Do I meet the minimum qualifications for Office Management Specialists?

To be considered as a candidate for the Office Management Specialist position, you must meet the minimum education and experience qualification requirements listed below.

Quiz
EducationSpecialized ExperienceCheck Your Level
High School Diploma or Equivalent3 years of Specialized Experience within the last ten years
----- OR -----
An Associate’s degree in Office Management or Business Administration2 years of Specialized Experience within the last ten years
----- OR -----
A Bachelor’s degree in any major1 year of Specialized Experience within the last ten years
----- OR -----
None of the above

 

Note 1: All qualifying Specialized Experience must be of a progressively responsible nature in office management and/or administrative functions and must have been acquired supporting one or more senior individuals. See examples of Specialized Experience in the Vacancy Announcement.
Note 2: To qualify as Specialized Experience, the duties must have a combination of office management or administrative components of at least 60% of the work duties.
Further, to be considered for the Office Management Specialist position, you must be willing to serve anywhere in the world, as well as at an unaccompanied post.
QuestionVerification
Are you willing to serve anywhere in the world, including moving one’s home base, uprooting children from school, etc., every 2-3 years, and having to re-establish friendships or professional contacts at new locations?
Furthermore, are you willing to spend time, often brief (e.g., few days) but occasionally prolonged (e.g., month or more) away from your family because of job responsibilities?
Factors Influencing Your Competitiveness

There are a wide variety of factors influencing who is offered a position as an Office Management Specialist. These include how well a candidate performs on the oral assessment, the number of vacancies, the number of eligible hires already in line, and the number of people who accept job offers. Even though there are no guarantees that anyone will be offered a position, there are certain evaluation factors used to distinguish between candidates.

Below is a list of some of the factors used to evaluate candidates. By rating yourself honestly, you can get an idea of how competitive you might be. When you are finished, click the "Submit" button to view an analysis of your competitiveness. The self-evaluation is a guide for your use only. The U.S. Department of State does not use, pass on, or even record and retain the information contained in this questionnaire.

Experience

Please rate yourself on the extent to which you possess the experience. Use the following scale:

ScoreExperience DescriptionTypical Years of Experience
5I am considered an expert in performing this task. Because of my expertise, I am normally the person who is consulted by others to train them in doing this task.3 years of direct experience
4I have routinely performed this task independently with little or no supervision.2 years of direct experience
3I have performed this task on the job with occasional assistance.1 year or less of direct experience
2I have had education or training in performing this task, but I have not yet performed it on the job.No experience
1I have not had education, training, or experience in performing this task.No experience

 

Experience12345
Experience with organizing, prioritizing, and managing time to accomplish large amounts of work with hard deadlines often in stressful conditions, including working without much direct supervision.
Experience with handling conflicting priorities in an office environment supporting multiple people or offices.
Experience writing documents (e.g. emails, official memos, detailed reports), including having documents reviewed by appropriate parties and making revisions.
Experience with proofreading and editing documents, including content, English usage, and readability.
Experience with computers and office technology (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite, copiers, scanners, telephones, cell phones, basic computer hardware, and networks), including using computers to automate work processes.
Experience providing computer support to others, including troubleshooting, updating systems, and researching solutions to technology issues.
Experience building and maintaining electronic databases and records management.
Experience supporting senior and executive level officials, including maintaining calendars, receiving and coordinating visitors, arranging events and travel, etc.
Experience preparing for meetings, including coordinating materials, arranging for necessary personnel, finding locations, tracking invitations, monitoring progress, and supporting as necessary, etc.
Experience planning events, including maintaining guest lists, preparing seating charts and place cards, tracking budgets, coordinating with security, etc.
Experience developing business relationships, both within the same organization and with those from other organizations.
Experience working with people from other cultures or backgrounds, including forming strong working relationships.
Please continue by rating your knowledge and skills.
Knowledge and Skills

Please rate yourself on the extent to which you possess the following knowledge and skills. Use the following scale:

ScoreKnowledge and Skills
5I am considered an expert in this knowledge or skill. Because of my expertise I am normally the person who is consulted by others to train them.
4I have knowledge or skill in this area and can use it on the job with little or no supervision.
3I have some knowledge or skill in this area and can use it on the job with occasional assistance.
2I have had education or training in knowledge or skill, but have not performed it on the job.
1I have not had education, training, or experience in this knowledge or skill.

 

Knowledge/Skill12345
Knowledge of office computer programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
Knowledge of administrative procedures such as word processing, establishing and maintaining knowledge and records management systems, and other office procedures.
Knowledge of structure and content of the English language, including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, grammar and punctuation, and skill in applying that knowledge to writing and proofreading documents.
Skill in interacting easily with people from varied backgrounds, including people outside of your social, professional, or cultural group.
Skill in working positively with people within a government or commercial organization in order to promote harmony, cooperation, and good morale.
Skill at organizing multiple and varied tasks into an achievable plan or system quickly and accurately with minimal supervision.
Skill in time management and prioritization of work, often under conditions of high stress and tight deadlines.
Professional judgment and maturity to make decisions within appropriate areas of responsibility, including knowing when it is necessary to seek guidance from more experienced employees.
Amount of Self-Assessed Fit for Office Management Specialist

The table below indicates how well your self-indicated knowledge, skills and abilities, and experience fits with the requirements of the job and many of the factors with which candidates are evaluated.

Self-Evaluation of Competitiveness for Office Management Specialist

Score Key

Score (%)Amount of Fit
74-100High
47-73Medium
20-46Low

For salary, detailed job description, and information on how to apply for this position, please review the vacancy announcement.