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status until they are ready to receive offers, but the 18-month timer still continues to run. It is common for a candidate with a low score to simply expire from the register, thus making the process even more competitive. In the end, fewer than 2% of initial applicants to the State
Department Foreign Service will matriculate as Foreign Service officers.
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FSO jobs go through a highly competitive written exam, oral assessment, and security investigation process before they are eligible to be hired. Of the more than 100,000 applicants for State
Department FSO positions between 2001 and 2006, only 2,100 became Foreign Service officers. Once candidates
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In extremely rare cases when no
Foreign Service officers are available, non-career civil servants can be appointed by the Secretary for entry into the Foreign Service, providing they meet rigorous standards expected of career members. These limited appointees are not officially members of Foreign
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FSO jobs follow a somewhat different process. Because USAID has a strong technical focus in many of its overseas positions, FSOs are generally recruited for specific backstops. Most successful candidates will have an advanced degree (often a masters) and pertinent job experience related to their
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New candidates are appointed from the top of the register (highest score), and candidates who are not appointed within 18 months will be removed from the register. Candidates may decline one offer; declining a second will strike their names from the register. Some candidates go on "do-not-call"
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Many leadership roles at U.S. embassies are typically filled from the ranks of career FSOs, who receive extensive training for these roles, including learning languages and cultures of numerous countries. In the early twenty-first century, about two-thirds of U.S.
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Consular
Officers are charged primarily with working with American citizens overseas on such activities as adoptions and issues in the country where stationed. In case of a disaster, these officers would be charged with evacuating Americans from the
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Management
Officers are responsible for the internal affairs of an embassy or consulate; they deal with the personnel and budgets of the embassy, contracts and services. They negotiate administrative issues with the host
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are selected through processes specific to the hiring agency. They follow career tracks separate from those of State
Department FSOs. For example, within USAID, there are multiple technical "backstops", including:
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FSOs of the State
Department are split among five career tracks, called "cones": consular officers, economic officers, management officers, political officers, and public diplomacy officers.
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security clearance, been medically cleared for worldwide deployment, and passed a final suitability review, they receive a score and are placed on a hiring register for their career tracks.
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have been career
Foreign Service members primarily drawn from the Department of State. Ambassadors have been selected from other foreign affairs agencies from time to time.
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Public
Diplomacy Officers inform the citizens of their respective countries on the actions of the embassy, including meeting with the press and giving educational events.
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personnel have received ambassadorships. FSOs also help fill critical management and foreign policy positions at the headquarters of foreign affairs agencies in
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Almost all of the remaining third are political appointees, considered patronage appointments by changing administrations. A handful of State
Department
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Economic Officers work with foreign economic agencies to facilitate economic issues as well as foreign policy dealing with technology and sciences.
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Service and must leave anytime a career officer becomes available for their positions. This is a legal requirement negotiated with the
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backstop and will undergo an interview and testing process tailored to that backstop, but otherwise it is similar to that for
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Political Officers interact with foreign governments on policy issues and negotiating policy.
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swears in the 195th Foreign Service Generalist Class in October 2018
51:. They spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S.
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Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in the U.S. Foreign Service
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411:"USAID Careers". May 17, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
331:"Careers representing America – Foreign Service Officer"
197:have completed the application process, received a
71:, and educational institutions such as the various
270:United States Agency for International Development
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218:U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
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63:, though some receive assignments to serve at
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374:"Career Tracks for Foreign Service Officers"
16:Member of the United States Foreign Service
376:. U.S. Department of State. Archived from
78:As of 2021, there were over 8,000 FSOs.
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451:Foreign relations of the United States
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426:State Department Official Career Site
292:, the first woman in what became the
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260:American Foreign Service Association
211:American Foreign Service Association
110:Agency for International Development
135:Crisis stabilization and governance
49:foreign policy of the United States
47:. FSOs formulate and implement the
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14:
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446:United States Department of State
431:State Department Official Website
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250:United States Department of State
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275:United States Commercial Service
245:His Majesty's Diplomatic Service
159:Population, health and nutrition
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1:
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235:United States Foreign Service
45:United States Foreign Service
265:Foreign Agricultural Service
118:Foreign Agricultural Service
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319:. U.S. Department of State.
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165:Program/project development
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397:H. Kopp and C. Gillespie,
354:. U.S. Department of State
333:. U.S. Department of State
255:Foreign Service Specialist
179:Senior Executive Service
461:International relations
290:Lucile Atcherson Curtis
122:Agency for Global Media
33:Foreign Service officer
240:Indian Foreign Service
73:U.S. service academies
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22:
294:U.S. Foreign Service
153:Financial management
352:"FSO Career Tracks"
216:Applicants for the
61:diplomatic missions
23:Secretary of State
162:Private enterprise
114:Commercial Service
65:combatant commands
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108:FSOs of the U.S.
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314:"GTM Fact Sheet"
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192:Applicants for
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382:. Retrieved
378:the original
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356:. Retrieved
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59:, and other
41:commissioned
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172:ambassadors
147:Environment
144:Engineering
132:Contracting
129:Agriculture
25:Mike Pompeo
440:Categories
384:2015-02-21
337:2010-09-02
300:References
285:Clientitis
199:top secret
57:consulates
456:Diplomacy
150:Executive
141:Education
112:(USAID),
53:embassies
358:17 April
229:See also
91:country.
69:Congress
401:, 2008.
98:nation.
39:) is a
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317:(PDF)
156:Legal
360:2024
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37:FSO
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35:(
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