Well it's been a year and in a moment I will leap into my car and drive to the testing center. I feel alot more calm about the exam this year as opposed to last year. I wouldn't say I'm necessarily more confident that I will pass this year, but I know I've worked as hard as I could be expected to as I prepared this time around.
I'm trying the consular route this year instead of the analyst one as I've been told getting in is the hardest thing, moving around is far easier. Here's to working towards one's future. Tell you folks all about it when I'm done.
*salute *grabs keys.
[ June 16, 2009, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: BlackBlade ]
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
G'luck!
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
The Foreign Service guys I know have been some of the most interesting people I've ever met.
They are also the most calm. I think you'll fit in just fine.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Best of luck.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Good luck, BlackBlade. Glad you're sticking with it.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Well I'm back, and I'm a bit disappointed. I'm trying not to read too much into it but I'm didn't do as well as I could have. I suppose that's a silly thing to say as technically speaking my performance today WAS what I am capable of.
The general knowledge multiple choice went fine, and I think I did good with the personal narrative. I also think I did terrific with the English syntax section. What really bums me out is the essay. While I was able to complete my essay, I literally typed the final period three seconds before time ran out. I was not able to go over the essay and critique it for typos, missing punctuation, or garbled wording. If hatrack is any indication, I'm certain the essay has a few such mistakes. I can rarely finish a post here without looking at it later and noticing mistakes.
That might not be the nail in the coffin, but I'd be sleeping much better tonight if I had had just two minutes to look back on the exam and give it a once over. As it is, I can only hope for the best and wait for the verdict in 8-10 weeks.
I'm aware that many a test or job related interview turns out good even when perceived performance is lacking. Unfortunately it's all too easy for me to think, "If you think you did poorly, you probably did."
I'm a bit mad at myself right now, but I'll get over it. Anybody hear about any other career paths that involve lots of job security and overseas opportunities?
[ November 07, 2008, 07:22 PM: Message edited by: BlackBlade ]
Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
I can't seem to recall what you do for a living, but have you considered applying for International Committee of the Red Cross?
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Valentine014: I can't seem to recall what you do for a living, but have you considered applying for International Committee of the Red Cross?
I work as an electronic reader right now just so that I can get through college. I have not considered working for the red cross, can you tell me anything about it?
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
Sorry to hear that you didn't perform as well as you had hoped you would - not that you should give up hope!
Is there a reason why you must have lots of job security? There's plenty of career paths that involve overseas work, such as ESL teaching, if you're willing to accept the fact that you may have times when you're unemployed.
Also, have you considered just working for a company that has offices overseas, with the idea to transfer to one in five or six years? The consulting company that I currently work for has an office in India that I might eventually move to when I have enough seniority to be near the top there.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jhai: Sorry to hear that you didn't perform as well as you had hoped you would - not that you should give up hope!
Is there a reason why you must have lots of job security? There's plenty of career paths that involve overseas work, such as ESL teaching, if you're willing to accept the fact that you may have times when you're unemployed.
Also, have you considered just working for a company that has offices overseas, with the idea to transfer to one in five or six years? The consulting company that I currently work for has an office in India that I might eventually move to when I have enough seniority to be near the top there.
I would have considered that just for the job experience were I not married. I'm looking more for something that I can do while raising a family. I don't need to be wealthy, but I want to be able to pay the bills, set money aside for retirement, and not be living paycheck to paycheck.
[ November 08, 2008, 01:08 AM: Message edited by: BlackBlade ]
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Pay the pills? Really?
Out of curiosity, are there any specific parts of the world you want to go to, or does the list consist of just about everywhere?
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
What's an electronic reader?
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
You want to raise a family while moving around the world? Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
This may sound blindingly obvious, but sometimes I find it bears repeating when I think I did horribly on an exam.
At least in upper year classes, exams are no longer judging whether you know particular pieces of information, but to determine your standing on a distribution of scores (like a normal distribution).
The key is not to dwell on how badly you did, but to find out whether you did badly relatively to others. If everyone else is stressed out as you, then thats ok and you can focus on the next task. If no one is stressed out, then it gives you something to find out and improve on.
Either way, it can be more productive and better for your morale than considering yourself as one data point.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I hope it's good news for you when it comes.
quote:You want to raise a family while moving around the world? Not that there's anything wrong with that.
IIRC, this is kind of how BB grew up, right? I can see how he would think it's a cool idea to want to give his kids similar experiences to what he had, if he thinks his have served him well. Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Ketchup Queen speaks the truth.
