U.S. Department of State

Refer to the specific vacancy announcement and complete all additional required procedures. Applications must be submitted through the Gateway to State online application system via USAJobs.  Go to Vacancy Announcements to see a list of open vacancies, or  to subscribe to receive email updates,.

To be eligible, you must be

• a U.S. citizen,
• between the ages of 21 and 59 (hired before 60th birthday), or
• between 21 and 36 (hired before 37th birthday) for Diplomatic Security Agent positions and,
• be available for worldwide assignment.

A completed application package contains all of the material listed in the specific Vacancy Announcement. An application can be terminated whenever the materials do not support the basic eligibility requirements for employment in the Foreign Service.

Candidates who are successful in the initial review stage by meeting the basic eligibility requirements for employment in the Foreign Service will have their professional experience, job history, and motivation evaluated by the Qualifications Evaluation Panel.

Each candidate will have a computer available to use and 45 minutes to write an essay on a choice of topics from a provided list. You also have the option to write the essay by hand.

Some specialist candidates will also have a 45 minute computerized skills assessment as part of the Oral Assessment.

Candidates forwarded by the qualifications process are invited to travel to Washington, D.C. at their own expense to the Foreign Service Assessment Center to participate in an oral assessment test that consists of a writing exercise, a structured interview, and an exit interview. The new format for some specialties also requires a competency exam (online technical multiple-choice test.)

You are evaluated solely against the 12 dimensions (pdf)  by trained examiners. Before the assessment begins, you are required to sign a non-disclosure statement that requires you not to divulge the contents of the examination.

When you come to the Oral Assessment, you will be asked to read and sign the following three forms pertaining to the conditions for taking the Oral Assessment and conditions of employment in the Foreign Service. If you are not willing to abide by these conditions, you should not schedule an Oral Assessment.

• Three Conditions of Foreign Service Employment (pdf)
• Medical Clearance for Eligible Family Members (pdf)
• Non-Disclosure Form (pdf)

Writing Exercise:

Candidates will be asked to write either an essay or will be presented a hypothetical problem set in an embassy environment related to the candidate’s area of specialization. The candidate will be required to write a two-page memo outlining how to solve the problem presented. The candidate will have 45 minutes for the writing exercise. He/she will have a computer available to use, but may write the essay or memo in longhand.

Structured Interview

The interview will be conducted by two examiners, a Foreign Service generalist and a Foreign Service specialist or generalist working in your field. The interview generally takes about 75 minutes.

There are two parts to the structured interview. In the first part of the interview, the candidate will be asked about his/her motivation for joining the Foreign Service and about background experiences that might be relevant to their work as a Foreign Service specialist. In the second part of the interview, the second interviewer will ask questions in the candidate’s field and provide hypothetical workplace problems to resolve. Candidates are expected to use common sense and good judgment and to make assumptions they believe are appropriate in responding to the hypothetical situations.

Competency Exam

Candidates may be given a computer based multiple-choice exam that presents a series of technical and/or situational judgment questions. It is intended to measure job-related knowledge and how the candidate might apply that knowledge on the job. This exam is timed and lasts approximately 45 minutes. The exam is designed to present more questions than can generally be answered in the time allowed, so candidates should not expect to answer every question.

Exit Interview

At the conclusion of the interview, candidates will return to the waiting room while the examiners consolidate their scores. They will then be asked to return to the interview room where the examiners will inform them whether or not they reached the cut-off score which will enable the State Department to continue the candidacy. If the candidate reaches the cut-off score, the examiners will brief him/her on the next steps in the pre-employment process.

What to bring to the Assessment Center

It is essential that you visit the Download Center (search for Assessment)  for a list of what you should prepare and bring to the Foreign Service Oral Assessment. In addition to valid U.S. state or federal government-issued photo identification, you will need to bring various completed forms to show or submit if you pass the Oral Assessment. Some of the release forms must be signed by your spouse or estranged spouse, co-habitant, or fiancé(e).

Candidates whose score reached or exceeded the cutoff will receive an immediate conditional offer of employment. Any language bonus points and/or veterans’ preference points are added to the Oral Assessment score after passing the Oral Assessment.

