I've pretty much completed the appliation except for the following questions. Not only are these tough for me to answer (aside from the first one), they want a way to contact someone who can verify your answer--cannot be a spouse, close family member or person under my supervision at work. My biggest problem is that those who could verify my answers are strangers or people I've lost touch with.
1) What are the important knowledge, skills and abilities that you would bring to the Foreign Service? (List no more than four.) Why do you consider these skills important for the Foreign Service?
2) In the Foreign Service you may confront obstacles and/or adverse circumstances. Describe briefly how you have dealt with such a situation in your experience. (What was the situation? What steps did you take to deal with the circumstances/obstacle(s)? What was the result?)
3) In the Foreign Service, you will be called upon to interact with people from different ethnic, racial, religious, geographic, economic and other backgrounds. Describe a significant experience you have had with another culture, either abroad or in the United States. (What was the experience? What did you do? What was the result?)
4) Communication skills are critical to successful diplomacy. Describe a situation in which you used your communication skills (either in English or another language) to further an aim or achieve a goal. (What was the situation? What steps did you take to deal with the situation? What was the result?)
5) Foreign Service Officers are often required to manage projects, demonstrating the ability to plan and organize, set priorities, employ a systematic approach, and allocate time and resources efficiently. Describe a project you managed or helped to manage and how you sought to achieve the project’s goals. (What was the project? What steps did you take to manage the project? What was the result?)
6) Leadership can be defined as motivating others, encouraging creative solutions, establishing positive team relationships, or significantly influencing the direction of the work. Describe how you have demonstrated leadership, either on one particular occasion or over time. (What was the situation? What steps did you take to show leadership? What was the result?)
I've been sitting on this since September.
