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Terrance Deuel
GuestJun 28, 2017 at 5:51 pmPost count: 4886I have submitted my application for the Foreign Service Diplomatic Courier announcement that closed on 6/27/17. I was wondering if anyone that’s been through the hiring process for Courier could give me a rough estimate on how long it takes to find out if an application has been referred or not. I’m estimating it’ll be 4-6 months to get referred with another 6-8 months to complete the assessment process. My second question is if I am referred are there any recommendations for success on the oral assessment?
Thanks in advance for the help.
Terrance
DHH
GuestJul 2, 2017 at 2:22 amPost count: 4886I’ve heard second hand, so don’t hold me to this.
After the application deadline it would be about 1-2 months when people are invited to do the Oral Assessment, which may be held in the fall. After that if you receive a conditional offer of employment, there’s the medical and security clearance, which obviously will take a lot of time.
GuestJul 4, 2017 at 10:12 amPost count: 4886Louis ‘Skip’ Goebel
GuestJul 15, 2017 at 3:47 pmPost count: 4886Former FSS Candidate
GuestJul 16, 2017 at 7:33 amPost count: 4886Based on other specialist timelines, I’d be utterly shocked if courier OAs were issued a mere 1-2 months after the announcements close. There are usually scores of applicants, and that’s a lot of essays to go through. I don’t know how different the processes for each specialty are, but for mine, it took six months, and 14 months for invites to go out following a fairly recent GSO announcement.
It says this in the vacancy announcement, under “What to expect next”:
“Due to the high volume of applications, we ask all applicants to remain patient and await communication. It is not uncommon for several months to pass before you are informed of the result of your application.”
So heed the mantra: Live your life as if you hadn’t applied.
As far as how to prepare for the OA, think dimensions, dimensions, dimensions. There’s a study guide for specialists here. It tells straight up the outline of the OA as well as which dimensions they’re evaluating in each section. https://careers.state.gov/downloads/fsoa/ (Third link.)
ajp
GuestJul 18, 2017 at 5:43 pmPost count: 4886Former fss candidate,
If you read the first paragraph of the study guide, it says, “Note: This guide covers all Foreign Service Specialist (FSS) career tracks except for the four Diplomatic Security positions: Special Agent, Diplomatic Courier, Security Technical Specialist and Security Engineering Officer.” So it really doesn’t tell you how to prepare but it can give you an idea. Best bet is to talk to some couriers (if you know some) and ask how the process will go during the interviews and oral assessment.
GuestJul 19, 2017 at 6:54 pmPost count: 4886AJP – Would you happen to know any current or former couriers that would be willing to discuss their hiring process? I served as a courier with the Defense Courier Service prior to becoming an Army Officer and have experience handling both State and DoD materials so I’m confident I understand what the job entails. What I’d really like to know is what can I do to prepare for the OA should I be one of the lucky few chosen to get to that stage.
At Post
GuestJul 20, 2017 at 3:49 pmPost count: 4886As a former courier, the best advice that I can give is to understand how DoS is structured/operates, have a thorough understanding of the duties outlined in the job announcement, review the Foreign Affairs Maunal that discusses the movement of classified material, and most importantly, listen to the instructions given during the OA. DS handles its OA process differently than the other specialist categories (I have been through both). That’s about the extent I can go without crossing the ND line. Good luck.
GuestJul 20, 2017 at 4:13 pmPost count: 4886Steven
GuestJul 26, 2017 at 11:03 pmPost count: 4886Good Evening,
I am preparing to apply for the Diplomatic Courier position, was wondering if the email updates are accurate for when the next opening is scheduled? Due the vast registry being developed, is it allowed for an interested person to apply for a desired job (though it is currently closed) and be “pre-applied” for when the next vacancy opens? Thank you
GuestJul 26, 2017 at 11:37 pmPost count: 4886Nope, you can only apply when there’s an open vacancy announcement. They’re few and far between because, really, due to the hiring process itself, everyone “preapplies.”
If you search “courier” in the searchbox, you will find the vacancy announcement, though, and you can also sign up to be alerted when the announcement gets posted. Note it could be a year or so.
Ashley Bea
GuestJul 28, 2017 at 8:00 amPost count: 4886GuestJul 28, 2017 at 8:55 amPost count: 4886GuestJul 28, 2017 at 10:11 pmPost count: 4886GeekGirl
GuestNov 1, 2017 at 9:11 amPost count: 4886Expect 6 months between application and oral interviews. Another 6 months for security clearance. Then waiting on the register for a class date. Even if you already have a clearance, you will need to redo it from scratch. It’s possible the process is faster because State is hiring less nowadays.
Cheers- AuthorPosts
Diplomatic Courier Service Application2017-06-28T17:51:18-04:00
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