tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post4025959818461196528..comments2024-02-14T13:22:53.679-05:00Comments on The Passport Stamp Collector Blog: My Foreign Service Specialist Oral Assessment ExperienceGreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14981762691348722011noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-40083562221969946742020-07-06T16:09:56.391-04:002020-07-06T16:09:56.391-04:00Good luck! Something to be aware of is that just b...Good luck! Something to be aware of is that just because we might need more engineers to staff our projects, the Department might need a different specialist even more. With a limited number of seats available in each orientation class, it's a toss-up as to what the mix will be. My orientation class had an unprecedented seven engineers and equally unusual lack of any Diplomatic Security folks.<br /><br />As for your "5% chance", i wouldn't put too much thought into it. There might be a lot of people applying who aren't qualified, so the numbers are probably skewed to seem more competitive than they really are. But selection is predicated on whether you're considered to be qualified and pass all of the clearance requirements, not how many people we might be looking for at any given moment. That's why the register system is used: if/when a spot opens up for training, they go down the register to fill the spot.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14981762691348722011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-51763320524193864372020-05-25T23:15:18.683-04:002020-05-25T23:15:18.683-04:00Thanks for these tips! I just applied for the curr...Thanks for these tips! I just applied for the currently listed vacancy; fingers crossed for at least an interview, though sounds like I may have only a 5% chance or so...<br /><br />Just curious, have you heard anything on your end about how many open positions there are? Maybe that's classified, but perhaps you have a general sense of how much need there is currently?Dylanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16057207863205158770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-74208674513401228922020-05-25T01:07:46.969-04:002020-05-25T01:07:46.969-04:00Thank you so much for your response. My husband wa...Thank you so much for your response. My husband was placed on the register at the end of january so we are excited even though with all the uncertainty who knows when we will be invited to the class. You mentioned in your response that DC first tour is two years. Has that been reduced to 1? Are CEs ever sent to foreign tour and skip DC if knowledge of language needed?<br /><br />is a lot of time spent traveling during the tour in DC?<br /><br />Once again thank you for all the answers and for putting such a great blog.Warren & Marta Casbeerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17631941440123152078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-86689237442378975382020-05-22T14:29:36.300-04:002020-05-22T14:29:36.300-04:00I thought I hit the reply button, but it posted my...I thought I hit the reply button, but it posted my response to you as a separate comment below. Oops.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14981762691348722011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-82956171787429463442020-05-22T14:26:27.432-04:002020-05-22T14:26:27.432-04:00Hi Dylan, glad they’ve been helpful. We have plent...Hi Dylan, glad they’ve been helpful. We have plenty of architects in the career field, as well as both design-build and design-bid-build projects. Having a solid understanding of specifications helps. You might want to brush up on general construction and multi-trade coordination when it comes to the logic behind scheduling. You know, stuff like don’t put the drywall up before the stuff that goes inside the wall gets installed. Also, how changes in one discipline might drive changes in others...can’t increase the HVAC capacity without increasing the power supply.<br />As for cost estimates, RSMeans is a pretty handy reference. Our job includes a fair amount of contract administration, so maybe peruse the <a href="%E2%80%9C" rel="nofollow">FAR Part 36</a>Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14981762691348722011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-37501553691568957922020-05-07T13:39:38.384-04:002020-05-07T13:39:38.384-04:00Thanks for your really helpful blog entries. I'...Thanks for your really helpful blog entries. I'm curious if you have any recommendations (books, etc.) to study for the knowledge portion of the CE OA. I am a practicing architect but am concerned that my experience may be too "design-oriented." I do site visits and budget reviews but feel they may be looking for more technical people than what I have done (i.e. I have never put together construction schedules or comprehensive cost estimates, only reviewed in a more general manner). Thanks again!Dylanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16057207863205158770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-39434047646411262072019-06-02T04:12:15.332-04:002019-06-02T04:12:15.332-04:00Ah, Blogger changed how it did change it's ad ...Ah, Blogger changed how it did change it's ad format a while back and I probably missed it. I'm in the process of clarifying between the recommended reading and advertisements. But I think that one was one that I recommended.