Mucus: True story, but the exam instructions did say that they expect no grammatical mistakes and minimal spelling errors. This only exacerbates my already worried state of mind.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
Both of the Foreign Service guys I knew had families who loved traveling and adventure.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Just got an email saying that my proficiency in Mandarin Chinese interests them, and that they wish to conduct a phone interview with me to see if I have at least a skill of SP 2. That's essentially basic spoken skills. I should be able to discuss my background, likes, dislikes, and basic world events in Mandarin. It's been 3 years since I've been enrolled in any sort of Chinese class so while I know in my head I am that good, I am freaking out that when the time comes I'll freeze up.
I'm going to have to break out the books and just practice speaking aloud and see if that loosens the brain muscles. The interview will take place in just a few days according to their email. I'll post my response to the interview after it takes place.
Oh man oh man, I'm so nervous just thinking about it.
This interview does not mean I am in by any stretch, it does mean I can make my application more attractive if I do a good job.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Good luck!
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
*fingers crossed*
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: Good luck!
This. Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I passed phase one! My scores were high enough to warrant further consideration. In essence they will forward my exam to a review committee who will then look over my personal narratives and give me an overall test score. If they like what I see I will be invited to take the oral exams early March. They will certainly review the interview that I'll be taking December 25th, but I'm just psyched to have passed the first tier of the exam process!
For an audio representation of what this post means please follow the provided link. (Warning: Mild Language)
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
Congrats BB.
Out of curiousity -- do FS Specialists have to take a similar exam?
--j_k
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by James Tiberius Kirk: Congrats BB.
Out of curiousity -- do FS Specialists have to take a similar exam?
--j_k
Depends on the agency I would imagine.
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
Congratulations, BB! Let me/us know if there's anything I/we can do to help you prepare for the next round.
I can answer questions about India, German-speaking countries, and economics. Edit: ...if those are things you might need to talk about. Really, I have no idea about what your interviews might or might not consist of.
[ December 12, 2008, 01:15 PM: Message edited by: Jhai ]
Posted by MrSquicky (Member # 1802) on :
BB, I'm pretty sure my sister's boyfriend is an FSO. He's been all over with the State department, anyway. If you want, I could see if he's got any advice to pass on.
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
congrats!
I can't give you any advice...since I doubt my knowledge about retail management will help you at all...but I wish you luck. Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
I really haven't been following Hatrack lately -- I missed all of this until today. Congratulations, BB, wishing you excellent luck in the subsequent steps!
You are having an interview on Christmas Day??? (Is that the Mandarin one, or has that already happened?)
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
MrSquicky: Any advice he could render would be greatly appreciated.
Uprooted: Yep on Christmas Day, fun neh? Yes that will be the mandarin one. It appears this interview will effect whether I get to move onto the oral examination. I'll be humping some Chinese books to practice with while I'm in Japan counting down the days.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Well I was wrong on the interview time, fortunately I was paranoid about it and triple checked my appointment and realized that it was midnight on Christmas Eve. So now it's Christmas today (I'm in Japan) and my interview is over.
I'm very, very disappointed in myself. Starting out I had a general conversation component and I think I did alright there. Talking about myself is apparently not too difficult for me. I did have alittle difficulty discussing my job as an electronic reader but that's hard in English anyway, but I managed to get through it.
I was then asked to present solutions on our economic situation and I just panicked. The economy is something I am striving to understand even now, and I feel my understanding has increased significantly. Unfortunately my knowledge of specific terms in Chinese is very limited.
After the interview was over I of course replayed the interview several times over in my head and came up with lots of better ways to have responded but, I'm stuck with what I said the first time. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself but I really am pretty disappointed in myself. I wish I had taken a moment to calm myself down but I just dived into it. My interviewers were extremely friendly so for that I was glad. Maybe I am OK and I am just freaking myself out, but I still feel I could have done much better.
But there it is. I'll find out in late February or early March if my application will proceed. I'll keep you folks posted.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Good luck!
Posted by GinaG (Member # 11862) on :
Hey great job. This is fascinating to see your process. I took the FS exam a long time ago and passed, but dropped out to go a different route. So it's interesting to see what might have been in store had I gone on.
I would imagine the economics question in your phone interview was meant to be a challenge. I'm totally guessing, but perhaps they want to see if someone has aptitude. Vocabulary and fluency comes in time, at least for someone who has a good grasp. So pip pip. And all the best for the next rounds.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I was about to say the same thing. It sounds like that is far more than casual conversation, but it IS something that could come up. Sounds to me like they deliberatly chose a techinacal topic to see how you would react, and how flexable you could be.
I know that in music my teacher would often choose very, very tough peices for us to audition on. She didn't want to see if we know scales, she wanted to see how close we could come to sight-reading a very tough peice, and what we would do when we couldn't play it perfect.
