Job Description of a Foreign Service Officer
Foreign Service officers are diplomats employed by the U.S. Department of State to staff the 265 U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. Their work consists of formulating and implementing U.S. foreign policy by studying and promoting business, political, and economic interests abroad as well as aiding American citizens.
Foreign Service officers must be willing to be posted where staff is needed and learn specific foreign languages as required. Foreign Service officers, who are also known as FSOs, must regularly compile and write reports as well as attend embassy social functions. However, a Foreign Service officer’s specific duties are mainly determined by the “cone,” or preferred specialty, that each FSO must choose before starting the rigorous selection process for specialties: consular, economic, management, political, and public diplomacy.
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Consular
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Consular Foreign Service officers assist American citizens abroad and implement border security policies. They review passport and visa applications, conduct interviews, issue or deny visas and passports, help Americans who are sick or in jail or otherwise in distress, register American births and deaths, and provide notarial and other services for both Americans abroad and foreigners who wish to come to the United States.
Economic
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Economic Foreign Service officers must become experts in the economic and business trends and interests in a particular foreign country. They analyze economic conditions, identify opportunities for American companies and the U.S. government, and make recommendations to the State Department regarding American foreign aid and trade agreements.
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Management
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Management Foreign Service officers manage the equipment and operations of the embassy, consulate, mission or post itself and are not involved in foreign policy as Foreign Service officers in other cones are. Management Foreign Service officers develop budgets, allocate expenses, negotiate for and acquire property and materials, and oversee the staff.
Political
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Political Foreign Service officers concentrate on bilateral politics and issues such as human trafficking, women’s rights, freedom of speech, and national security. They study, develop, and maintain relationships with the host foreign government and other main actors, and report findings to the State Department, as well as Congress.
Public Diplomacy
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At each embassy or post, Public Diplomacy Foreign Service officers are, after the ambassador, the most public face of the United States abroad. They work with the press, coordinate cultural exchanges and outreach programs, combat misinformation, and convey and promote U.S. points of view.
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