Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Submitted my Bid List

This morning I submitted my bid list. Clicking the submit button was a bit nerve-wracking, especially since I am doing it so early (it isn't due until September 22). But I was advised to send it in early because I am bidding on the DC positions. So here is the top 10 as submitted:

1. DC - Operations Center
2. DC - INR Watch
3. LUXEMBOURG- Public Diplomacy (PD)
4. BERLIN - Political (POL)
5. VIENNA - POL-ECON
6. KIEV - PD
7. THE HAGUE - ECON
8. GENEVA - Management Officer
9. MOSCOW - Staff Asst./POL
10. OTTAWA - CON (consular)/POL

Ottawa moving up to 10 is the only change. I have misgivings about it given that the Ambassador there is someone folks from SC would be very familiar with. but I decided that it would be worth the risk, given Ottawa's proximity to DC. And I am hoping it is a moot point and that I will get the Op Center.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've passed the FSOT and have been invited to take the Oral Assessment. I notice from your bid list that you have bid on Econ, Mgmt, PD and Public Affairs; I thought that FSOs are limited to one cone (tho' all do a CON rotation). Can you educate me on this? Thanks.

Digger said...

First, congrats on passing and good luck with the oral assessment.

You are limited to one cone, but, particularly during your first two tours, it doesn't matter much. Everyone, for example, does a consular tour, even though most of us are not consular coned. After your first two tours, you can must bid six "core" bids, meaning that they are at your current grade and in your cone. But even then, you can bid on "interfunctional" positions (my current position and my onward assignment are both interfunctional) as core bids and you can bid on positions outside of your cone as well.

Digger said...

I hope you'll forgive me if I also give you a little advise on the oral assessment even though you didn't ask for it.

1) Take an active role in the group exercise. Don't sit quietly...they can't judge your leadership skills if you don't talk. And it does not matter AT ALL if your "project" gets "funded." (The person who got full funding in my group did not pass.) What matters is whether you participate in the negotiations and lead without brow-beating.

2. Make sure you engage the math on the written part. They already know from your essay that you can write. People who ignore budget issues in the written part generally don't pass.

3. Go over the list of precepts and make a mental list of examples where you have demonstrated them. That will come in handy in the structured interview (I think they still do that part).