Resumes are important in many industries and international affairs is no different. There is a certain way your resume should look if you...

It’s not for everyone: moving abroad for a short-term mission, internship or volunteer opportunity and staying there afterwards to build...

How I missed the opportunity I sometimes think back on the time when I, however briefly, considered going on a 2–year,...

Are you studying international relations, or considering moving into international relations, and you're not sure how to start out? I...

I’ve written a lot about becoming a diplomat on this blog, but I just realized it’s also about something much broader than that; it’s...

I love answering questions from readers, so I’ll dedicate this post to one I got recently: what type of educational background do you...

You don’t need a special degree to become a political officer. Like in other career tracks within the Foreign Service, diplomats learn...

My experience with political diplomacy is based on two jobs in wildly different countries: the first was as an assistant in the...

No matter their chosen career track, all US diplomats have to complete at least one consular tour at the entry-level (in the first four...

Political officers focus on government-to-government relations, which is what you could call “traditional diplomacy”. They further policy...

Political sections in diplomatic missions (embassies and consulates) work on a large number of international issues. Typical portfolios...

In the US system, anyone can be an economic officer. You don’t need a special degree for it. Like in other career tracks in the Foreign...

I have some experience with economic diplomacy from when I was a political/economic assistant in the US Embassy in Montevideo for two...

No matter their chosen career track, all US diplomats have to complete at least one consular tour at the entry-level (in the first four...

The mains goal for economic officers are advancing their countries’ economic policy priorities, attracting foreign direct investment, and...

The issues economic officers work on are different in each embassy, but typical portfolios in the economic section include macro-economic...

Diplomats in the US Foreign Service work in one of five career tracks. Even though they’re called generalists—which means they can work...

It’s a common question by FS-wannabes: what should I read to prepare for the Foreign Service exams (the FSOT and the FSOA)? In my...

How do you buy a beautiful oriental carpet for a great price? That’s the question most diplomats have when they’re posted anywhere...

I recently got a question from a student about how to join the Foreign Service. It inspired me to look at the application process from...