ElHombre
12-12-2006, 12:54 PM
Not that that's necessarily a good thing. The Foreign Service exam's going to get a make-over (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/11/AR2006121101415.html?).
For generations, the United States has selected its diplomats through a two-stage test seen as a model of merit-based rigor. Pass hundreds of questions in a dozen subject areas and a day-long oral grilling by Foreign Service officers, and join the ranks. Fail, and find a different line of work.
Simple and effective. Candidates get judged on their merits.
No more. In a proposed overhaul of its hiring process slated for next year and to be announced to employees in coming days, the State Department would weigh resumes, references and intangibles such as "team-building skills" in choosing who represents the United States abroad, according to three people involved in the process. The written test would survive, but in a shortened form that would not be treated as the key first hurdle it has been for more than 70 years.
Hmmm... 'Resumes, references, and "intangibles"'. Call me unconvinved that this would be a good idea. Who likes it?
State Department Director General George M. Staples said the goal of the new "Total Candidate" approach -- which has the support of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -
Uh-Oh.
The problem is that even though the State Department is one of the best gov't places to work, there's still a need for fresh talent. Getting a spot at State takes work. Check this out:
Once every year, nearly 20,000 diplomatic hopefuls walk into a meeting room somewhere in the United States or abroad; they are handed a blue essay book and a shot at a Foreign Service career. Over half a day, these applicants are tested on their knowledge of such topics as democratic philosophy, international law, world history and geography, along with math and English skills. The State Department warns that the only way to prepare is to "read widely," offering a study list of hundreds of texts.
Those who make the cut endure a half-day grilling by Foreign Service officers, meant to test qualities such as judgment and management skills. Each year, only a few hundred clear both hurdles and embark on a career abroad.
And the results?
McKinsey acknowledged that the current hiring process is a proven predictor of candidate success.
And the dangers of lowering standards are obvious now that 'regime change' is dead.
Set against that backdrop, "this looks like a lowering of the standards for entry . . . at a time when their focus ought to be on training diplomats for the real challenges of the 21st century," Holbrooke said.
For generations, the United States has selected its diplomats through a two-stage test seen as a model of merit-based rigor. Pass hundreds of questions in a dozen subject areas and a day-long oral grilling by Foreign Service officers, and join the ranks. Fail, and find a different line of work.
Simple and effective. Candidates get judged on their merits.
No more. In a proposed overhaul of its hiring process slated for next year and to be announced to employees in coming days, the State Department would weigh resumes, references and intangibles such as "team-building skills" in choosing who represents the United States abroad, according to three people involved in the process. The written test would survive, but in a shortened form that would not be treated as the key first hurdle it has been for more than 70 years.
Hmmm... 'Resumes, references, and "intangibles"'. Call me unconvinved that this would be a good idea. Who likes it?
State Department Director General George M. Staples said the goal of the new "Total Candidate" approach -- which has the support of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -
Uh-Oh.
The problem is that even though the State Department is one of the best gov't places to work, there's still a need for fresh talent. Getting a spot at State takes work. Check this out:
Once every year, nearly 20,000 diplomatic hopefuls walk into a meeting room somewhere in the United States or abroad; they are handed a blue essay book and a shot at a Foreign Service career. Over half a day, these applicants are tested on their knowledge of such topics as democratic philosophy, international law, world history and geography, along with math and English skills. The State Department warns that the only way to prepare is to "read widely," offering a study list of hundreds of texts.
Those who make the cut endure a half-day grilling by Foreign Service officers, meant to test qualities such as judgment and management skills. Each year, only a few hundred clear both hurdles and embark on a career abroad.
And the results?
McKinsey acknowledged that the current hiring process is a proven predictor of candidate success.
And the dangers of lowering standards are obvious now that 'regime change' is dead.
Set against that backdrop, "this looks like a lowering of the standards for entry . . . at a time when their focus ought to be on training diplomats for the real challenges of the 21st century," Holbrooke said.