Interview Scheduled

Better news! Weeks and months of hard work (ok, just waiting) have successfully landed me on the schedule for an Oral Assessment. Looks like September 24^th will be the day of reckoning. The invitation came with a rather terrifying attachment describing the Oral Assessment process. The next step is to start working on what approximately amounts to a mountain of paperwork to be completed and brought to my interview. Fortunately, I remember every place I and all my friends have ever lived, doesn’t everyone? Oh… right… On the plus side, it gives me something to do to feel productive while I wait for my Assessment day, rather than nervously speculating about my failure.

Pre-Interview Notification

Good news! I was contact today with a notification that I will be contacted in the future for an Oral Assessment. I was mildly confused why I was receiving an e-mail to prepare me to receive an e-mail (maybe the hiring folks at the Foreign Service are fans of Space Balls?), but I’ll take it! Of course it gave no indication of time frame, so I’m back to waiting.

 

Application Status Change

Well, it’s official. I at least passed the first round of application reviews. My application status changed today from “Submitted” to "Eligible – Referred to Next Step in Selection Process

.” Although I’m relatively sure this just means I succeeded in meeting the bare minimum requirements listed in the job req, it’s still a piece of positive news. I’m hoping for more good news in the future!

And so it begins…

My application for the Foreign Service Specialist Information Management position has been submitted. Even though this is just the beginning of the application (and hopefully hiring) process, it still seems like an epoch of sorts. After years of yearning to live and work abroad, I feel like I’ve finally put a foot in the right direction. It’s definitely one thing to talk about possibly working overseas in the future and quite another to hit submit on your application. Having reached the end of the restless waiting for an IMS req to open, and the mind numbing writing and rewriting of application essays; I can’t help but be excited. Of course that excitement will shortly be tested… by the possibility of months of waiting to hear back.

I decided to start this blog, in the off chance someone ever reads it, to let future candidates know how the application process goes. I suppose it will also, if I am eventually accepted into the Foreign Service, serve as a place to post my experiences as an Information Management Specialist. On the flip side, if I’m not accepted, I’ll probably take down the site and never speak of it again! I know this isn’t exactly an original idea, but I enjoyed reading Milestones and IM-worldwide, so here’s to paying it forward.