So nobody likes to feel like they've done everything they set out to do. There's an immediate sense of accomplishment and gratification when you realize you've kind of "done it"--sure--; but there's also a sense of loss, a sense of need, and a sense of dread that this might be all there is. About a year ago, I found myself feeling that way. I felt like I'd done the whole "trailing spouse" thing. I'd enjoyed every job I'd had, every section I'd worked in, and (nearly) every person I've met along the way. But after two years of not working--the first was because of a decision I consciously made, and the other was due to the government hiring freeze--I felt lost. I am someone who loves working for the State Department. I love being a part of our mission abroad, a part of my Embassy community. I've made a career out of being a trailing spouse, or, an "Eligible Family Member," if one wants to be more politically correct. My adult life has consisted of moving around the world, following my husband from Permanent Change of Station to Permanent Change of Station to training and back again. Each and every single curve in his career path has meant a complete professional 180 for me. Now, I thought that just being able to serve and to work on a limited basis (according to need and availability at Post) was going to be enough to sustain my professional ambitions; however, I realized about a year ago that that was just not going to be enough for me. So I decided to apply to work for the State Department as an Office Management Specialist (OMS) last March.
The application process for the OMS track isn't as involved and complex as the interview process to be a Foreign Service Officer, but it's not a cake walk either. It took me days and days to get my resume together, my personal stories for questions asked, my personal and professional references together, and several international phone calls to Thibodaux, Louisiana, to get a copy of my college transcripts in time to make the cutoff date for the application process. And then, the wait began. I was notified a few weeks after the application process closed that my packet had been "referred" for further review. Four months later, in July, I got word that I had been invited to the Oral Assessment in Washington, D.C. It took still several more weeks before I was able to schedule my interview, which I scheduled for early January, as far ahead as I could possibly schedule it so I'd have plenty of time to prepare for the nearly day-long interview process. It also would give me a ton of time to act like an ostrich with my head in the sand, because I am terrified on interviews (and tend to turn purple during them from nerves).
Just like any other job interview, the applicant is expected to show up in person. Well, when a number of the applicants live thousands of miles away, it can get a little tricky and a lot expensive! Such was the case for my interview. I decided to get to D.C. on a Monday, four full days before my interview, so I could have time to both buy a killer suit and get over the jet lag from my six-hour time difference. I wanted everything to be perfect and easy and convenient to keep me from being so nervous. In my true fashion, I did all the prep work up front so I could live in the moment. I even made sure to find a hotel a few blocks away from the test/interview site so I wouldn't have to count on public transportation to be on time. I had it planned almost down to the minute. And then the government shut down due to a lapse in funding the Friday before I was set to leave on Monday. I decided to go D.C. no matter what, just in case the government should open. Well, it didn't. Between the plane (which I paid for using all 70,000 of our credit card points), the hotel, the (fast food) meals, and the killer power suit, the trip cost me about $1000 when I didn't know when we'd get paid again. Yowza, was that stressful. It wasn't even the money that I was worried about; I was devastated that I'd felt so prepared and ready to interview that I was sure that no matter the outcome, I knew I'd done my best. Obviously, I didn't end up having my interview. I did, however, keep the suit.
Here it is, May 2019. I applied for this job 14 months ago, and my interview is now next week in Chicago. I had to pay out of pocket this time for my plane ticket, and my hotel is over twice what the one in D.C. cost; however, it's literally across the street from the testing center. I could not be in a better location. I don't have the annual leave that I had in January; so I have to take Leave Without Pay in order to go the interview. That means I'm leaving Budapest on Tuesday and leaving Chicago on Friday. I get one day to deal with jet lag and to try to mentally prepare for the interview; and, then, I either pass the Oral Assessment or I don't. The one reassuring factor is that, because this process has taken so long, the OMS application process has opened again; and I was able to get a second candidacy in the works. That means, that in the event that I don't pass, I might get invited to a second Oral Assessment at a later date.
Now, what exactly is the Oral Assessment (OA)? Well, for the field I've chosen (Office Management Specialist), the OA is a nearly day-long process that assesses you on 12 different dimensions that the State Department is looking for in an OMS. It begins with a computer test that is partly made up of job-related questions and part writing exercise. Next, you sit in front of a subject matter expert (an actual OMS) and another person, whom I am guessing is from HR. They ask you situational questions that you might encounter as an OMS, and they try and see what your thought process is like (i.e., whether you make the right decisions at crunch time or not). From what I understand, these questions get harder and more intense as time goes on. They want to see how you react under duress, and if you can think on your feet. Next, they give you a list of a number of questions, of which you choose a certain number to answer. You have a total of five minutes to read and to prepare your responses once they hand you the list. The questions deal with past behavior, where you try to accentuate how effectively you've addressed the 12 dimensions they're looking for. At the end of everything, you get a score that's either passing or failing. If you pass, you're given a conditional offer of employment that's contingent upon several factors: a Microsoft Word Expert Level Certification within 30 days, a security clearance, medical clearance, and suitability clearance. Once those things are met, you get put on a list according to your score. The higher the score, the quicker you get called up for an orientation class. Some people who have lower scores might not get called at all. In other words, this process is very involved and just not easy. I may totally fudge this up. Or, I may not. The good news is, I can try again.
What will it mean if I somehow pass the OA and everything else I need and get invited to a class at some point? Well, it means a whole lot of change. The plus sides are: double housing space, State will pay to ship a second car for us, my own retirement and pension, a full-time, permanent career, no longer a trailing spouse, guaranteed income, and more respect. Oh, and I would truly get to serve my country in my own right, not contingent upon my spouse's job.
What are the down sides? Well, that's where it gets interesting. In the Foreign Service, the first two tours are what are called "directed assignments." You're given a list of open positions; and while you get to designate what your preferred positions are, you essentially get told where you're going. This happens twice, and each tour lasts two years. It's only once you are looking at your third tour that you get to lobby for the job you really want. Now what does all this mean when you have a spouse who is already bidding on his own assignments? Well, it can mean a lot of time apart and a lot of sacrifices for your country. It can mean not being with your children for long periods of time. It can mean your spouse taking a year of Leave Without Pay to try and sync up. It can mean going to extreme hardship posts that are willing to take a tandem couple. It can mean a whole lot of things.
Why would I do this? What would I take the chance of so much change? I've been asking myself the same thing for a while now, and I always come up with the same reason: Because I deserve this. I deserve to have my own career, my own path, and my own future--in tandem with my husband and my kids. My husband has told me time and again how close his family became when his mom decided to have a career of her own, how strong it made their unit to pick up slack in some places and let go of the slack in others. We've sort of "done" this lifestyle; maybe the future holds something a little more exciting for the four of us.
The only thing I know right now is that my interview is a week from Thursday. Everything else is on hold until then.
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