This post looks at the next step in the hiring process for just about every individual applying for the Foreign Service, regardless of career track or specialty. The Qualifications Evaluation Panel also know as the QEP. I will also give some brief tips in how to write a decent essay, since they are likely some of the deciding factors in getting hired.

The QEP is a panel of individuals that will review your application, read your essays, ensure you meet minimum qualifications, and assess your professional experiences and motivation for joining. They will then put you in a rank order list, and you will be invited to the next step of the process, the Oral Assessment (their version of an interview) based on hiring needs, and where you sit in that rank order.

Both Specialists and Generalists will ultimately come before the QEP if they meet certain criteria. In either case, the QEP is the second step in the process after your initial application. For Generalists, they have to pass the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) first. When they applied for the test, they also had to submit several essays. Should they pass the FSOT, their information, including their essays and test score will go to the QEP, where they will be evaluated as above, and ranked in order to determine if they get an invite for the Oral Assessment. Based on what I have read, the QEP is one of the biggest road blocks in getting hired, where many Generalists will pass the FSOT several times, but fail to make it past the QEP after multiple attempts.

For most Specialists (not all, some still take a test to start), and specifically Medical Providers, the first step of the process is just filling out the application on the USAJOBS website, when an opening is available. You will submit multiple small essays and a statement of interest in your application. A previous post discussed the application process for Medical Providers. Your only notice that you will go before the QEP, is that your job application on the USAJOBS website updates from “received” to “referred”, which occurs within a couple of weeks from the close of the application window. From there you wait, usually 2-3 months, but due to COVID-19, it could be much longer. My job application window closed in early August 2020, and I wasn’t notified I passed the QEP until the second week of January 2021. Us healthcare workers are used to getting lightning fast replies to job applications, so be prepared for the slog. The government could be desperate for you to sign up, but they still aren’t going adjust the grinding wheels of bureaucracy just for you.

If you really want to ensure success on the QEP, make sure you read the essay prompts thoroughly on your application, answer the questions from your own personal experience, and try and incorporate the 12 dimensions (13 for Generalists) into your answers. I won’t go into each dimension here, but briefly, they are qualities the State Department looks for in successful candidates. Things like composure, motivation, judgement, and oral communication to name a few (honestly things most higher level jobs would want). You can review them for Specialists here, and for Generalists here. Memorize these, as this is how you will be assessed and evaluated on these essays, and if you make it to the interview portion of the application process, the Oral Assessment. The question prompts themselves typically address what dimension they are looking for. For example, Medical Providers are asked to describe a complex clinical case that demonstrates your skills in organizing patient problems and solutions. Organization is one of the 12 dimensions. It is important to answer directly from your own experience, and not be vague in your responses. Lastly, try and start writing your essays well before the application due date to ensure you have enough time to review and polish them. I can’t tell you how many mistakes you will catch when coming back to your own writing with fresh eyes days or weeks later.

So that is the QEP in a nutshell. It’s a subtle step in the process since you won’t know anything about it until you find out if you passed or failed it, but it seems to be one of the biggest hurdles for lots of applicants pursuing a career in the Foreign Service. I’m grateful I made it past this step in my first application. Should you want me to review your application essay answers, feel free to email me and I will be happy to take a look at them. I will look at any applicants answers, regardless of career track, but I’m clearly more focused on the medical side of things, so you will get more from me if you are applying for things like MP or RMO.

In the coming days and weeks I will continue to take some deep dives into the hiring process, and touch on some personal motivations for joining the Foreign Service.

–Nick