a good chunk of her precious free time reviewing basic American civics. On the day of the exam, she had to endure a snow storm and the computerized testing system crashing not one, but twice over a grueling 5-hour afternoon! Now the next step involves submitting a series of concise essays to assess intellectual, interpersonal, managerial skills. If her responses impress an all-powerful panel of nameless bureaucrats, she'll be invited to the decisive oral assessment. Stay tuned. In the meantime, I am so proud of her!
2) The second piece of news involves my potential start date. I had previously opted to defer until September. There were a variety of good reasons for this decision but I have been going back and forth over the last couple weeks. As of tonight, I have decided to make myself available for the July class. In a nutshell, the current budget impasse leads me to believe that it would best to begin training sooner rather than later. My position is relatively secure but all the bravado coming from Capitol Hill does cause some concern. In fact, some members of Congress (sitting in their leather armchairs) have called to "cut the fat" from the State Department budget. I don't think many of them understand the importance of diplomacy these days and the work our diplomats do. With all the recent strife in the Middle East, has anyone noticed that not a single American has been taken hostage or killed? Boys and girls, that fact is because of the dedication and hard work of thousands of FSOs who have been negotiating with local actors and coordinating the evacuation of citizens. We need more of them in hotspots.
3) The third tidbit relates to my academic endeavors. As I mentioned in my last blog, the protests and revolutions sweeping across the Middle East have not only cast stones against decrepit regimes but also the central argument of my dissertation. Well, I've managed to regain my footing and find some relevance for my ideas. I recently published an online article about prospects for future elections in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. More importantly, I will also be traveling to DC at the end of May for a book incubation seminar. I am really excited about this opportunity and feel very lucky to have a group of preeminent scholars who will be reviewing my manuscript. Having just finished teaching a course, I can now devote myself to this project. My hope is to have a book under contract before I begin my Foreign Service career. It would be an excellent calling card!
Well, that's all for now. I'll share more thoughts in the weeks ahead.
1) First and foremost, my wife received the good news today that she passed the Foreign Service Written Exam (FSWE), which is the first step in becoming a Foreign Service Officer (FSO)! She still has a long ways to go before we rock the world together as a FSO tandem but this is a real accomplishment given the unspoken fact that the test has become more challenging. To prepare over the last couple months, I mercilessly thrust upon her wonkish books about economic and foreign policy. She also spent a good chunk of her precious free time reviewing basic American civics. On the day of the exam, she had to endure a snow storm and the computerized testing system crashing not one, but twice over a grueling 5-hour afternoon! Now the next step involves submitting a series of concise essays to assess intellectual, interpersonal, managerial skills. If her responses impress an all-powerful panel of nameless bureaucrats, she'll be invited to the decisive oral assessment. Stay tuned. In the meantime, I am so proud of her!
2) The second piece of news involves my potential start date. I had previously opted to defer until September. There were a variety of good reasons for this decision but I have been going back and forth over the last couple weeks. As of tonight, I have decided to make myself available for the July class. In a nutshell, the current budget impasse leads me to believe that it would best to begin training sooner rather than later. My position is relatively secure but all the bravado coming from Capitol Hill does cause some concern. In fact, some members of Congress (sitting in their leather armchairs) have called to "cut the fat" from the State Department budget. I don't think many of them understand the importance of diplomacy these days and the work our diplomats do. With all the recent strife in the Middle East, has anyone noticed that not a single American has been taken hostage or killed? Boys and girls, that fact is because of the dedication and hard work of thousands of FSOs who have been negotiating with local actors and coordinating the evacuation of citizens. We need more of them in hotspots.
3) The third tidbit relates to my academic endeavors. As I mentioned in my last blog, the protests and revolutions sweeping across the Middle East have not only cast stones against decrepit regimes but also the central argument of my dissertation. Well, I've managed to regain my footing and find some relevance for my ideas. I recently published an online article about prospects for future elections in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. More importantly, I will also be traveling to DC at the end of May for a book incubation seminar. I am really excited about this opportunity and feel very lucky to have a group of preeminent scholars who will be reviewing my manuscript. Having just finished teaching a course, I can now devote myself to this project. My hope is to have a book under contract before I begin my Foreign Service career. It would be an excellent calling card!
Well, that's all for now. I'll share more thoughts in the weeks ahead.
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