Effective January 1, 2012, the Foreign Service Institute will only offer phone tests in the languages listed here. Testing is limited to languages in which the Department has language designated entry-level positions abroad.

All passing scores in languages listed garner an additional .17 points. Those candidates with the following recruitment languages - Azerbaijani, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Kazakh, Korean, Kyrgyz, Nepali, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Singhalese, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Turkmen, Urdu, and Uzbek – and who opt-in and agree to serve in an assignment where the language is spoken in one of their first two tours, earn a total of .40 points, while those with a passing score in Arabic earn a total of .50 points.

You may take the phone test after you pass the Oral Assessment. We recommend that you wait to test until you are on the Hiring Register since the language test is only valid for 18 months. In addition, you may claim points in only one language but may test in a second language if that language garners more points.

For the phone test, an S-3 proficiency level is required for the following languages: Danish, Dutch, French, German, Haitian Creole, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish and Swedish. All other languages listed require an S-2 proficiency.

For information to help you assess your own speaking level, visit http://www.govtilr.org and click on "Speaking" under the skill level descriptions for a general description of the expected proficiency. The speaking self-assessment tool, available on the same site, will also help you estimate your language proficiency. Click to determine the level of proficiency (88kb, pdf) required to earn 2 additional points.

Medical Clearance

The Medical Clearance Office in the Department of State determines a candidate's medical fitness and ability to serve worldwide. A medical clearance determination is based on a thorough review of each candidate's medical history and physical examination, including an individual assessment of his/her specific medical needs and the medical capabilities of Foreign Service posts to meet those needs.

Security Clearance

Candidates who pass the Oral Assessment must obtain a security clearance for appointment to the Foreign Service. A comprehensive background investigation will determine a candidate's ability to be granted a Top Secret clearance.

For more information on medical clearances, please visit the Career Resources download center page.

Upon completion of the background investigation, a Final Review Panel will examine your completed file (except medical records) to determine your suitability for employment with the Foreign Service.

The attainment of U.S. foreign policy objectives depends substantially on the confidence of the public (both American and foreign) in the individuals selected to serve in the Foreign Service. The Department of State, therefore, requires the highest standards of conduct by employees of the Foreign Service, including an especially high degree of integrity, reliability, and prudence. Given the representational nature of employment in the Service, employees must observe proper standards at all times. The purpose of the Final Review is to determine, from the candidate's total record, whether the candidate is indeed suitable to represent the United States. The Final Review Panel has the authority to terminate a candidacy.

In evaluating suitability, the Final Review Panel takes into consideration the following factors:

• Misconduct in prior employment, including marginal performance or inability to interact effectively with others
• Criminal, dishonest, or disgraceful conduct
• Misrepresentation, including deception or fraud, in the application process
• Repeated or habitual use to excess of intoxicating beverages affecting the ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of the employee's position
• Trafficking in or abuse of narcotics or controlled substances
• Reasonable doubt as to loyalty to the U.S. Government
• Conduct which clearly shows poor judgment and or lack of discretion which may reasonably affect an individual or the agency's ability to carry out its responsibilities or mission
• Financial irresponsibility, including a history of not meeting financial obligations or an inability to satisfy debts

Candidates who have received a conditional offer of employment and who have successfully completed the security, medical and suitability stages will be placed on the Register in their specialty, and rank ordered by their overall assessment scores, including language bonuses/veterans’ preference points.

Generalist candidates who can document creditable veterans' service by submitting form DD 214 will be given additional points on the Register: 0.175 for a five point standing and 0.35 for a 10 point standing. Specialist candidates whose Oral Assessment is scored on a 1-7 point scale will receive the same bonus points as generalist candidates. For specialist candidates whose Oral Assessment is scored on a 0-100 point scale will receive five or 10 points, respectively. In all cases these points are added after you pass the Oral Assessment. You will receive instructions on how to claim these points after the Oral Assessment.

For qualified candidates who will require accommodation upon appointment, the Office of Employee Relations determines reasonable accommodations. To qualify, a candidate must meet all requirements for appointment to the Foreign Service.