My French teacher asked me all sorts of difficult questions for our oral exams too, including a lot of things we didn't cover in class. She wanted to see how we would explain things when we lacked a specific vocabulary for the topic.
I hope you did well, and I wish you lots of luck!
[ June 16, 2009, 11:48 PM: Message edited by: Kwea ]
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Just got the email in my inbox! Of course I clicked on the "see your results" link and died a thousand deaths before the stupid pdf finally pulled up. I didn't even read beyond,
"Congratulations after a comprehensive review of your candidate file you have been selected to participate in the next step of the Foreign Service Officer selection process, the oral examination."
Didn't read any further that is because I rocketed out of my chair, and fist pumped a few times, and then promptly called up my dad, (it's midnight for him) and got him as excited as I was, before telling him I had to go. I'm sure he can't sleep now. I then rolled down the list of family members on my cell, and of course they didn't pick up so now I'm on hatrack.
Oh man, I have no idea what the oral exams will be like. I need to do research and go crazy practicing Chinese between now and the test date. It's looking like I can schedule to take the oral exam any time between May 4th and June 30th. I'll probably opt for later June so that I have more time to prepare, but I don't know. I don't really know anything right now because I am ridiculously happy!
edit: Of course here is a link to how I am feeling right now.
[ February 17, 2009, 11:00 AM: Message edited by: BlackBlade ]
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
Congratulations!
Posted by Traceria (Member # 11820) on :
A huge congratulations to you!! It was fascinating following along through roughly four months of posts on this topic, and so glad to hear that you're on to the next step!!! Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Good stuff Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Nice going, BB!
Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Congratulation BB, Its great to know that you did better than you thought.
Oral exams are tricky particularly if you aren't accustomed to them. Oral exams are usually conducted to see how well you can think on your feet and whether or not you can apply knowledge to new problems. Going over books and notes to prepare is a start, but the most important thing you can do to prepare for an oral is to practice responding to oral questions. See if you can get one of your professors or maybe a graduate student to work with you giving you difficult questions so that you can practice responding. You need someone who will throw in some twists you haven't seen before so that you can learn to stay calm and think clearly when that happens.
Do you know what topics the exam will cover? Will it be in Mandarin or English?
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
Congrats!
Let us know if you want to hang out with any of us in DC (if you'll have time to do so).
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Congratulations, BlackBlade!
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Hooray!
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Rabbit: I'll definitely see what I can do about getting some accurate mock interviews in before I head off to DC. I am not sure if they are going to hit me with Chinese or English. I imagine most of it will be in English, but I strongly suspect I might have a some sort of reading comprehension exam. I really am not sure what topics will be covered. From what I have heard the exams are indeed Q/A sessions where they try to see how you think on your feet. I imagine conflict resolution will be a major component.
edit: It appears they have some preparatory materials on the state departments' website, so I am looking through those right now. They also have oral preparation seminars at Johns Hopkins University, unfortunately there do not appear to be any that I could reliably attend before the exam takes place. They will likely schedule more seminars between now and June, and I'll just have to see if there is anyway I can sit one before taking the exam. That might entail another flight out to DC, I'll just have to see. I want to do everything I can to maximize my chances of getting in.
Jhai: I definitely want to set aside an evening if possible to perhaps catch dinner or lunch with DC area hatrackers. From what I have heard the government pays for your plane ticket and puts you up in the same hotel as other candidates so that they bus them all together in the same vehicle. When I sign up for my test date and get confirmation itinerary I'll definitely let the forum know. That will be sometime in early March that I will be permitted to sign up for the orals.
[ February 17, 2009, 02:23 PM: Message edited by: BlackBlade ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
WOOHOO!
Good luck!!!
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
Good luck. I hope this works out!
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Congrats and good luck! It sounds like you're an excellent candidate for the job.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I'm going in tomorrow, time to make my move. I probably won't be posting on hatrack until tomorrow long after the exam is over. Really hope I'm in top form. Last chance to offer crucial advise I might need. Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
Good luck!!
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Best of luck, eh!
Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
Yikes! How many exams do you have to take? Good luck on this latest one!
Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
Good luck.
Posted by Traceria (Member # 11820) on :
I hope it goes well!
Enjoy dinner out with everyone tomorrow, too!
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Well I gave it my absolute best shot. Out of a minimum of 5.25 to pass my average was a 5.1. For math geeks that's a deficit of 2%. I was very put out for about two hours after the exam. I really felt that a BlackBlade on another day of the week might have beaten that beast. I didn't get enough sleep the night before, I just couldn't calm myself down, I was alittle sleepy during the group exercise and I managed to force myself to wake up when my turn came up, but I was alittle too willing to give up my project, even though I was doing it so the group could actually get something done.
