Personal Narrative 1: Substantive Knowledge

Substantive Knowledge. The Foreign Service seeks a diverse workforce with broad job skills and a depth of experience to represent the United States overseas. Briefly describe why you chose the career track you selected and what you bring to that career track.

I chose the Management career track because I believe it would be the best application of the language, job knowledge, and soft skills I have gained during my career.

I learned and used Japanese while I majored in International Business at the University of Hawaii, Korean while I taught English in Seoul, and Chinese while I worked at the Shanghai Consulate General Foreign Commercial Service. I could utilize skills in positions where I would process visa applications or manage host nation employees.

Second, I could apply the skills I've gained from the various positions I've had. During the ten years I served in the U.S. Army, I managed motor pools of nearly one hundred vehicles, developed $4 million budgets, managed foreign nationals, and directed an office relocation. As a Management officer, I could use these skills to supervise Management Foreign Service Specialists and local national employees.

Lastly, I could utilize the soft skills I have developed in my current position. As a logistics analyst in the U.S. INDOPACOM headquarters, I produce a daily summary of logistics movements and brief general/flag officers multiple times every week -- skills that would easily translate when interacting with senior diplomats.