FSOT Friday: An Experiment

As I mentioned before, I'm currently preparing to take the Foreign Service Officer Test with my boyfriend in about six weeks. For those of you who don't know what the FSOT is, let me give you a general idea. The test is a person's ticket into the Foreign Service (the State Department); if you pass the written assessment, you go on to the oral assessment and from there, hopefully become a foreign service officer. The written test is quite a hurdle to jump, however. Considered to be one of the hardest tests a person can take, the FSOT measures personal experiences and skills (biographical), English expression and usage, and job knowledge. The job knowledge section is what trips most people up, and what will certainly trip me up. Job knowledge covers U.S. government, history, and culture; world history and geography; international affairs; economics; math; management/business; and psychology. Soooo, not much, huh? ;)

I'm experimenting with the idea of a themed post every Friday related to the FSOT. You know, ways that I'm approaching studying, anything I've come across that could be helpful, current events briefings from places like the Economist or Foreign Affairs, iPhone apps, you know, the like.

Today, I'll focus on what I studied yesterday: geography.

It's no secret that America sucks at geography, but luckily, I've found a few tools to help me out. I only did European and South American geography yesterday, so I still have a few continents to master. The Latin America tests were somewhat of a throw-away, since I'm already pretty proficient there. But hey, my teachers never made me learn where Suriname or Guyana are, so those were new for me. And of course, it's not like the FSOT shows you a map and asks you to name the countries, but having a general idea of where countries are located in relation to each other definitely helps. Here's what I've done to prep so far...I'll use Europe as my example.

Printed out blank maps of the continent

Wrote in country and capital names 
(try squeezing Bosnia and Herzegovina in that itty bitty space)

Tried to find something interesting/memorable about countries
For example, Macedonia is this tiny little landlocked country not far from Greece. It's the only small landlocked country in the area.

Test myself on my knowledge using apps/websites
I haven't found a perfect site yet, but I used Funbrain levels 1 and 3 to test my knowledge of country location and capitals. Funbrain doesn't have a very good randomization process; out of the 10 questions in Level 3, 3 of them asked me what country's capital is Brussels. So that's something to keep in mind.

I also used an iPhone app for geography; it's called TapQuiz Maps and is decent for quick reviewing of countries. The app names a country and you must tap its location. Pretty straightforward. However, for very small countries, it's a little trickier and takes more time; you have to zoom in by holding your finger at the spot, and then lining up the little "x" with the country. It might work better on an iPad.

Keep in mind that this approach does not cover topography, like the mountain ranges and rivers that are likely important to know. I'm thinking about drawing those in but...we're gonna need a bigger map.

Yeah. It's kinda like that. (via)

"How did you hear about us?": a tip

Lately I've been getting frustrated by the job search engines I use. Don't get me wrong, they're incredibly handy and organized. However, I'm looking for fairly specialized positions, and there aren't too many new opportunities where I'm looking. I log onto Idealist and see the same 18 jobs leering at me and, well...it's not pretty.

So I came up with a simple method of expanding the job pool by expanding my search engines. It's not foolproof, since it doesn't work when applying through an e-mail. But many sites with online applications can help you out by pointing you towards some new search engines. The process is simple:

1. Find a job that you're interested in and go to their website's application form. It doesn't really matter if you choose to apply fully or not (i.e. if you're grossly over/under-qualified), only that the job is in a field/location you're interested in.

2. On the application, find the "How did you hear about us?" question. There should be a drop-down list with lots of options, and hopefully some of those options should be job search engines that you haven't heard of.

3. Go to those new job search engines and get yourself a job!

Hope this helps!

What to Expect While Reading This Blog

Seeing as this is only my second entry, it's hard to say what exactly I'll be writing about consistently. But here are some topics that you can expect to see:

Job Hunting Tips/Tricks/Rants/Disappointments
As my primary occupation right now is finding a full-time job related to international politics, I expect to write quite a bit about my job search and practices that have/have not worked for me throughout this process.

Latin America & International Politics
Latin America is my area of interest (I wouldn't say "expertise"!) within the realm of international politics. I studied for a semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina, speak Spanish with near fluency, and have  done a number of independent research projects about Latin American affairs. I'd like to use this space to report on current events with my own insight. I'll of course include other events outside of Latin America; however, I'd like to dedicate most of my "reporting" time to my favorite region.

The Foreign Service Officer Test
My boyfriend and I are taking the FSOT at the end of September on a whim. Well...perhaps it's more than "on a whim." I've wanted to take the test for years, and though I'm a bit overwhelmed by the mass of information that the test covers, I'm really enjoying preparing for it. I hope to post some study methods, information about the test, practice questions, and other related knowledge.

Corgis
...Ok. You can't blame me for this one; with such dense subject matter otherwise, I need a few derpy puppies to lighten the mood. Trust me, you'll thank me on this one.

You're welcome. (Photo via)

Introduction

As it turns out, setting up a blog takes less time than for a tea kettle to boil water.

In other news, hi! On the recommendation of my other half, I've decided to get myself writing again by starting this blog. I just graduated this past May from a small liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with a degree in International Studies (Human Rights NGO Administration). I've spent the summer applying to jobs while still living in my parents' home outside of Philadelphia. As of this moment, I am quite unemployed, and I'm finding a need to remind myself why I chose my career path in the first place.

You see, I'm not completely incapable of finding a job. Just recently, I was offered a corporate job with great benefits in Washington, D.C. The base salary would be higher than anything I'd be making at a non-profit at this point in my career, and there would be quarterly bonuses. The job would allow me to move closer to my boyfriend, to start paying off student loans and even--gasp!--save some money, and to otherwise start the next chapter of my adult life.

But I turned it down. I wasn't passionate about the corporation or its work. A place that generates too much money and too little social change is not a place where I can earnestly make a career. Of course I could do the job, but it would lack the heart that's so present in my academics and volunteer work. And I'm fortunate enough to be in a position where I have a safe roof over my head while I continue to look for jobs that will excite and challenge me. I do not take that for granted, and so I'm starting this blog to keep my writing sharp and study issues that I'm passionate about while I continue my applications.

You can call me naive (perhaps), liberal (definitely), or anything else you like, but I decided a long time ago that I wanted to go in a different direction. And though I'm attempting to convince myself and my readers alike of this fact, I'm hoping this blog brings me a bit more confidence, a bit more practice in writing/editing, and a bit of an adventure.

-Caroline