Becoming a Foreign Service Officer
The Foreign Service Officer selection process begins with online registration, proceeds through the selection process, and for those who succeed, culminates in hiring from the register for assignment to the A-100 course, the training and orientation course that marks the beginning of every Foreign Service Officer career.
Download the Guide to the Foreign Service Officer Selection Process (756kb, PDF).
IMPORTANT NOTICE ON YOUR CAREER TRACK CHOICE
You should be aware that, in some career tracks (political and public diplomacy) there are many more candidates than openings, and many candidates will not be hired. In other career tracks (economic, management, and consular), there are not enough candidates and most everyone on the register will be hired. You should consider this information when you select a career track. If your skills and interests equally match multiple career tracks, you should consider selecting a career track that offers you a greater chance of getting a job offer.
If you successfully pass the Foreign Service Officer Test, Qualifications Evaluation Panel, Oral Assessment, security and medical clearances and a Final Review, you are placed on a hiring register. The hiring register is based on the specific career track you chose at the time of registration. Based on your Oral Assessment score, plus any additional credit for language or veteran’s preference, you are rank-ordered on the career-track register, where your eligibility is valid for 18 months. You are hired from the register based on the needs in each career track.
It is extremely difficult to change career tracks once you are hired from the register. You are urged to consider carefully which career track is the best fit for your interests and background. We have designed a tool to help you make your career track decision, Which Career Track is Right for You.
| Steps to becoming a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) |
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| After you pass the Oral Assessment: |
| Key Considerations: |