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14981762691348722011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-58900824304307318412019-06-02T04:09:57.572-04:002019-06-02T04:09:57.572-04:00I'm glad you like it! Sometimes I feel like no...I'm glad you like it! Sometimes I feel like no one reads it because this blog is admittedly very niche content. <br />As for your questions, assuming you're asking about the CE specialist position instead of one of the FSO generalist positions:<br />1) Specialists don't take the FSOT exam, just apply, write some personal narrative question (PNQ) replies, then interview/Oral Assessment. The OA score is based on the performance during the OA, so it's less about technical knowledge aspects than the operational performance in the field. Of course, to perform well you need a technical background, but being able to explain your decision is probably more important than the decision itself. Remember that we're not expected to know it all, just know where to find the answer and we (OBO) have specialists in almost all technical areas.<br />2) The PE is a good certificate to maintain as it adds clout to your responses in your field.<br />3) for FSCEs, training at FSI is ~3 weeks of orientation then working ~2 years in DC where we basically get on the job training. I was in DC for 2.5 years before my first posting abroad, but i probably could have gone up to 3 years in DC (if i could afford to...yikes! it's expensive). <br /><br />As far as I'm aware, there are no bonus points for language because the formal assessment would likely occur after hiring. FSCEs don't need language to be tenured, but having those languages might score some brownie points during the assignment process. One thing to consider is that while our projects occur around the world, much of the labor force comes from the same few countries (a non-exhaustive list of labor languages would include Turkish, Tagalog, Urdu, etc). But having local language skills would be very useful when dealing with the local municipalities on permits etc.<br /><br />Hope that was what you were looking for. Good luck in your accession process!Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14981762691348722011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-37330774185023262982019-04-21T16:47:40.871-04:002019-04-21T16:47:40.871-04:00Thank you for your amazing blog. I have been readi...Thank you for your amazing blog. I have been reading it since we decided to try to enter the foreign service. My husband is waiting for the date for his exam so we are both excited and nervous. I have a couple of questions:<br />He speaks 4 languages: Arabic, Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese. Would those languages add points to his grade? Would those languages influence where we are assigned?<br /><br />He recently took the Professional Engineering exam and passed. Would you recommend reviewing that material?<br /><br />If he passes and he is invited to the class, how long do specialist stay in Washington for training before first post? The reason I am asking is I am starting new job next week and for what I have been reading it seems that the average time after passing the time to first post is 10 to 12 months.<br /><br />Thank you very much!<br /><br />Warren & Marta Casbeerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17631941440123152078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-9663017292142208992018-04-01T06:25:28.110-04:002018-04-01T06:25:28.110-04:00The interview part was similar. I suppose the writ...The interview part was similar. I suppose the writing portion was too, except that the FSO version had lots of material to comb thru while the FSS one was basically what you already knew.the FSO OA had a group exercise that the FSS OA didn't. The FSOA study guide could be useful to understand how questions might be asked, but it's maybe 40-60% useful in the sense that it might help you understand what questions a Management Officer might be asked to find out from you (so you know what to tell them before they ask).Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14981762691348722011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-47439197160875974602018-03-31T23:33:11.467-04:002018-03-31T23:33:11.467-04:00One more question, was the FSO OA and the FSS OA v...One more question, was the FSO OA and the FSS OA very similar? I’m trying to determine if this FSOA study guide here on your blog would be good to help me prepare. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07052824633739510072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-53753379453649121792018-01-30T06:54:50.017-05:002018-01-30T06:54:50.017-05:00That's a good question. Yes, that "Writin...That's a good question. Yes, that "Writing that works" is a book I'm recommending in general (because writing well is important), but for the written portion of the exam, you might want to read over some actual example memos provided by the Department in <a href="https://fam.state.gov/fam/05fah01/05fah010310.html" rel="nofollow">5 FAH-1 H-310</a> to get a sense of the standard format. Be concise. Imagine this is being read by someone important with not a lot of time to figure out what you are trying to say.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14981762691348722011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6770325711273461588.post-49187766985199591552018-01-29T16:04:07.196-05:002018-01-29T16:04:07.196-05:00I really appreciate all of your input. Can you giv...I really appreciate all of your input. Can you give any suggestions how to prepare for the written portion? I see that there is a book “Writting that works” on your blog but I can’t tell if that is just an advertisement.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07052824633739510072noreply@blogger.com