How to Become a Foreign Service Officer

Do you love to travel? Love other cultures? Know a foreign language? Become a Foreign Service Officer.

The U.S. Department of State (the State Department) is hiring 1,000 new employees in the next several years, and some of those are Foreign Service Officer positions.

The State Department looks for candidates with experience in foreign language, with disabilities, who are veterans, and those with a commitment to Foreign Service work.

If representing the United States overseas sounds appealing to you, check out the career opportunities available.

Instructions

1. Go to the U.S. Department of State website. A direct link is provided in the Resources section below.

2. Click on the Career Resources tab to learn more about the Foreign Service Officer job and the duties that go along with it. Read the information provided to determine if this is a career you might be interested in.

3. Choose a career track by studying the website to learn more about the various career opportunities.

   Career tracks are consular, economic, management, political, and public diplomacy.

4. Register for the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). To become a Foreign Service Office, successful completion of this test is required.

   Study for the test. A study guide is available on the State Department website.

5. Take the FSOT. The FSOT is administered online during set times and takes 3 hours to complete. Areas covered include job knowledge, English expression, and a section requesting explanations of work style, interaction with others, and personal approach to other cultures.

6. Pass the FSOT.

7. Submit a personal narrative within 3 weeks of receiving it. Questions on knowledge, skills, and abilities are covered in the following areas: leadership; interpersonal and communication skills, including languange; management skills; intellectual skills; and substantive knowledge.

8. Take the oral assessment, which is one of the final hurdles to becoming a Foreign Service Officer. This assessment is based on knowledge of the job; reflects skills, abilities, and personal qualities required to perform the work; and are stand alone assessments of individual skill and ability.

9. Upon successful completion of the Oral Assessment, applicants must pass medical and security clearances, go before a final review panel, be placed on the register which is like a waiting list for certain jobs, and then accept an assignment and undergo training.

10. Another option is to qualify as a scholar and/or fellow. Some program participants may qualify for the Diplomacy Fellows Program, including Boren Fellows, Fascell Fellows, Truman Scholars, Pickering Fellows, Presidential Management Fellows, among others.

    Fulfill the requirements of the Diplomacy Fellows Program. The qualifications are:

    - Be a U.S. citizen
    - Be between the ages of 20 and 59 at the time of application
    - Be available for assignment worldwide
    - May not have been separated from the Foreign Service under certain Foreign Service Act sections
    - Must finish program requirements within 5 years of closing date of the vacancy announcement

Tips & Warnings

• Beginning pay for Foreign Service Officers ranges from $42,500 to $58,775.

Resources

• U.S. Department of State