I rocked socks during my interview and hypotheticals, I could tell my interviewers liked me alot, in fact they said so when they broke the bad news to me. Though they don't normally say so, they encouraged me to look at my score as an indicator that I definitely could have a future in the State Department, and that I ought to try again. During the interview I as much as said that if I don't prevail this time, I'll be back again. When I did my cold run yesterday, I saw lots of State Department employees, they looked so sharp and intelligent, I know it's what I want.
During the memo I don't feel I performed very well. I was overwhelmed with the information, and I do not have alot of experience with that particular exercise, I wish I had somehow found a way to train up for it, for that I have to take responsibility.
I feel at peace about the outcome, I see it as an indicator that I definitely can make this happen, I just have to prove that I want it bad enough. I'm going to start over from the beginning again this November, and in the meantime I need to come up with a plan for what I'm going to do for the rest of the year while I wait for my next chance.
I had a fantastic time here in DC, I especially loved meeting the DC area hatrackers. Hope to see you all again next year when I visit again. I can't pretend that a part of me won't smart this entire year as I contemplate how utterly close I was to victory, but like one of my interviewers told me as they broke my score to me, "I took the written thrice, and the oral twice, before I passed, many of our best ambassadors failed the orals the first time, and they see it as a badge of courage that they kept going."
Some of those guys there clearly had other career options, some were currently working with other agencies. Me, this is my only path, and I'm walking here.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
BlackBlade I'm sorry it didn't happen for you this time, but you seem to have an excellent attitude and are so positive that I'm sure it will happen for you.
Keep the faith...and stay the course.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:During the memo I don't feel I performed very well. I was overwhelmed with the information, and I do not have alot of experience with that particular exercise, I wish I had somehow found a way to train up for it, for that I have to take responsibility.
What is the memo? They give you a lot of information and you have to summarize it into a more digestible form?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Belle: BlackBlade I'm sorry it didn't happen for you this time, but you seem to have an excellent attitude and are so positive that I'm sure it will happen for you.
Amen.
Posted by ambyr (Member # 7616) on :
I'm sorry. That stinks :-(.
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
I'm glad that you're bouncing back from this with more determination.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Sorry it didn't work out for you this time around. It really is their loss, but I wish you more luck (and better prep) for the next time around.
At least you know what to expect now, right?
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Thanks alot guys. I really feel different about this setback than I typically do. Failing only seemed to instill in me a deeper desire to conquer this beast. I know it's within my ability, I just need to do the dance right, and more importantly prepare more efficiently.
I'm going to try to find a way to dive back into multiple newspapers, Newsweek, Time, and the New Yorker. I loved what it was doing to my mind while I was reading that much a day, no reason not to get back into it.
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
The Economist. You want to read the Economist.
Seriously - it was the go-to-guide to get the news for every debater I've known. And it's more international in nature than the other main weekly magazines.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
I can second that. I've been reading their articles on a much more consistent basis since their excellent coverage of the riots in Tibet last year and its been pretty decent.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Thanks for the suggestion Jhai, my father keeps saying that too. Maybe I'll swap out a newspaper for The Economist.
Mucus: You suggesting The Economist also adds considerable weight to my decision.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
How about just adding it. Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: How about just adding it.
lol, maybe, that's going to be a huge time commitment as is.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
we have competitions for the european public service. I've seen plenty of smart, good and efficient coworkers fail them numerous times before they passed (and I've seen some not so smart ones pass )
good luck next time.
Posted by Sala (Member # 8980) on :
quote: I'm going to start over from the beginning again this November, and in the meantime I need to come up with a plan for what I'm going to do for the rest of the year while I wait for my next chance.
You have to go back to square one which adds another year to the equation? Or am I misreading you? I'm sure you can nail it this time, now that you know what's involved. Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sala:
quote: I'm going to start over from the beginning again this November, and in the meantime I need to come up with a plan for what I'm going to do for the rest of the year while I wait for my next chance.
You have to go back to square one which adds another year to the equation? Or am I misreading you? I'm sure you can nail it this time, now that you know what's involved.
You must allow 12 months to elapse between written exams. Meaning the earliest I can take the written exam is in November. Fortunately as I am no longer in school, I am not going to wait for the semester to end before taking the oral exams. Assuming I pass, I could feasibly take the oral exam in April, maybe even March.
Posted by Traceria (Member # 11820) on :
I agree, it's good to hear you're taking this and looking at it positively. It seems the key is to have a similar mindset to those who have come before you.
quote:I took the written thrice, and the oral twice, before I passed, many of our best ambassadors failed the orals the first time, and they see it as a badge of courage that they kept going.
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