We’ve been talking a decent amount (for starters, here) about how new resources are hopefully headed into the Foreign Service and USAID, resources that will create new positions and new jobs. At a hearing today in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Jack Lew, the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, confirmed our talk. In his testimony about the Obama administration’s international affairs budget, he stated:
The FY 2010 budget requests $283 million to support adding 740 new Foreign Service personnel at the Department of State, a significant step toward achieving a 25 percent increase in State Foreign Service personnel over four years.
And then he said:
The FY 2010 request includes a 45 percent increase in USAID operations to support adding an additional 350 new permanent USAID Foreign Service Officers.
This is good news all around, but particularly good news if you have ambitions to be in the Foreign Service, either State or USAID.
UPDATE: I missed this on DipNote, from a few weeks ago: “Secretary Clinton announced today on careers.state.gov that Congress recently approved funding for the State Department that will allow us to hire over 1,000 new employees during the next few years. So now, we’re stepping up our recruitment efforts. We’re looking for smart people from diverse backgrounds who can help us perform our key mission here at the State Department—to strengthen our relationships with other nations and work toward peace and prosperity for all people, by using what we call “smart power,” the full range of diplomatic tools at our disposal.”
UPDATE #2: RE: Lauren’s comment below, Clinton’s speech from NYU announcing the creation of Virtual Student Foreign Service Internships, “to harness the energy of a rising generation of citizen diplomats.” She also mentions that the Foreign Service is looking for good, young people: “Our State Department personnel are skilled, dedicated, passionate, and effective. And for those of you still looking for jobs, we are hiring a new generation of diplomats.”
UPDATE #3: Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 on May 15, which: 1) authorizes hiring 1,500 additional Foreign Service Officers over the next two years; and 2) supports the Administration’s plan to double the size of the Peace Corps.
Tags: Foreign Service, USAID
This hiring trend was mentioned several times by speakers and attendees of the recent Society for International Development conference held in Washington DC. (Some also added how difficult nabbing a job at these agencies can be… they might be hiring more people, but they’re certainly not making the test any easier. Good luck!)
That is great to hear, Lauren. I suppose you’re right that the Foreign Service test will probably never get any easier, but there has been movement in the past few years to focus the hiring of Foreign Service officers more on the “whole package” a candidate offers, not simply on the test results (this bodes well for those who would be strong FSOs but don’t necessarily excel on standardized tests). Also, as I mentioned a little over a month ago, legislation has been introduced in Congress to make the entire federal hiring process easier to navigate: http://workingworldcareers.com/2009/03/31/proposal-for-improvements-to-the-federal-hiring-process/.
Totally revamped site! same shirt unbuttoned under the tie in the profile picture!
If you can’t get into the Foreign Service later, why not try now? Did anyone see the Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) Internships that Sec. Clinton announced at her NYU commencement speech? They’re part of the Department’s plan to harness technology and latch onto the next generation of diplomats… more info on the Dipnote blog or at White House.gov.
[...] to their staff—in fact I feel like there’s been a lot of positive lately, what with the good news that State and USAID should be receiving new funding to significantly increase their staff. But [...]