Disappointing News

So I learned the other day that I did not make it to the next step in the process; I was not asked to the Oral Assessment. I'm disappointed to say the least, especially as I made it that far last time. All I can think of is that my lack of focus came through in my Personal Narratives this time around. I clearly did not do as good of a job as I had on the first attempt. As I've mentioned before, my life is in something of an upheaval right now, both in good and bad ways, but stressful nonetheless. I'm not in the same place or frame of mind as I was when I started this blog and Foreign Service journey almost two years ago.

Which makes me wonder: Is this really the right time for me to be attempting something so life changing as the Foreign Service? As much as I want to do it, and I really do, maybe I need to get myself to a more stable place before I try again. Maybe I just need to mature and grow more as a professional, develop my skills, before I am ready. It's a lot to think about. I'm not eligible to take the test again until next summer, so I do have another 8 to 9 months to think about my next steps. A lot can happen in that short amount of time. I can't wait to see what will.

One hurdle down

So about 3 weeks ago I learned that I passed the FSOT for the second time!!! Yay! And then about a week ago I turned in my personal narratives for the second time. I mostly used the same examples from the last time, I just tweaked and adjusted them. And now it is back to waiting. Pursuing the Foreign Service is an exercise in patience followed by intense bursts of activity. Apply for the test, wait, sign up for the test date, wait, take the test, wait, and so on. But in a way, the complicated and extensive hiring process is a great way to self select out candidates. After all, if you can't handle the application process, there is no way you would be able to handle working in a government position. So for now I will continue on with my life, which is going through some major upheavals right now anyway, and see what happens. I won't know if I am moving on to the Oral Assessment again for about two more months. Cross your fingers for me.

Here I go again

Well, a month ago I gave the Oral Assessment my best shot and failed. It was tough and I left DC a little heartbroken. I remember looking at my results and wondering if I could put myself through all that effort and stress again. But the Foreign Service Officers who gave me my results were encouraging that I should try again and my score wasn't that far off from the 5.25 I needed. I am confident that having gone through the process once, I am much better prepared if I make it that far the next time. So, here I am, picking myself up and today I submitted my application for the FSOT. Here we go again.

I wish I had better news

I failed. Yup, I did not pass the Oral Assessment. I passed the Structured Interview but not the Group discussion and not the Case Management section. They say you should know what you messed up on if you reflect upon it and I do. I know what I should have done. Doesn't make this any easier. I feel a little bad because I didn't stay to see if the other 5 in my group passed. I couldn't be happy for them at that moment, I needed to be sad. I hope they contact me and let me know.I hope they all did well. The accessors were very nice to me, very encouraging about my score. They asked me if I would do it again. I will. But tonight, I need a hug.

Here I go

Tomorrow I'll be flying out to Washington DC for the Oral Assessment on Wednesday. Am I still a little freaked out? Yup. Am I excited? Most definitely. More importantly, I'm ready to go. A lot of time, energy, and effort has brought me to this point so I'm going to have to keep doing my best. See you on the other side.

Oral Assessment prep session

I'm here in Chicago, happy to watch the cold snowy weather from inside my warm hotel room. On Wednesday I arrived in Chicago and went straight to my Oral Assessment prep session. I'm really glad I went. It was great meeting others who are preparing and I really enjoyed meeting the Ambassador in residence. I do have to say, I feel both better informed and more intimidated. I feel confident I now know what I need to do to prepare effectively, which is a good thing too because my assessment is less than 3 weeks away! But at the same time, I feel a little intimidated. The Foreign Service has high standards, rightly so, and that means some additional pressure to do my best. Additionally, I think it's really hitting me that I might get in. And that thought is both exciting and scary. So needless to say, I have a lot on my mind. But at times like this, the best thing to do is to focus on what I need to do and on doing my best. See you next in DC!

Chicago

In a little less than two months I will be winging my way to Washington DC for the Oral Assessment. But before that, I will be road tripping it to Chicago for a prep session at the University of Illinois - Chicago. Ironically, I probably wouldn't have signed up for the prep session, despite how useful I think it will be, if I wasn't already planning a trip to Chicago in January. After all, I will spend more than 12 hours total in the car for 3 hours in a prep session. But hey, two birds, one stone. I'm super excited. I get to visit Chicago, do the tourist thing, and hang out with friends. Plus, I get to meet other Foreign Service hopefuls, be better prepared for the Oral Assessment, and learn from someone in the Foreign Service. I can't wait.

3 1/2 months

So I was bad and forgot to update the blog on my signing up for the Oral Assessment. Fall is always super busy for me and I got distracted. But enough about that. Registration for the Oral Assessment opened on Sept. 28th and I decided to wait until I got home from work to sign up. Little did I realize that I was the only one waiting. In 9 hours all the assessment slots for November, December, and even most of January were already taken. Sigh. I was hoping to get a slot in December. On the bright side, this will give me more time to prepare. I'm all signed up, booked my flight, and even found a hotel within walking distance of the test site. I'm even looking forward to meeting up with some friends in DC while I'm there. January 27th is the magic day so I better work hard so that I can do my best!

Hello Washington DC!

When I got home today I had an unexpected surprise waiting for me; I am being brought in for the Oral Assessment! I am soooo excited! In about two weeks I will get to sign up for my assessment date and book my trip. I'll likely pick a date in December as that would work best with the temp gig I just started today. That means I have 3 months to prepare for the Oral Assessment so I really need to work hard. This is one more hurdle I've jumped over but there's still more.

Julie & Julia

The husband and I went to see the movie Julie & Julia today. I went in expecting a cute and touching movie about Julie Child and a blogger whose blog was inspired by her. And it was both cute and uplifting. Being a blogger myself, both here and at my HR blog, I expected the movie to be relevant to me. What I didn't expect was that it would be relevant for more reasons than that. You see, Paul Child, Julia Child's husband, was a foreign service officer.

How cool is that? I never knew that the reason Julia Child was in Paris in the first place was because her husband was a diplomat. Of course, the movie didn't really focus on that much, but it was great seeing them interact at embassy parties, Julia speaking with other diplomats wives, moving to different countries, etc. So many things to look forward to if I get through the rest of this process. Just two more months to go until I find out if they are bringing me in for the oral assessment. *crosses fingers*